Medicare Plan F Reviews: Find the Best Medigap Plan for You

• by Christian Worstell
• March 25, 2021
• Reviewed by John Krahnert

Check out our review below to see what makes Plan F the most popular Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan. You can also read some customer reviews to learn more about finding the best Medicare plan for your needs.

Plan F reviews for Medicare Supplement Insurance companies

Plan F covers more out-of-pocket Medicare costs than any other Medigap plan. Only Plan G comes close to offering nearly as much coverage as Plan F.

This means that if you decide Plan F is the best Medigap plan for you when you shop for a Medigap plan, it’s important to consider the plan cost and the insurance company’s reputation.

We give Plan F from each of the following Medicare Supplement carriers an “A+” rating based on the company’s reputation and financial strength:

• Aetna
• Humana
• Mutual of Omaha
• Cigna
• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• ManhattanLife
• Medico
• WellCare
• Central States Indemnity Company of Omaha (CSI)
• Gerber Life Insurance Company
• Liberty National Life Insurance Company
• Medical Mutual

Please note that not all of the companies listed above may offer Medigap Plan F in your area. Learn more about Medigap plans by visiting MedicareSupplement.com, and find the best 2021 Medicare Supplement Insurance company and plan for your individual needs.

2021 Medicare Plan F benefits reviewed

Medicare Plan F is the most popular Medigap plan partly because it covers more out-of-pocket Medicare costs (such as deductibles, copays and coinsurance) than any other standardized Medigap plan.

The out-of-pocket Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) costs covered by Plan F include:

1. Part A coinsurance and hospital costs
2. Part B coinsurance and copayments
3. First three pints of blood
4. Part A hospice care coinsurance and copayments
5. Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
6. Part A deductible
7. Part B deductible
8. Part B excess charges
9. Foreign travel emergency care

The first eight items on the above list are covered by Medicare Plan F at 100 percent. The final item, foreign travel emergency care, is covered at 80 percent (which is the maximum allowed by Medigap plans). 

Plan F benefits rating: With cost coverage offered in all nine Medigap benefits areas, Medicare Plan F earns an “A+” review in terms of its coverage. 

Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan F benefits are standardized by the federal government. That means the basic out-of-pocket Medicare costs covered by Plan F sold in New York will be the same as Plan F sold in California.

Plus, Medicare Supplement Insurance plans are required by law to be accepted anywhere that Original Medicare is accepted. This means that if your doctor, hospital or other health care provider accepts Medicare, they will accept your Medigap Plan F.

There are no other network restrictions regarding where you can use your Medicare Supplement plan.

Learn more about the top 10 Medicare Supplement Insurance companies that may offer plans in your area.

Note: Medicare Supplement Plan F and Plan C will no longer be offered to new Medicare beneficiaries who became eligible for Medicare after January 1, 2020.

If you were eligible for Medicare before Jan. 1, 2020, you may still be able to enroll in Plan F if it’s available where you live. If you already had Plan F or Plan C before Jan. 1, 2020, you will be able to keep your plan.

Medicare Plan F pros and cons 

When reviewing a Medicare plan, it helps to compare some of the pros and cons.

Here is a look at the pros and cons of Medicare Plan F. 

Review of Medigap Plan F premiums 

The average Medicare Plan F premiums cost $169 per month in 2018, which is among the more expensive Medigap plan premiums and higher than the overall plan average of $152 per month.¹

However, it’s important to review the cost of a Medigap plan not only by its price tag but by its overall value. 

While Plan F could have higher premiums than other Medigap plans, it also carries the potential to save you more at the point of receiving care, since your covered out-of-pocket Medicare costs are paid for.

For example, Plan F is one of only two standardized Medigap plans to cover the Medicare Part B annual deductible and also one of only two plans to cover Part B excess charges in full.  

Plan F gives beneficiaries the peace of mind of having cost certainty and protection against surprise out-of-pocket medical bills.

And because it covers Part B excess charges, Plan F also allows beneficiaries some increased freedom to visit non-participating health care providers (providers who don’t accept Medicare reimbursement as payment in full for their services).

 Plan F can also cover up to 80% of the cost for foreign travel emergency care.

Plan F availability review

85 percent of insurance companies that sold Medicare Supplement Insurance plans offer Plan F as part of their selection.² This is the largest percentage of any Medigap plan.

Additionally, there is a high-deductible version of Plan F that can offer consumers another option. High-deductible Plan F allows plan members to pay a smaller monthly premium in exchange for an annual deductible for covered services. 

Plan F popularity review 

53 percent of all Medigap members belong to Plan F. 17 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Plan G, the next most-popular plan.²

Of the 13.5 million beneficiaries who have a Medigap plan, more than seven million are enrolled in Plan F. 

However, because of the rule barring new Medicare beneficiaries from joining Plan F after 2020, the market share for this plan will gradually decrease in the coming years.

Given just how many people are enrolled in Plan F, it’s fair to say there are a lot of happy customers with Plan F coverage.

At least seven states (NY, CT, MA, CA, OR, ME, MO) offer guaranteed issue rights for switching plans (meaning members can switch Medigap plans without undergoing any underwriting.) 

Medicare Supplement plan customer reviews 

Don’t just take our word for it! Watch the video below to hear some Medicare Supplement plan customer reviews, from MedicareSupplement.com.

Shopping for Medicare Plan F

Learn more about Medigap plans by visiting MedicareSupplement.com, and find the best 2021 Medicare Supplement Insurance company and plan for your individual needs.

¹ TZ Insurance Solutions LLC internal sales data, 2019. This data is based on the Medicare Supplement Insurance policies TZ Insurance Solutions LLC has sold. It is not a comprehensive national average of all available Medicare Supplement Insurance plan premiums.

² AHIP. (June, 2020). State of Medigap: Trends in Enrollment and Demographics. Retrieved from https://www.ahip.org/wp-content/uploads/AHIP_State_of_Medigap-2020.pdf.

About the author

Christian Worstell is a licensed insurance agent and a Senior Staff Writer for MedicareAdvantage.com. He is passionate about helping people navigate the complexities of Medicare and understand their coverage options.

His work has been featured in outlets such as Vox, MSN, and The Washington Post, and he is a frequent contributor to health care and finance blogs.

Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He currently lives in Raleigh, NC.

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