In 1992 the Federal Goverment mandated that Medicare Supplements be standardized. There are 10 Standardized Medicare Supplement plans called  “A” through “J”

The benefits of each plan are different, with the exception that all plans cover the “Basic Benefits”.  Medicare standardized the plans to limit the consumer’s confusion when comparing coverage offered by different companies. With standardization, the consumer can easily compare the benefits and the cost being offered. PRESCRIPTION COVERAGE: Let's deal with this first of all. Prescription coverage is included only on plans "H","I",and "J". The extent of that coverage is explained later within the material ,but right now let's sum it up by saying that those plan are very costly and the coverage is very limited. Very few of these plans are sold as most people consider them to be too expensive. A LITTLE HISTORY:  In the past Plan "C" was the most popular. Plan "C" offered everything that Plan"F" offered except it did not cover the "EXCESS CHARGES" (when the provider charges over the Medicare approved amount). Being that the Excess Charges are limited by law to 15% ,and the price differincial between "C" and "F" was generaly high;most customers bought plan "C".  In the past couple of years for some unknown reason this has changed. Even though Plan "F" offers better coverage than Plan "C"; with many companies Plan "F", is now priced less than Plan"C". If you are choosing between Plan "C" and Plan "F"; Plan "F" is now the better choice. Because of this odd pricing, Plan"F" is now the most popular plan. All companies do not offer all plans. Each company decides which plans they wish to market. Most companies only offer four or five plans . Many companies only offer plans through "F".   It's time to look at Plan"G" - - Plans"C" and "F" are not bad decisions, but Plan "G" may be a better value once you understand the differences in coverage and price. Plan "G" covers everything that plan "F" covers except the $110 per year Medicare Part B Deductible. You can offten save up to $350 a year by buying plan"G", and the only trade off is haveing to pay the Part B Deductible; a net savings of $250 per year. In addition to saving $250 per year, plan "G covers "At Home Recovery" (a $1600 per year max benefit) where Plan "F" does not cover this important benefit. Do the math; save $250 net per year on the premiums and get $1600 more in benefits wih Plan "G" instead of Plan "F". Medigap Benefit A B C D E F G H I J Medicare Basic Benefits Part A Deductible   Part B Deductible $100 per year               Skilled Nursing Coinsurance     Foreign Travel Emergency     Part B Excess - Above Medicare's Approved Amount             Basic Drug Benefit ($1,250 Limit)                 Extended Drug Benefit ($3,000 Limit)                   At-Home Recovery $1600 per year benefit             Preventative Care                 365 Extra Days of Hospital Coverage 3 Pints of Blood *Plans F and J also have a high deductible option. If you choose this option, you must pay $1,730 out-of-pocket per year before the plans pay anything. Insurance policies with a high deductible option generally cost less than those with lower deductibles. Your out-of-pocket costs for services may be higher if you need to see your doctor or go to the hospital. Click for Quote Basic Benefits • Coinsurance for days 61-90 ($219 per day) and days 91-150 ($438 per day) in hospital • Payment in full for 365 additional hospital days • 20% coinsurance for physician and other Medicare Part B services Medigap Benefit Term Description of Medigap Benefit Part A Deductible Medicare Part A Hospital Deductible You may need this benefit if you have to stay in the hospital. The Part A deductible for 2005 is $912. This amount can change every year. You have to pay this deductible for each benefit period. Benefit covers: • $912 in 2005.This amount can change every year. Part B Deductible Medicare Part B Hospital Deductible You may want to consider this benefit (which is $110 in 2005) if you have Medicare Part B. Each year you must pay the Part B deductible before Medicare starts to pay its share. If you have this benefit, the Medigap plan would pay this amount each year. Benefit covers: • $110 per year. Part A and B Coinsurance Part A and B Coinsurance Benefit covers: • The Part A coinsurance amount for days 61-90 ($228 per day in 2005) and days 91-150 ($456 per day in 2005) of a hospital stay. • The coinsurance or copayment amount for Part B services after you meet the $110 yearly deductible.   