A guide to find the best coverage in Wisconsin

Medicare Supplement Plans, also known as Medigap, offer some of the best options across the country. However, the options are a bit different in The Badger State. We're going to talk through those critical differences and how you can still get the best coverage tailored to your specific circumstances.

Why Medicare Supplements over Medicare Advantage?

Medicare Advantage plans might have extra benefits like dental, vision, and hearing, but these often come at the expense of great core benefits that you will get on Medicare Supplement plans. You also have the best network with Medicare Supplement, with over 90% of doctors across the country. On Medicare Advantage, your network might be limited based on the plan you select.

Key Differences in Wisconsin

You might have heard that Medicare Supplement Plan G offers the most comprehensive coverage. In Wisconsin, however, there is only one plan available, and it's not Plan G. You can find similar plan options to G, K, L, M, and N by taking the Wisconsin Medigap Plan and adding riders to it. Here's what the basic benefits in Wisconsin offer:

1. Part A coinsurance

2. Part B coinsurance

3. 3 pints of blood each year

4. Part A hospice coinsurance or copayment

Now let's go through your supplement option.

Basic Plan

In addition to the basic benefits listed above, you have coverage for the following:

• Skilled nursing facility (SNF) coinsurance

• 175 days per lifetime of inpatient mental health (in addition to Medicare's benefit)

• 40 home health care visits (in addition to Medicare's allotted visits)

• Mandated benefits defined by Wisconsin (such as diabetes management, dialysis treatments, and more, depending on your specific circumstances)

There are some gaps in the coverage, which can be addressed by adding riders to your Basic Plan.

Riders

The following riders allow you to pick and choose the most important components of coverage to customize your policy.

• Inpatient hospital deductible (or 50% inpatient deductible)

• Part B deductible (if you were Medicare eligible before 2020)

• 365 additional visits for home health care

• Part B excess charges

• Foreign travel emergency

• Part B coinsurance or copayment

Mixing and matching these riders allows you to customize your Medicare Supplement plan to fit your lifestyle and healthcare needs. For example, adding the Part B coinsurance or copayment to your basic plan can bring you closer to what Plan G might cover in another state.

Building the Best Plan in Wisconsin

To build the most comprehensive coverage in your state, you will likely need to add riders. Here are the cheapest Medicare Supplement plans available in Wisconsin:

1. Omaha Insurance Company Basic Plan from $101.45/month to $123.45/month with riders

2. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Basic Plan at $105.77/month to $146.19/month with riders

For both of these plans, if you want the gold standard of Plan G in other states, you will need to add riders. To find out which riders make sense for you, call one of our Medicare experts today. You might see some plans listed in Wisconsin that say "Plan G High Deductible" but be wary of those because they do not offer the same coverage.

There are additional plan options available in Wisconsin that are not listed here, these are the plans we carry. For various levels of coverage, your monthly premium could range from as low as $94 to as high as $1,087 in Milwaukee (depending on your specific zip code and other demographic info).

Takeaway

If you want to talk about how to best fit your healthcare needs within your budget, our team of Medicare experts is ready to help. Call Fair Square Medicare today, and we will help you plan to get the best coverage specific to you.