Why are Medicare Supplement Plans a necessity for Medicare beneficiaries? Well, while Medicare covers a large portion of your healthcare services and supplies, you will still be responsible for out-of-pocket expenses. Such as deductibles, copays, and coinsurance. Medicare Supplement Plans assist with these costs. Additionally, in some cases, provide additional coverage for things like Part B excess charges and foreign travel health emergencies.
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Arkansas Medicare Supplement Plans
When to Enroll in Arkansas Medicare Supplement
How To Choose an Arkansas Medicare Supplement Plan
There are 10 different Arkansas Medicare Supplement Plans to choose from. While it’s important to research each one carefully, the good news is that Medicare standardizes Medicare Supplement Plans. So, the benefits they offer are the same in each state. However, you should know that they are governed by state laws and insurance commissioners. Meaning premiums can vary based on the insurance company you choose. So, it’s important to compare both different Medicare Supplement Plans and different insurers to find the best plan for you.
EZ can help you with comparing both; first, though, take a look at our guide to how Arkansas Medicare Supplement Plans work.
Arkansas Medicare Supplement Plans
Although Original Medicare covers a large portion of your bills, it still leaves gaps that can be pretty costly. These gaps include out-of-pocket expenses. Such as the 20% coinsurance that you need to pay each time you access Medicare Part B services. Medicare Supplement Plans were made to fill in these gaps to keep your medical bills as low as possible.
There are 10 standardized plans available in Arkansas, each named after a different letter of the alphabet (A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N). By law, every insurance provider must offer Plan A to customers. Another thing to note is that only those who became Medicare eligible prior to January 1, 2020 can purchase Plans C and F.
You’ll have to pay a monthly premium to your private insurance company for your Arkansas Medicare Supplement Plan. However, for the price you will get a lot of coverage. Additionally, premiums in Arkansas range from just $64 to $851 per month, depending on your plan and location.
To help you compare your options, we’ve highlighted each type of plan and exactly what it covers. It’s important to note that not every insurer will offer all 10 options.
Plan A
Medicare Supplement Plan A provides the most basic coverage of any Medicare Supplement Plan. Despite its simplicity, it covers what is arguably the most important thing Medicare Supplement Plans can cover. Which is the 20% coinsurance that Medicare Part B requires you to pay for each outpatient service.
All Medicare insurance carriers are required to offer Plan A. However, some states do not require insurers to offer this plan to Medicare disability recipients under the age of 65.
Premiums can cost between $107 and $431 a month in Arkansas.
Plan B
Plan B is the next step up from Plan A. It covers all of the same basic benefits, including:
- Medicare Part A coinsurance and hospital costs – Part A only fully covers your first 60 days of inpatient hospital stays in a benefit period, after that you are required to pay a portion of your bills for each day after your initial 60 days. Days 61-90 have a coinsurance of $400 a day. If your stay is between 91 and 150 days, and you use your Lifetime Reserve days, your coinsurance will be $800 a day. Plan B covers 100% of these costs.
- Medicare Part B coinsurance or copay – You’ll typically have to pay Medicare Part B coinsurance for doctor visits and other outpatient care. That means Medicare Part B pays 80% of the Medicare-approved amount for covered services, leaving you to pay the remaining 20%. Plan B covers 100% of this.
- First 3 pints of blood – Original Medicare only pays for the fourth and subsequent pints of blood if you need blood during treatment. Plan B will pay for the first three pints.
- Part A hospice care and coinsurance – Hospice care is for patients who are nearing the end of their lives. These services are covered by Medicare, but copayments are required. These copayments include $5 for each symptom and pain relief medication prescription, as well as 5% of the Medicare-approved amount for inpatient assisted living. Plan B covers all expenses related to hospice care.
Where Plan B differs from Plan A is that it covers the Medicare Part A hospital deductible, which Plan A does not cover. In 2023, the Medicare Part A deductible is $1,600 per benefit period. The Part A deductible is not charged on an annual basis, instead it’s charged per 60-day benefit period, meaning you could end up responsible for the deductible more than once a year, depending on your health. This plan keeps you from having to meet your deductible over and over again.
Plan B premiums in Arkansas range from $160 to $851 a month.
Plan C
This plan is the polar opposite of Plans A and B in terms of coverage, since it is one of the market’s most comprehensive Medicare Supplement Plans. Plan C covers everything except for Medicare Part B excess charges, meaning that this plan covers both your Parts A and B deductibles, as well as the 20% coinsurance required for all outpatient care.
