Medigap in Minnesota

If you live in Minnesota, you have the right to buy a Medicare Supplement plan, also called Medigap coverage. But some of the plans sold in Minnesota are different from Medigap policies sold in other states.

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Written by
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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Edited By
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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Reviewed By
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
4 min read time
This page features 3 Cited Research Articles

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Types of Minnesota Medigap Policies

Medigap plans can help you cover health care costs that Original Medicare — Medicare Part A and Part B — does not cover. Minnesota is one of three states that the federal government has given waivers to set up their own standardization of Medigap plans. The other two are Massachusetts and Wisconsin.

There are 10 standardized Medicare Supplement plans under federal rules and five of those are available in Minnesota, along with Medicare Select plans that are available in several states and three types of plans unique to Minnesota.

Medigap Plans Available in Minnesota

Basic*
Basic with riders*
Extended Basic *
Medigap Plan F
Medigap Plan K
Medigap Plan L
Medigap Plan M
Medigap Plan N
Medicare Select

The Basic, Basic with riders and Extended Basic all contain some common benefits.

Basic Benefits in Minnesota Standardized Medigap Plans

Medicare Part A hospitalization coinsurance coverage
Medicare Part A hospice and respite cost sharing expenses
Medicare Part B medical coinsurance coverage (usually 20 percent of medical bills)
Medicare Part A and Part B home health care and supplies cost sharing expenses
First three pints of blood each year

Medigap plans are sold through private insurers. In 2020, there were 21 insurance companies that sold Medicare Supplement plans in the state, according to the Minnesota Commerce Department.

Comparing Minnesota’s Medigap Plans

Minnesota’s unique plans are primarily the Basic and Extended Basic plans. Extended Basic provides more coverage and can cost more.

Side-by-Side Comparison of Basic and Extended Basic Medigap Plans

Benefits	Basic Plan	Extended Basic Plan
Basic benefits	Yes	Yes
Coverage while in a foreign country	No	80 percent up to $1,000 in a calendar year — 100 percent after $1,000 is reached in a year
Emergency health care while traveling in a foreign country	80 percent	80 percent
Medicare-covered preventive care	Yes	Yes
Outpatient mental health care	50 percent	50 percent
Part A inpatient hospital deductible	No	Yes
Part A skilled nursing facility coinsurance	Yes (up to 100 days care)	Yes (up to 120 days care)
Part B deductible	No	Yes (only if you were eligible before Jan. 1, 2020)
Physical therapy	20 percent	20 percent
State mandated health care benefits (cancer screenings, diabetes equipment and supplies, immunizations and reconstructive surgery)	Yes	Yes
Usual and customary health care fees	No	80 percent up to $1,000 in a calendar year — 100 percent after $1,000 is reached in a year

Another option is the Minnesota Basic plan with riders. Riders are extra options that can be purchased and added to an insurance policy — in this case your Medigap Basic plan. There are four additional riders you can choose from.

Riders that Can Be Added to a Basic Plan

Part A inpatient hospital deductible coverage
Part B deductible coverage (only available to people who were eligible before Jan. 1, 2020)
Usual and customary health care fees
Non-Medicare covered preventive care

A Basic plan with riders policy allows you to tailor your coverage to give you more than Basic coverage but with less cost and without unwanted coverage of Extended Basic.

As an alternative to Medigap plans offered in Minnesota, residents who are eligible for Medicare also have the option to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan. These plans are run by private insurers and most include prescription drug coverage (Part D).

Note that you cannot enroll in both a Medigap plan and a Medicare advantage plan.

Last Modified: May 23, 2023