Skip to Content
News

New Research Shows Seniors are Satisfied with Medigap Coverage

Article

Published Feb 25, 2021 • by AHIP

Seniors report high levels of satisfaction with the financial protection and access to high-quality health care that comes with their Medigap coverage.

Seniors continue to be highly satisfied with their Medicare supplemental insurance (commonly known as Medigap) coverage. In fact, 89% of Medigap enrollees are satisfied with their coverage, according to a survey carried out by Global Strategy Group on behalf of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) in January 2021. And 95% of survey respondents agree that their Medigap coverage allows them to see the doctors and specialists they know without worrying too much about out-of-pocket costs.

Medigap plans offer coverage for out-of-pocket costs that are not covered by traditional Medicare, such as deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. The survey asked seniors about the value, benefits, customer service, and overall quality of care received through their Medigap plans.

Additional key findings include:

  • More than 9 out of 10 seniors agree that their Medicare supplemental plan allows them to receive high quality care (95%), protects them against unexpected, unpredictable medical costs (91%), and makes it easier to handle medical bills and paperwork (93%).
  • Seniors overwhelmingly express high levels of satisfaction with the services offered and benefits covered by their Medigap plans (94%), the communications received from providers (81% ), and the value received for the monthly premium (84%).
  • 85% of seniors indicated the prospect of losing their Medigap coverage would cause them worry about losing financial security.

“Medicare supplemental coverage brings seniors a very high level of satisfaction because it allows seniors to get the care they need from the doctors they prefer at an out-of-pocket cost they can afford.” said Winthrop Cashdollar, Executive Director of Product Policy at AHIP. “Seniors value highly the peace of mind that their Medigap coverage provides them.”

More than 14 million Americans rely on Medicare supplemental insurance, and more than one third of seniors with a traditional Medicare plan choose to enroll in a Medicare supplemental plan because they offer enhanced protection, consistent coverage, and access to high-quality care.

The complete findings from the Global Strategy Group study, including feedback from enrollees, can be found here.