Some Medicare recipients don’t have the money for their share of medical bills and follow-up drugs and can’t buy supplemental insurance to help cover the costs, according to TIME.
Here are five things to know:
1. Medigap is a policy sold by private insurance companies. Almost one in four Medicare beneficiaries have a Medigap, which can help pay for costs Medicare doesn’t cover, including the 20 percent coinsurance required for medical expenses, including certain drugs, plus deductibles and co-payments.
2. Those expenses have no out-of-pocket limit for beneficiaries.
3. Federal law requires companies to sell Medigap plans to any Medicare beneficiary aged 65 or older within six month of signing up for Part B, which covers physician visits and other outpatient services.
4. However, Congress left it to states to determine whether Medigap plans are sold to the more than 9 million people younger than 65 years old who qualify for Medicare because of a disability. In 20 states and the District of Columbia, insurers are not required to sell Medigap policies to customers under 65 years old.
5. Hospitals and physicians are not required to provide care for Medicare patients unless it’s a medical emergency.