Part B Excess - Above Medicare's Approved Amount Medicare Part B Excess Charge Under federal law, doctors who don't accept "assignment " (take Medicare's approved amount as payment in full) may charge up to 15% more than the approved amount. You might want to think about this benefit if your doctors don't accept assignment. You may also want this benefit if you have to stay in the hospital and can't control whether the doctors you see accept assignment. Benefit covers: • Plans F, I and J pay all of the excess charges. • Plan G pays 80% of the excess charges. Basic Drug Benefit ($1,250 Limit) Prescription Drugs You may think about this benefit if you have high prescription drug costs. Because it covers half your drug costs after the yearly deductible, to get the full benefit under Plans H and I, you should have at least $2,750 in drug costs in a year (you pay $1,250 plus $250; plan pays $1,250). To get the full benefit under Plan J, you should have at least $6,250 in drug costs in a year (you pay $3,000 plus $250; plan pays $3,000). Benefit covers: • 50% of the drug costs that Medicare cover (after you pay a $250 per year deductible). • Up to $1,250 each year under Plans H and I. • Up to $3,000 each year under Plan J.   Extended Drug Benefit ($3,000 Limit) Prescription Drugs You may think about this benefit if you have high prescription drug costs. Because it covers half your drug costs after the yearly deductible, to get the full benefit under Plans H and I, you should have at least $2,750 in drug costs in a year (you pay $1,250 plus $250; plan pays $1,250). To get the full benefit under Plan J, you should have at least $6,250 in drug costs in a year (you pay $3,000 plus $250; plan pays $3,000). Benefit covers: • 50% of the drug costs that Medicare cover (after you pay a $250 per year deductible). • Up to $1,250 each year under Plans H and I. • Up to $3,000 each year under Plan J.   Foreign Travel Emergency Foreign Travel Emergency If you travel outside the United States, this benefit could save you money for emergency care. Benefit covers: • 80% of the cost of emergency care during the first 60 days of each trip (after you pay the $250 deductible). • Up to $50,000 in your lifetime. At-Home Recovery At-Home Recovery This benefit covers additional care at home if you are already getting Medicare-covered home health services. It pays up to $40 a visit and $1,600 a year. This benefit may cost a lot and may not be worth the additional premiums you pay for it. Benefit covers: • The cost of at-home help with daily activities like bathing and dressing if you are already getting Medicare-covered home health visits. • Up to 8 weeks of at-home help after skilled care is no longer needed. • Will pay up to $40 each visit and $1,600 each year. Skilled Nursing Coinsurance Skilled Nursing Coinsurance You may want to consider this benefit if you need to go to a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) after a hospital stay and stay in the SNF longer than 20 days. Benefit covers: • Up to $114 a day for days 21-100 in a Skilled Nursing Facility Preventative Care Preventative Care This benefit helps pay for routine yearly check-ups and tests (such as routine yearly check-ups, serum cholesterol E and screening, hearing tests, diabetes screening, thyroid function test) that may be important to you to keep you healthy. Benefit covers: • Up to $120 each year. 365 Extra Days of Hospital Coverage 365 Extra Days of Hospital Coverage Under federal law, doctors who don't accept "assignment" (take Medicare's approved amount as payment in full) may charge up to 15% more than the approved amount. You might want to think about this benefit if your doctors don't accept assignment. You may also want this benefit if you have to stay in the hospital and can't control whether the doctors you see accept assignment. Benefit covers: • 100% of the cost for up to 365 more days of a hospital stay during your lifetime after you use up all Medicare hospital benefits. 3 Pints of Blood 3 Pints of Blood Benefit covers: • The first 3 pints of blood or equal amounts of packed red blood cells per calendar year, unless this blood is replaced. ______________Click for Quote______________   EXPRESS-QUOTE Phone: (888) 825-0689