Medicare Supplement

Medicare Supplement Coverage Explained for Roswell

If you're new to Medicare in Roswell, the word "Medigap" can feel like insurance alphabet soup. Medicare Supplement Insurance — the formal name for Medigap — is a private policy that works alongside Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). It helps pay some of the costs Original Medicare leaves behind, like coinsurance, copayments, and certain deductibles.

ROSWELL, N.M. — Understanding what Medigap actually does

Roswell is in Chaves County, where residents can choose from Medigap policies sold by private insurers licensed in New Mexico. Medigap is not the same as Medicare Advantage, and knowing the difference is one of the most important choices you'll make.

How the standardized letters work

Medigap plans are standardized by the federal government. That means a Plan G from one company must offer the same core benefits as a Plan G from another company. The plans are labeled by letters: A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. (Plans C and F are only available to people who became eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020.)

Each letter represents a different mix of benefits. For example, some plans help with the Part A hospital deductible, some help with the Part B coinsurance, and some cover a share of skilled nursing facility costs. Because the benefits inside each letter are set by law, the main things that vary between companies are:

• The monthly premium
• Customer service and billing practices
• How the company prices policies (age-based or community-based)

You can compare available Medigap policies in your ZIP code using the official plan finder at Medicare.gov.

What Medigap does — and does not — cover

Medigap generally helps with out-of-pocket costs tied to Original Medicare. Depending on the letter you pick, that can include hospital coinsurance, the Part B coinsurance, blood (first three pints), and hospice care coinsurance.

Medigap does not cover:

• Prescription drugs — for that, you need a separate Part D plan.
• Long-term care (like a nursing home stay for custodial reasons).
• Vision, dental, or hearing care.
• Private-duty nursing.

If you want drug coverage, you enroll in a standalone Part D plan. In 2026, Part D has an annual out-of-pocket cap of $2,100, and the maximum allowable deductible is $615. The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three phases instead of four. If drug costs are hard to budget for, ask about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread your yearly drug costs into monthly payments.

Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage — don't confuse them

This is where people in Roswell most often get tripped up. You cannot have both a Medigap policy and a Medicare Advantage plan at the same time. They serve different purposes:

• Medigap works with Original Medicare. You keep your red-white-and-blue Medicare card and can see any provider in the U.S. that accepts Medicare.
• Medicare Advantage replaces Original Medicare with a private plan that usually has its own network and rules.

If you pick Medigap, you'll typically also want a standalone Part D drug plan. If you pick Medicare Advantage, drug coverage is often bundled in.

The one deadline that matters most

The single biggest mistake people make with Medigap is missing their Medigap Open Enrollment Period. This is a one-time, six-month window that starts the month you're 65 and enrolled in Part B. During this window, insurers must sell you any Medigap policy they offer at their best available rate, regardless of your health history.

Outside that window, in most states — including New Mexico — insurers can use medical underwriting. That means they can charge you more, or deny coverage, based on pre-existing conditions. If you're approaching 65 in Roswell, mark this window on your calendar.

Two other dates to know:

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7 (for Part D and Medicare Advantage changes).
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31.

Neither of those windows is a guaranteed-issue period for Medigap, so don't assume you can freely switch supplements each fall.

A note on higher-income households

If your income is above $109,000 as a single filer in 2026 (or the corresponding threshold for joint filers), you may owe an IRMAA surcharge on your Part B and Part D premiums. This is based on your IRS tax return from two years earlier. It doesn't affect Medigap premiums directly, but it's worth factoring into your overall Medicare budget.