Coverage includes the following:
- Part A hospital deductible and coinsurance
- Hospital costs up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are exhausted
- Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
- Blood (the first 3 pints)
- Other Medicare-approved expenses associated with Part A hospitalization
- Medicare Part B coinsurance and copayments
- Part B deductible
- Other Medicare-approved expenses associated with Part B coverage
Unfortunately, Plan C is no longer available to Medicare beneficiaries who became eligible after January 1, 2020. You can keep Plan C if you had it before that date, and if you were eligible for Medicare before Jan. 1, 2020 but haven’t yet enrolled, you may still be able to purchase it.
In Arkansas, Plan C premiums cost between $164 and $356 a month.
Plan D
This is another comprehensive plan, covering most medical expenses including:
- Part A hospital coinsurance and hospital costs up to an extra 365 days after Original Medicare benefits are exhausted
- Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
- Part B coinsurance
- First 3 pints of blood
- Skilled nursing facility (SNF) care coinsurance – After the 20th day of your stay as an inpatient in a skilled nursing facility, Medicare Part A requires you to pay coinsurance. Part A coinsurance for skilled nursing facility care is $200 per day in 2023. Plan D will cover this coinsurance.
- Part A deductible
- 80% of foreign travel emergency costs (up to plan limits)
Plan D, while comprehensive, does not cover Medicare Part B deductibles or excess charges. If your doctor refuses to accept Medicare assignment, they can charge you up to 15% more than Medicare will pay for the service. You will be responsible for the difference between what your doctor charges and the Medicare-approved amount, or the excess charge.
Plan D premiums will run you between $139 and $291 a month in Arkansas.
Plan F
Medicare Supplement Plan F has long been the best-selling plan on the market. It covers all of your out-of-pocket expenses, meaning you’ll only pay your monthly Plan F premium if you have this plan.
The covered expenses include:
- Part A hospital deductible and coinsurance
- Hospital costs up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are exhausted
- Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
- Blood (the first 3 pints)
- Other Medicare-approved expenses associated with Part A hospitalization
- Medicare Part B 20% coinsurance and copayments
- Medicare-approved doctor’s office fees
- Part B deductible
- Medicare Part B excess charges
- Other Medicare-approved expenses associated with Part B coverage
Unfortunately, as with Plan C, Plan F is also only available for those who either had it or were eligible for it before January of 2020.
Premiums for Plan F range anywhere between $158 and $533 per month in Arkansas.
Plan G
Don’t worry though, if Plan F was your first choice, but you are not eligible to purchase it, there is another excellent option. Plan G is the next best thing to Plan F, covering almost everything that Plan F does, including:
- Part A coinsurance and hospital costs up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are used up
- Part A deductible
- Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
- Part B coinsurance or copayment
- Part B excess charges (if a provider is permitted to charge more than Medicare’s approved amount and does so)
- Blood transfusion (first 3 pints)
The only thing Plan G doesn’t cover is the Medicare Part B deductible. And the good news is that Plan G premiums tend to be highly competitive, with their premiums costing between $131 and $495 a month. That makes these plans a better value than Plan F, even without Part B deductible coverage.
Plan K
Medicare Supplement Plan K reduces your Original Medicare out-of-pocket expenses, but it does not completely fill the gaps. Plan K only pays 50% of some costs, including:
- Medicare Part B coinsurance – Plan K covers half of these costs, so you will have to pay 50% of your 20% Part B coinsurance. For example, if your doctor charges $100 for a service, Medicare Part B will pay $80, Plan K will pay $10, and you will pay $10.
- First 3 pints of blood – If you require blood while in the hospital, Plan K will cover half of the cost of the first three pints.
- Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment – Plan K will cover half of these expenses.
- Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance – Plan K covers half of the coinsurance for medical care provided in skilled nursing care facilities.
- Medicare Part A deductible – Medicare Supplement Plan K will pay half of these deductibles, or $800. Plan K requires you to pay the Medicare Part B deductible, which is $226 in 2023.
While Plan K does have higher out-of-pocket expenses, it does have something that many other plans do not. Plan K has an out-of-pocket maximum. That means that the maximum you’ll pay out-of-pocket for Plan K in a calendar year is $6,620. Once you’ve reached this limit, Medicare Supplement Plan K will cover the remainder of your approved costs for the rest of the year. The maximum is reset at the start of each calendar year.
Furthermore, while Plan K only covers 50% of most expenses, it does cover the entire Medicare Part A cost-sharing measure known as coinsurance. This is the only basic benefit fully covered by Medicare Supplement Plan K.
Because of its higher out-of-pocket costs, Plan K’s premiums are in the lower range, costing between $64 and $151 a month in Arkansas.
