A Medicare Supplement — Medigap — sits behind Original Medicare and pays the deductibles and coinsurance Medicare leaves to you. You keep Original Medicare, you keep access to any provider in the country who accepts it, and your costs become predictable.
Original Medicare covers a lot, but not all of it. Part A has a per-benefit-period hospital deductible. Part B pays 80% of approved charges and leaves the other 20% open-ended, with no annual cap. A Medigap plan is the thing that closes that gap.
Medigap plans are standardised by letter. A Plan G from one carrier pays exactly what a Plan G from another carrier pays — the benefits are set by law. What differs is the premium, the carrier's rate-increase history, and how the plan is priced as you age. That is where an independent agent earns their keep: comparing identical benefits on price and stability rather than selling you a brochure.
The other thing that matters, and that people find out too late, is medical underwriting. During your Medigap Open Enrollment — the six months beginning when you are 65 and enrolled in Part B — you can buy any Medigap plan sold in Utah regardless of your health. After that window, in most situations a carrier can ask health questions and decline you. This is the single most consequential deadline in Medicare, and it is the reason to have this conversation early.
Medigap does not include prescription drug coverage, so a standalone Part D plan is part of the same decision. Sarah prices the pair together — supplement plus Part D — against the Advantage alternative, so you are comparing total yearly cost rather than two premiums that are not comparable on their own.
Sometimes, but not always, and that is the catch. Outside your Medigap Open Enrollment window and outside specific guaranteed-issue situations, carriers in Utah can medically underwrite you and decline the application. If a Medigap plan is something you may want, the time to look at it seriously is when you first enrol in Part B.
Important: We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 6 organizations which offer products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.
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What to do and when, from six months before your birthday through your first year on Medicare — including the two decisions that are much harder to reverse later.
A real conversation with a licensed agent who will check your doctors and prescriptions before you decide — and answer the phone all year after that.
Office hours: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Ogden, Utah · NPN 14943086
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