Medicare Supplement

What Medigap covers alongside Original Medicare in Wichita

WICHITA, Kan. — If you have Original Medicare (Part A and Part B), you've probably noticed it doesn't pay for everything. There are deductibles, coinsurance, and copays that can add up, especially if you have a hospital stay or a run of doctor visits.

What Medigap Actually Does

That's where Medicare Supplement Insurance — better known as Medigap — comes in. A Medigap policy is sold by a private insurance company, and it helps pay some of the out-of-pocket costs that Original Medicare leaves behind. Think of it as a second layer of coverage that sits on top of your Medicare benefits.

Medigap only works with Original Medicare. It does not work with Medicare Advantage plans, and it does not include prescription drug coverage. For drugs, you'd need a separate Part D plan.

Why the Plan Letters Exist

Here's the part that trips up a lot of folks in Wichita: Medigap plans are labeled with letters — Plan A, Plan B, Plan D, Plan G, Plan K, Plan L, Plan M, and Plan N. (Plans C and F are still around, but they're closed to people who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020.)

These letters aren't just marketing names. In most states, including Kansas, Medigap plans are standardized by the federal government. That means Plan G from one company must offer the exact same core benefits as Plan G from another company. The insurer can't add or subtract benefits from the letter.

So if you're comparing two Plan G policies from two different carriers, you're comparing the same coverage. What can differ is the price, the customer service, and whether the company offers extras like discounts or wellness perks.

What the Letters Cover (In Plain Terms)

Each letter covers a different mix of gaps. Common items a Medigap plan may help with include:

• Part A hospital coinsurance and extra hospital days
• Part B coinsurance or copayments
• The first three pints of blood
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• Part A deductible
• Foreign travel emergency care (up to plan limits)

Some letters cover almost all of these gaps. Others cover fewer, with a lower monthly premium in exchange. Plans K and L, for example, use a cost-sharing model with an out-of-pocket limit. Medicare.gov has a side-by-side chart that shows exactly what each letter includes — it's the clearest tool out there for lining them up.

The Wichita and Sedgwick County Picture

Wichita is in Sedgwick County, and like the rest of Kansas, Medigap plans here follow the federal standardization rules. That's helpful, because it means you can shop by letter first and by price second, without worrying that one company's Plan N is secretly weaker than another's.

Medigap availability, pricing, and underwriting rules are set at the state level in Kansas, not the city level. So a Wichita resident and a neighbor a few blocks away in Sedgwick County will see the same set of standardized options, though premiums can vary by ZIP code, age, and health status.

When You Can Buy Without Medical Questions

This is one of the most important — and least understood — pieces of the Medigap system.

You get a six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period that starts the month you're 65 or older AND enrolled in Part B. During those six months, insurance companies in Kansas can't turn you down or charge you more because of a health condition. This is called "guaranteed issue."

Outside that window, in most cases, insurers can ask health questions and decide whether to cover you or how much to charge. There are a few special situations that give you guaranteed-issue rights later, but they're limited. If you're thinking about a Medigap plan, understanding your enrollment window is key.

How Medigap Fits With Other Parts

A quick refresher on how the pieces fit together:

• Part A and Part B — Original Medicare, run by the federal government.
• Part D — Prescription drug coverage. In 2026, the annual out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs is $2,100, and the maximum Part D deductible is $615. The old coverage gap ("donut hole") was eliminated in 2025.
• Medigap — Add-on coverage that pairs with Original Medicare only.
• Medicare Advantage (Part C) — A private alternative to Original Medicare. You cannot have both Medigap and Medicare Advantage.

If your income is above $109,000 as a single filer in 2026, you may also pay an IRMAA surcharge on Part B and Part D premiums.