Plan L
Medicare Supplement Plan L also covers the majority of the costs associated with Original Medicare, but not all of them. It also has an out-of-pocket maximum ($3,310 in 2023), so once you pay that amount in covered expenses for the year, your bills will be paid in full by your insurer.
Medicare Supplement Plan L covers all of Medicare Part A coinsurance and hospital costs. It also covers a percentage of :
- Medicare Part B coinsurance – Plan L covers 75% of your Part B coinsurance.
- Blood – Plan L will cover 75% of the cost of the first three pints.
- Part A hospice care copayments – Plan L pays 75% of your Part A copays for hospice care.
- Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance – Plan L pays 75% of the coinsurance for medical care in skilled nursing care facilities.
- Part A deductible – Medicare Supplement Plan L will cover 75% of each deductible in a 60-day benefit period. You will still have to meet your Medicare Part B deductible, which is $226 per year in 2023, if you choose Plan L
Plan L premiums cost between $81 and $216 a month in Arkansas.
Plan M
As with Plan K and Plan L, Medicare Supplement Plan M covers most of the costs associated with Original Medicare, but it’s not completely comprehensive.
Medicare Supplement Plan M covers all of Medicare Part A coinsurance and hospital costs. It also covers:
- Medicare Part B coinsurance – Plan M pays your Part B coinsurance and/or copayments in full.
- Blood – If you require blood while in the hospital, Medicare Supplement Plan M will cover the first three pints of blood in full.
- Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment – Plan M will cover all of your hospice care coinsurance and copays in full.
- Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance – Plan M covers the entire cost of Part A skilled nursing facility coinsurance.
- Part A deductible – Medicare Supplement Plan M will cover half of your Medicare Part A deductible. If you have Plan M, you will have to pay half of the $1,600 (or $800) deductible rather than the full $1,600.
The price of Plan M premiums can range from $98 to $264 a month in Arkansas.
Plan N
Medicare Supplement Plan N is another comprehensive plan that fills many of the coverage gaps left by Original Medicare. The only exceptions are the Medicare Part B deductible ($226 in 2023) and any Medicare Part B excess charges, or parts of doctor bills that exceed the Medicare-approved amount. This means that Medicare Supplement Plan N covers all of the following:
- Medicare Part B coinsurance – Plan N will cover your Part B coinsurance costs in full, with the exception of a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits. For emergency room visits that do not result in an inpatient admission, a second copayment of up to $50 may be required.
- Blood – If you require blood while in the hospital, Medicare Supplement Plan N will cover the first three pints.
- Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment – Plan N pays your hospice care coinsurance and copayments in full.
- Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance – Your skilled nursing facility coinsurance will be fully covered by Medicare Supplement Plan N.
- Part A deductible – Medicare Supplement Plan N pays your $1,600 deductible in full for each 60-day benefit period.
- Foreign travel emergency care – Original Medicare typically does not cover medical care received outside of the United States. If you need emergency care while traveling outside of the United States, Medicare Supplement Plan N will cover 80% of the costs of qualified emergency medical care.
Premiums for Plan N can range from $105 to $356 a month in Arkansas.
When to Enroll in Arkansas Medicare Supplement
While there are technically multiple times when you can choose to enroll in a Medicare Supplement Plan, there is one time that will be most beneficial to you. This is your Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment Period. Which is the 6-month window that opens up to you when you turn 65 and enroll in Original Medicare.
The reason that you should purchase your Medicare Supplement Plan during this time is that you will be given “guaranteed issue rights”. This means that insurers cannot use medical underwriting to determine eligibility or premiums. In other words, insurance companies will not be able to deny you coverage or charge you more because of health conditions. So, it’s important to take advantage of your Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment Period.
It’s also important to note that federal regulations do not guarantee access to a Medicare Supplement plan if you are under 65 and eligible for Medicare due to a disability. Medicare beneficiaries under the age of 65 in Arkansas can apply for a Medicare Supplement plan. However, coverage is not guaranteed, and insurers can use medical underwriting to determine whether to issue a policy and at what price. There are a very limited number of insurers that offer Medicare Supplement Plans to those under 65 in Arkansas.
How To Choose an Arkansas Medicare Supplement Plan
When it comes to Medicare coverage, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and speak to an EZ agent who can explain everything to you and tell you what you need to do to sign up. EZ can assist you in enrolling in Medicare, comparing Medicare Supplement Plans, or simply weighing your options. Our agents work with the best insurance companies in the country and can provide you with a free comparison of all available plans in your area. We will go over your medical and financial needs with you and help you find a plan that works for you. To get started, simply enter your zip code in the bar below or give one of our licensed agents a call at 877-670-3602.
