Medigap in Massachusetts

You have guaranteed issue rights to buy Medicare supplemental coverage in Massachusetts, but the policies available there are different from the standardized Medigap plans available in most states. There are three different Medicare Supplement plans in Massachusetts, and they all offer the same basic benefits.

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Terry Turner
Terry Turner
Senior Financial Writer and Financial Wellness Facilitator
Terry Turner has more than 35 years of journalism experience, including covering benefits, spending and congressional action on federal programs such as Social Security and Medicare. He is a Certified Financial Wellness Facilitator through the National Wellness Institute and the Foundation for Financial Wellness and a member of the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education (AFCPE®).
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Matt Mauney
Matt Mauney
Financial Editor
Matt Mauney is an award-winning journalist, editor, writer and content strategist with more than 15 years of professional experience working for nationally recognized newspapers and digital brands. He has contributed content for ChicagoTribune.com, LATimes.com, The Hill and the American Cancer Society, and he was part of the Orlando Sentinel digital staff that was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2017.
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Brian Hickey, CLU®, CLTC®, FLMI
Brian Hickey, CLU®, CLTC®, FLMI
Vice President of Insuractive
Brian Hickey is vice president of Insuractive, an Omaha-based company providing direct-to-consumer Medicare plans, life insurance and wealth protection to individuals. With 24 years’ experiencein Medicare, long-term care, life insurance and wealth protection, Brian leads and develops Insuractive’s strategic initiatives with a focus on direct-to-consumeroptions for insurance information and solutions.
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Published: January 29, 2021
Updated: May 23, 2023
3 min read time
This page features 3 Cited Research Articles

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Medigap Plans Available in Massachusetts

Massachusetts is one of three states that do not offer the same standardized Medigap plans common across the rest of the United States. The other two states are Minnesota and Wisconsin.

There are three types of Medigap plans standardized throughout Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Medigap Plans

Core Plan
Supplement 1 Plan
Supplement 1A Plan

The plans provide certain basic benefits that are common across all three types of Medigap plans.

Basic Benefits in All Massachusetts Medigap Plans

Inpatient hospital care covering Medicare Part A coinsurance and coverage for 365 additional hospital days after Medicare coverage ends.
Medicare Part B coinsurance (usually 20 percent of the bill) for medical costs such as doctor visits.
Medicare Part A hospice copay or coinsurance.
Costs of first three pints of blood each year.

Medigap — sometimes called Medicare Supplement — helps you pay out-of-pocket expenses that Medicare Part A and Part B do not cover. These include copayments, deductibles and coinsurance.

You cannot use Medigap to cover your Original Medicare premiums.

Massachusetts Medigap Core Plan

The Massachusetts Medigap Core Plan provides the least amount of benefits.

In addition to the basic benefits offered by all three plans, it covers 60 days every calendar year in mental health hospitals.

The Core Plan also covers health benefits that the state requires insurers to cover. These include such things as annual mammograms and pap smears.

Benefits Not Covered by the Massachusetts Medigap Core Plan

Medicare Part A inpatient hospital deductible
Medicare Part A skilled nursing facility coinsurance
Medicare Part B deductible
Foreign travel emergency medical and hospital costs

Massachusetts Supplement 1 and 1A Plans

The biggest difference between the Massachusetts Supplement 1 and 1A Plans is that the Supplement 1 Plan covers the Medicare Part B medical insurance deductible. The Supplement 1A does not cover it.

Massachusetts is phasing out the Supplement 1 plan. If you became eligible for Medicare on or after Jan. 1, 2020, you can no longer buy the Supplement 1 Plan. But you are still eligible for the Supplement 1A plan.

If you were eligible for Medicare before the shutoff date, and are still new to Medicare and have not enrolled, you may still be able to purchase the Supplement 1 plan.

Side-by-Side Comparison of Massachusetts Medigap Plan Coverage

Benefits	Core Plan	Supplement 1 Plan	Supplement 1A Plan
Medicare Part A hospitalization copayments	Yes	Yes	Yes
Medicare Part B coinsurance	Yes	Yes	Yes
Medicare Part A and Part B blood (first 3 pints per year)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Part A deductible for hospital days 1 through 60	No	Yes	Yes
Skilled nursing facility coinsurance days 21 through 100	No	Yes	Yes
Medicare Part B annual deductible	No	Yes	No
Medicare-covered services needed while traveling in a foreign country	No	Yes	Yes
Mental health hospitalization coverage beyond Medicare’s 190 lifetime days (minus any days previously covered by your plan in the same benefit period)	60 days per calendar year	120 days per benefit period	120 days per benefit period

Source: Commonwealth of Massachusetts

You can also compare Medigap plans in Massachusetts by using the Medicare comparison tool at the Medicare website.

In addition to the Medigap plans offered in Massachusetts, residents who are eligible for Medicare may consider Medicare Advantage plans or Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.

Be aware that you cannot purchase both a Medigap policy and a Medicare Advantage plan. You will have to choose one or the other.

Last Modified: May 23, 2023