You Have Medicare and a Supplement — Why Are Medical Bills Still Showing Up?

Medicare and Medigap can dramatically reduce healthcare expenses, but they don’t guarantee every bill will be $0. Deductibles, plan-specific cost sharing, prescriptions, and non-covered services can still leave beneficiaries owing money. simona pilolla 2/Shutterstock

You enrolled in Original Medicare, added a Medicare Supplement policy, and probably expected the stream of medical bills to slow to a trickle. Then an envelope arrives saying you owe $283, another bill appears after a doctor’s appointment, or you’re charged for something you thought your supplement covered. That doesn’t necessarily mean somebody made a mistake, because Medigap is designed primarily to help with certain out-of-pocket costs for services Original Medicare covers, not to turn every healthcare service into a $0 expense. Here’s what every beneificary needs to know about medical bills with Medicare and Medigap.

Your Supplement Doesn’t Automatically Cover the Part B Deductible