People With Medicare

Filling Coverage Gaps

How do I fill gaps in coverage?


Medicare does not cover all health care services. For example, Medicare does not cover personal care, or eye and hearing exams. And Medicare is not free. You may need to pay out-of-pocket costs, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts.

You may be able to get health coverage that pays these costs. It fills in the gaps in Medicare coverage. This is called supplemental insurance. It can come from:

  • A job or union OR
  • Retiree benefits from a former employer or union OR
  • The Veterans Administration
If you have limited income and savings, you may be able to get help from your state to pay Medicare costs. Learn more about this help through the Medicare Savings Programs.

Or, you can buy a Medicare supplemental insurance policy if:

  • You have Original Medicare, AND
  • You do not have other health coverage that supplements Medicare.

This is known as a Medigap policy.

There are 11 different standard Medigap plans. They are called A-D, F, high deductible F, G, and K-N. You cannot buy them in Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Each plan covers different services. The cost of a Medigap policy depends on the type of Medigap plan and the company you bought it from.

NEXT: About Medigap

Information on this web site was compiled from approved materials of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.