The Best Medicare Supplement (Medigap) Plans in Maine

When you sign up for Medicare, you can personalize your coverage by adding on optional private insurance policies. One third (33%) of people with Medicare benefits in Maine also have a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan.¹

Medicare pays a portion of covered services through Part A hospital and Part B medical insurance. If you add on a Medigap plan, your insurance company picks up some of the out-of-pocket costs that normally fall to seniors. This includes deductibles, copays and foreign travel emergencies, depending on the type of plan you have. 

What Are the Medicare Supplement Plans in Maine?

Insurance companies can only sell 10 types of standardized Medigap plans in Maine, identified by a letter between A and N. These plans have set benefits, so policies with the same letter name are interchangeable except for premiums. This makes it easier for consumers to comparison shop, as any Plan G in Maine provides identical coverage even if sold by different insurance companies.

Plan A is the most basic Medicare Supplement insurance you can buy. It includes the four core benefits provided by all Medicare Supplement plans in Maine:

• Part A hospital costs and coinsurance
• Part A hospice care coinsurance
• Part B coinsurance and copayments
• First three pints of blood

Other Medigap plans build on these core benefits. Plan N, for example, which is one of the most popular options, includes everything covered by Plan A, plus:

• Part A deductibles
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• Medical emergencies when you're outside of the United States

Plan G is one of the most robust plans. It builds on Plan N by also covering excess charges. With Plan G, you don't need to worry whether health care providers are tacking on fees above the Medicare-approved amount. Original Medicare does not pay for these excess charges, but Plan G picks up the tab.

Plan F is the same as Plan G but also includes the Part B deductible. Plan F is limited to beneficiaries eligible for Medicare before 2020 because Medigap no longer pays the Part B deductible for new enrollees.

How Do I Enroll in a Maine Medigap Plan?

Medigap enrollment isn't automatic. If you want a Medicare Supplement plan, you must apply to a private insurance provider and pay monthly premiums. The optimal time to purchase a Medigap policy in Maine is when your personal Medigap open enrollment period begins.

During this six-month window — which starts when you're 65 and have Medicare Part B — you have an important advantage: the right to buy any Medigap policy in Maine (except Plans C and F, if you're a new enrollee). Insurance companies can't base your coverage on the results of a medical screening, and must sell you the plan despite any pre-existing health conditions. Once you have your Medigap policy, it's guaranteed to be renewable.

Outside of your Medigap open enrollment period,  insurers can ask you to complete a health questionnaire and base premiums on their assessed risk. 

Medicare does have provisions in place so you can get a Medicare Supplement plan if something unusual happens with your existing health insurance. You may have guaranteed issue rights to Medigap if:

• Your union or employer plan is terminated
• You drop a Medicare Advantage plan during your trial right period
• Your insurance company goes out of business

If you qualify for guaranteed issue rights, you have 63 days after the end of your coverage to join a new Medigap policy in Maine without underwriting by insurance companies.