Medicare Supplement Plan N is one of 10 different Medicare health insurance supplemental plans which will give you more Medicare coverage. The Original Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B will not pay for all your healthcare costs, including deductibles and coinsurance you will be responsible for paying. Medicare Supplemental Insurance or Medigap insurance will help pay for these additional costs.
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What will Plan N Medicare Supplemental Insurance Cover?
Original Medicare will only pay for a limited number of days for hospitalization. It also includes 80% of your costs for doctor visits and other services covered with Medicare Part B. Plan N will pay the additional 20%; however, you might be required to pay a copayment. Copays may cost $20 for your doctor visits and as much as $50 for visits to the emergency room if hospitalization is not needed. Does not cover Part B excess charges.
Plan N has additional benefits, which include:
- Up to 365 days for additional hospitalization after your Medicare Part A benefits have been exhausted.
- Coinsurance if you need hospice care
- Coinsurance if you need skilled nursing facility care
- First 3 pints of blood if a medical procedure is needed
- Medicare Part A deductible
- Emergency care when traveling to foreign countries up to your plan’s limits
Prescriptions are not covered by your Original Medicare or your Medicare Supplement plans, so you will need to purchase a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan that best fits your needs.
Eligibility for Medicare Supplement Plan N
As with all the Medigap plans, including Plan N, this insurance is available to those over 65 or older and enrolled in the Original Medicare Part B.
Meeting the criteria for Original Medicare means you are eligible for Medigap coverage “provided you have signed up during your six-month OEP (Open Enrollment Period),” which starts the first day of your first month when you are turning 65 and have been enrolled in your Medicare Part B.
If you have applied for Plan N during your open enrollment period, insurance companies must accept and approve your policy. Insurance companies are not permitted to charge you higher rates for any health conditions. Applying after your OEP has ended means you no longer have a guarantee of being approved, allowing insurance companies to consider your health and can turn you down or charge higher premiums.
If You’re Over 65
You may be able to buy a Medigap policy if you’re over 65, and it may cost more if you’ve signed up after your Open Enrollment Period. An exception to this rule for those who did wait for enrollment after they turn 65 is for people with employer-sponsored insurance. Falling into this category, your OEP begins the first day of the month you had enrolled in Part B.
If You’re Disabled and Under 65
Federal law has no requirements forcing Insurance companies to sell you a Medigap policy when on Medicare and under 65; however, some states do require this. As a result, available plans might be limited in coverage, and premiums could be much higher for those under 65 than for recipients over 65.
Medigap plans have all been standardized by federal law, meaning if you buy Plan N, it will provide you with the same set of insurance benefits regardless of which insurance company you buy from. However, insurance companies’ premiums will vary between the different insurance companies, so you may pay a higher premium from one company versus another insurance company.
Plan N Review on choice
Plan N can be a good choice for those looking for a lower monthly premium and are not concerned about additional excess charges. However, most states will have healthcare providers who can charge up to an additional 15%, known as “excess charges.” These charges come from healthcare providers who are dissatisfied with the rates Medicare pays.
Plan N versus Plan F
Plan F offers some additional benefits not covered by Plan N. Plan F is also more expensive than Plan N. Below are some differences between Plan N and Plan F:
- Plan F will pay 20% of your Part B medical expense, which is not covered with Original Medicare requiring any copay. Plan N, you might be responsible for a copay.
- Plan F will cover your excess charges, where Plan N will not cover your extra charges.
- Plan F will cover the Medicare Part B deductible, and Plan N does not.
For people who are new to Medicare, Plan F is no longer available unless you turned 65 before January 1, 2020. If you already have Plan F, you can still hold on to it.
Plan N versus Plan C
Plan C is the same as Plan F, except Plan C does not pay your excess charges. However, it will provide you with more coverage than Plan N since it doesn’t require a copay for Plan B medical expenses and pays your annual Medicare Part B deductible. When comparing Plan N to Plan C, Plan C might be a better choice for anyone willing to pay higher monthly premiums for avoiding deductibles and copays.
| Medigap Benefits | Medigap Plans | |||||||||
| A | B | C | D | F* | G* | K | L | M | N | |
| Part A coinsurance and hospital costs up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are used up | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Part B coinsurance or copayment | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | Yes | Yes*** |
| Blood (first 3 pints) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | Yes | Yes |
| Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | Yes | Yes |
| Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | Yes | Yes |
| Part A deductible | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | 50% | Yes |
| Part B deductible | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Part B excess charge | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Foreign travel exchange (up to plan limits) | No | No | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | No | No | 80% | 80% |
| Out-of-pocket limit** | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $7,060 in 2024 ($7,220 in 2025) | $3,530 in 2024 ($3,610 in 2025) | N/A | N/A |
(source)
*Plans F & G offer a high deductible plan in some states.
**Plans K & L show how much they’ll pay for approved services before you meet your out-of-pocket yearly limit and Part B deductible. After you meet them, the plan will pay 100% of your costs for approved services.
***Plan N pays 100% of the costs of Part B services, except for copayments for some office visits and some emergency room visits.
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