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What is Medicare Supplement Plan F?
Medicare Supplement (Medigap) Plan F offers the most complete coverage of all Medigap plans and is currently the most popular choice for Medicare Beneficiaries (however, it isn't our recommneded choice and we will talk about why later).
What is covered under Plan F?
As the following chart shows, Medicare Supplement Plan F covers everything that is not covered under Original Medicare. As long as Medicare approves the charge, Plan F will cover it. Because it offers 100% coverage it also will be the most expensive Medigap plan on the market.
Medicare Benefits | A | B | C | D | F | G | K | L | M | N |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Medicare Part A coinsurance and hospital costs (up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are used) | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Medicare Part B coinsurance | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 75% | 100% | 100% |
First 3 Pints of blood | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 75% | 100% | 100% |
Part A hospice care | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 75% | 100% | 100% |
Skilled nursing facility care | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 75% | 100% | 100% | ||
Part A deductible | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 75% | 50% | 100% | |
Part B deductible | 100% | 100% | ||||||||
Part B excess charges | 100% | 100% | ||||||||
Foreign travel emergency | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% |
The reason Plan F is so popular is because as the chart above shows you this plan pays 100% of what Medicare doesn't.
Why Should You Choose Medicare Supplement Plan F?
Plan F gives you 100% coverage and essentially 100% freedom of worry! You know you are covered in all 50 states and you know that you will not have ANY medical bills that are covered by Medicare. This alone relieves a lot of stress for seniors who really don't want to worry about what they will or will not owe. In other words you are buying peace of mind. Just keep in mind that this isn't the most cost effective choice but if peace of mind is what you are looking for and don't care about paying a premium price for it then this is the plan for you.
In some cases, paying a little more for Plan F is a better option based on the situation. We have one client who has adult child manage their insurance choice. The daughter lived in Washington state, while the mother lived in North Carolina. We reviewed the coverage options with the daughter and mother via a 3 way call and a screen share over the computer. The daughter felt the ease of use with Plan F would be easier for her mother to understand as compared to going with other options. Although we typically do not recommend Plan F, in this case we agreed with what the daughter wanted and helped the mother enroll in Plan F.
If you are in a Guarantee Issue situation and have medical issues that would prevent you from purchasing a lower priced supplement plan then Plan F may be your best and only option to go with.
Why Should You NOT Choose Medicare Supplement Plan F?
While Plan F offers you full medical coverage as explained earlier, however when you are in retirement you really need to be watching every dollar that you spend. You can still get similar coverage to Plan F and the annual premium savings from a less benefit rich plan will offset the benefits in Plan F. Our recommendation in most states would be to go with either Medicare Supplement Plan G or Medicare Supplement Plan N. For a more detailed comparison of Plan F vs Plan G, click here.