Medicare Supplement Plan H (also known as Medigap) is a discontinued Medigap plan that was discontinued on June 1st, 2010 for new enrollees.
If you've been enrolled in Medigap Plan H since its availability, you can continue to receive its benefits. Like other Medicare Supplement plans, Plan H was originally developed to provide coverage for any gaps in coverage that may have been missed by Original Medicare.
It's estimated that only 2.40% of all Medigap beneficiaries are on Plan H, E, I or J, all of which have been discontinued since 2010. On the flip side, Plan G is the most popular Medigap Plan with around 39% of all Medigap beneficiaries having a Plan G plan.
Although Plan H is no longer available to new Medicare enrollees, in this article we'll discuss Plan H costs, coverage and if it makes sense to look for an alternative.
Or call 1-800-995-4219 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.
Medicare Supplement Plan H is legacy Medicare Supplement Plan which was designed to provide additional coverage outside of what is offered from Original Medicare. This plan was introduced in 1992 and then discontinued in 2010 after a Medicare reform from the US Government, to make way to new Medicare Supplement plans.
Medicare Supplement (also known as Medigap) has 10 available plans which have been standardized which means that across the marketplace the plans will offer the same coverage and benefits. The only difference may be price. These currently active plans include A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N.
As the enrollee pool of Plan H shrinks and there are less and less enrollees in the plan, it may be more expensive than the new Medigap plans offered today. The most comparable plan today is Medigap Plan G.
Medigap Plan H provided a broad range of coverage for Medicare-related expenses, including some benefits not offered by lower-tier Medigap plans. A notable feature of Plan H was its inclusion of foreign travel emergency coverage.
Here is a breakdown of the standard benefits covered by Medigap Plan H:
| Standard Medicare Supplement Insurance benefits | Plan G |
|---|---|
| Medicare Part A co-insurance and hospital costs | ✓ |
| Medicare Part B co-insurance or co-payment | ✓ |
| First 3 pints of blood | ✓ |
| Part A hospice care co-insurance or co-payment | ✓ |
| Co-insurance for skilled nursing facility | ✓ |
| Medicare Part A deductible | ✓ |
| Medicare Part B deductible | No |
| Medicare Part B excess charges | No |
| Foreign travel emergency | ✓ |
| Preventive care benefit | ✓ |
Medigap Plan H provides a wide range of coverage options to help provide additional benefits outside of Original Medicare.
That being said you should be aware that Plan H does not include Medicare Part B Deductible and Medicare Part B Excess Charges. This means if your doctors charges more than the Medicare authorized amount, you'll be responsible to pay the difference.
Or call 1-800-995-4219 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.
Since Medicare Plan H is no longer available to new Medicare enrollees, it can be difficult to know how much Plan H might cost. When Medigap Plan H originally came out, the monthly premium was around $90 per month, but has increased since then.
Across all Medigap Plans, the average cost of a Medigap plan is around $217 per month as of 2024.
That being said, monthly premiums are heavily impacted by the size and the health of the enrollee pool of that individual plan. Since Plan H is no longer offered to new enrollees, the enrollee pool is shrinking which means monthly premiums for Plan H will likely be higher than current Medigap plans.
Since 2010, Medigap Plan H is not available to new Medicare beneficiaries, but if you've been enrolled in Plan H since before the discontinuation, you are eligible to keep your benefits.
As mentioned above, because Plan H has a small enrollee pool compared to modern Medigap plans, the monthly premiums might not be competitive with other options available to you today.
It's worth exploring if other current Medigap plans offer the similar or better coverage for similar or lower monthly premiums. The most comparable Medigap plan would be Plan G.
Medigap Plan H used to offer prescription drug coverage, but no longer offers prescription drug coverage. Prior to 2006, Plan H was one of 3 Medigap Plans which also offered coverage for prescription drugs. All three plan types had a $250 deductible for the drug benefit and required 50 percent coinsurance, also while having a cap on drug coverage of $1,250.
By 2006, Medicare Part D plans were introduced which were designed to provide prescription drug coverage. After this Medigap Plan H and any other Medigap plan that offers drug coverage, was allowed to continue, but they no longer offered drug coverage. Enrollees then had to choose between keeping their Medigap drug coverage or enrolling in a Medicare Part D plan.
Medicare Supplement Plan H was a Medigap plan that was offered from 1992 - 2010. It is no longer available to new Medicare beneficiaries but if you enrolled in the plan while it was live, you can continue using the benefits.
Medigap Plan H helps provide coverage for gaps missed by Original Medicare. This includes Part A coinsurance and hospital costs, skilled nursing care, Part A deductible, Part B coinsurance and more. If you are interested in learning more about how modern Medigap plans compare to your Medigap Plan H coverage, call one of our licensed Medicare insurance agents.
Or call 1-800-995-4219 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.
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