Question from Anonymous Caring.com community member
Do any medigap policies include drug coverage, or must you also get a Part D supplement from another source?
Expert Answer by Joseph L. Matthews
Joseph L. Matthews is a Caring.com senior editor, an attorney, and the author of Long-Term Care: How to Plan & Pay for It and Social Security, Medicare, & Government Pensions: Get the Most Out of Your Retirement & Medical Benefits.
No Medigap policies sold to new enrollees today include any prescription drug coverage. That's because drug coverage through Medigap was replaced by the Medicare Part D prescription drug program, which went into effect January 1, 2006. [Before 2006, a few Medigap policies (in categories H, I and J) included some prescription drug coverage. If you had one of these policies, you are allowed to keep it with its drug coverage.]
You can get prescription drug coverage either from an independent Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, or through a Part C "Medicare Advantage" managed care plan (which also provides the rest of your Medicare coverage). Not all Part C managed care plans include drug coverage, however. If a Part C plan you choose has no drug coverage, then you can enroll in a Part D prescription drug plan, as well
