at a glance
- Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield offers Medicare supplement (Medigap) plans A, F, G, and N in Washington and Alaska.
- If you’re already enrolled in Premera Medigap Plan F, you can keep your plan. If you were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020, you may still be able to enroll in Plan F.
- Premera plans in Washington are community rated, which means everyone in the area pays the same rates. Premium costs in Alaska vary according to your age, but everyone in the same age category pays the same rate, regardless of health conditions.
Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield offers Medicare supplement (Medigap) plans in parts of Washington state and Alaska. These plans are not affiliated with the government and are offered by a private insurance company.
They can help you pay medical costs that aren’t fully covered by original Medicare, which is made up of Part A and Part B. These costs include coinsurance, copays, and deductibles.
Let’s learn more about the plans that Premera offers, what they cover, and how much they may cost where you live.
Premera Medigap policies offer help paying healthcare costs that original Medicare doesn’t fully cover. Let’s compare what each plan offers in terms of covering your Medicare costs.
| Plan A | Plan F | Plan G | Plan N | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part A coinsurance | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Part B coinsurance and copays | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100%* |
| First 3 pints of blood | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Hospice coinsurance and copays | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Skilled nursing facility coinsurance | not covered | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Part A deductible | not covered | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Part B deductible | not covered | 100% | not covered | not covered |
| Part B excess costs | not covered | 100% | not covered | not covered |
| Emergency care while traveling outside the United States | not covered | 80% | 80% | 80% up to a lifetime max of $50,000 |
| Notes | high-deductible plan F offers these benefits only after you meet the annual deductible | high-deductible plan G offers these benefits only after you meet the annual deductible | *copays: $20 per doctor’s office visit and $50 per ER visit, unless you’re admitted for inpatient care |
Premera Medigap plan extra benefits
In addition to the standard coverage that comes with all Medigap plans, some Premera plans offers additional benefits, including:
- discounts on eye care services and prescription lenses
- access to the Active&Fit Direct program, which offers low gym membership rates and online fitness programs
- special savings on the LifeStation medical alert system
- free annual hearing exams and discounts on hearing aids and accessories
Premera Medigap plans cover services provided by any doctor, hospital, or facility that accepts Medicare. You don’t need to restrict yourself to healthcare providers in a particular network.
Next, we’ll go over what each of Premera’s Medigap plans offers.
Premera Medicare Supplement Plan A
The government requires all insurers selling Medigap policies to offer Plan A. It provides basic coverage to help you fill some of the gaps in original Medicare coverage.
Premera Medicare Supplement Plan G
Plan G also offers extensive coverage. Like Plan F, Plan G is available with a regular premium or a lower premium with a high deductible.
One nice part of Plan G is that paying your Part B deductible counts toward reaching your overall plan deductible.
Premera Medicare Supplement Plan N
Premera offers Plan N policies that cover Part A and Part B coinsurance, in addition to other services.
If you’re carefully managing your monthly budget, it’s important to know that with Plan N, you’ll have copays of up to $20 for many office visits. If you visit the emergency room, you may have a copay of up to $50 if you’re not admitted to the hospital for inpatient care.
In Washington, Premera’s Medicare supplement plans are community rated, which means everyone in the plan pays the same rate throughout the state, regardless of age.
In Alaska, your plan rate differs according to your age as of January 1 of the plan year. Your rate won’t go up, even if your health changes, unless everyone else’s rate also increases.
Here are some price ranges for the monthly premium rates with each Premera Medicare supplement plan in 2021.
| Plan | Premium cost in Alaska | Premium cost in Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Plan A | $147–$223 | $184 |
| Plan G | $129–$248 | $189 |
| Plan G high deductible | $45–$83 | $47 |
| Plan N | $143–$217 | $182 |
The premium costs listed above are for premiums that are automatically deducted from your bank account. There’s an additional $5 fee per month for manual payment on all Premera Medigap policies.
Medigap (Medicare supplement) plans pay for gaps in the coverage you receive through original Medicare (Part A and Part B).
Medigap policies are offered by private insurance companies, and not all plans are offered in every area. However, the coverage offered by each plan is standardized — so, for example, all Plan G policies offer the same coverage no matter the location.
You can only purchase a Medigap policy if you’re enrolled in original Medicare. If you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plan, then Medicare supplement plans aren’t available to you.
For more information on Premera Medicare Advantage plans, you can read this article. And for more details about Medicare Advantage versus Medigap, click here.
Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield offers Medicare supplement plans A, F, G, and N in Alaska and Washington state. However, Plan F policies are not available for new enrollees after January 1, 2020, unless you were eligible for Medicare before that date.
Premera plans are portable. The benefits they offer are available to you nationwide, as long as you’re being treated by a Medicare-approved healthcare provider or facility.
To see which Medicare supplement plans are available in your area as well as compare the costs and benefits they offer, you can use Medicare’s plan finder tool.