A Medicare supplement (Medigap) insurance plan, sold by private companies, can help pay some of the health care costs that Original Medicare doesn't cover, like copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles.

Some Medicare supplement insurance plans also offer coverage for services that Original Medicare doesn't cover, like medical care when you travel outside the U.S. If you have Original Medicare and you buy a Medigap policy, Medicare will pay its share of the Medicare-approved amount for covered health care costs. Then your Medigap policy pays its share.

A Medicare supplement insurance plan is different from a Medicare Advantage Plan. Those plans are ways to get Medicare benefits, while a Medigap policy only supplements your Original Medicare benefits.

Medicare supplement insurance plan policies don't cover everything

Medicare supplement insurance plans generally don't cover long-term care, vision or dental care, hearing aids, eyeglasses, private-duty nursing or prescriptions.

Insurance plans that aren't Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans

Some types of insurance aren't Medigap plans; they include:

• Medicare Advantage Plans (like an HMO, PPO, or Private Fee-for-Service Plan)
• Medicare Prescription Drug Plans
• Medicaid
• Employer or union plans, including the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP)
• TRICARE
• Veterans' benefits
• Long-term care insurance policies
• Indian Health Service, Tribal, and Urban Indian Health plans