The Best Medicare Supplement (Medigap) Plans in New York
- New York Medicare Supplement (Medigap) insurance helps cover Medicare-related expenses such as copays and deductibles. Learn more about Medicare Supplement plans in New York, including what they might cover and when the best times are to enroll.
Original Medicare (Medicare Parts A and B) is managed by the federal government. It doesn't cover all services, and it comes with several out-of-pocket costs that can be difficult to afford on a fixed income.
Medicare Supplement Insurance, often referred to as Medigap, works with Medicare Part A (inpatient coverage) and Medicare Part B (outpatient and preventive coverage) to reduce these costs. Original Medicare pays a percentage of the Medicare-approved amount, and then, the Medigap plan pays its share.
Nearly one-fourth (24%) of Original Medicare beneficiaries in New York are enrolled in a Medicare Supplement plan.
Have Medicare questions?
Talk to a licensed agent today to find a Medicare Supplement plan.
What Are the Best New York Medicare Supplement Plans?
To make it easier for consumers to understand their coverage options, 47 states and the District of Columbia use the same standardization rules for each type of Medigap plan. Only Minnesota, Massachusetts and Wisconsin follow different guidelines.
The chart below lists the plans and breaks down the benefits included with each one.
| Medicare Supplement Benefits | A | B | C1 | D | F1 | G | K | L | M | N |
| Part A coinsurance and hospital costs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Part B coinsurance or copayment | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 50% | 75% | ✓ | ✓ |
| First 3 pints of blood | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 50% | 75% | ✓ | ✓ |
| Part A hospice care co-insurance or co-payment | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 50% | 75% | ✓ | ✓ |
| Co-insurance for skilled nursing facility | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 50% | 75% | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Medicare Part A deductible | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 50% | 75% | 50% | ✓ | |
| Medicare Part B deductible | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||
| Medicare Part B excess charges | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||
| Foreign travel emergency | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | ||||
| 1. Plans C and F are not available to new beneficiaries who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. 2. Plans F and G also offer a high deductible plan which has an annual deductible of $2,870 in 2025. Once the annual deductible is met, the plan pays 100% of covered services for the rest of the year. The high deductible Plan F is not available to new beneficiaries who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. 3. Plan K has an out-of-pocket yearly limit of $7,220 in 2025. Plan L has an out-of-pocket yearly limit of $3,610 in 2025. 4. Plan N pays 100% of the Part B coinsurance, except for a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 for emergency room visits that don’t result in an inpatient admission. View an image version of this table. |
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All New York Medigap plans provide 365 days of hospital coverage in addition to what Original Medicare already covers. All New York Medigap plans pay Medicare copays, but not all of them cover copays at 100%. Depending on which plan you choose, there may be additional limitations.
Plans F, G and N are among the most popular Medigap options. Plan F, however, is not available to enrollees who didn't become eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020.
Plan N covers 100% of most Medicare copays. You may have to pay a $20 copay to see a doctor or a $50 copay for an emergency room visit, but Plan N will cover your other copays in full.
Have Medicare questions?
Talk to a licensed agent today to find a Medicare Supplement plan.
How Do I Enroll in a New York Medigap Plan?
To enroll in a Medigap plan, you must also be enrolled in Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B. The best time to enroll is during your Medigap open enrollment period that starts the first month you're at least 65 years old and enrolled in Medicare Part B.
Your Medigap open enrollment lasts for 6 months and is the best time to sign up because you'll have unlimited access to all New York Medigap plans. Insurance companies can't deny your application because of your health history or charge you more money than a healthy person for the same plan. Therefore, Medigap plans are a "guaranteed issue" form of insurance during your Medigap open enrollment period.
If you don't enroll during your six-month Medigap open enrollment period, insurance companies can use underwriting to determine how much to charge you or decide whether to turn down your application for coverage.
For example, if you have heart disease or another chronic medical condition, an insurer may charge you a higher premium than someone without any serious illnesses.
There are some exceptions, however.
- Your insurer may be allowed to impose a six-month waiting period for any pre-existing conditions, meaning it won't cover expenses related to a pre-existing condition until you've had the policy for at least six months.
- If you've had some other type of coverage for at least six months, you may be able to get immediate coverage for your pre-existing conditions.
- You keep your guaranteed issue rights if you lose your Medigap coverage through no fault of your own or if you originally enrolled in Medicare Advantage and then decided you'd rather have Original Medicare with Medicare Supplement Insurance. To keep your guaranteed issue rights in the second scenario, you must decide to leave Medicare Advantage within a year of your enrollment date.
- If you have group health coverage or some other type of health insurance after you turn 65, your Medigap open enrollment period won't start until you sign up for Medicare Part B, provided your Medicare Part B coverage starts the same month your previous coverage ends.
Helpadvisor.com is owned and operated by Tranzact, the parent company of TZ Insurance Solutions LLC, which is the owner/operator of MedicareSupplement.com and other websites mentioned on HelpAdvisor and which has a financial relationship with some of the carriers listed on HelpAdvisor.
