Does Medicare Supplement Plan G Cover Dental Care?
- While Medicare Supplement Plan G does not cover dental care, there are other dental coverage options for Medicare beneficiaries. Learn more about what Medigap Plan G covers and doesn't cover, and find out how to sign up for the best Medicare plan for your needs.
Medicare has many different parts and plans, so it’s easy for beneficiaries to get confused about what each part of Medicare covers. If you’ve heard about Medicare Plan G – which is quickly becoming the most popular Medicare Supplement Insurance plan – you might be wondering if the plan covers dental care.
Unfortunately, Medicare Supplement Plan G does not cover dental care.
Plan G is a Medicare Supplement Insurance plan, otherwise known as “Medigap.” None of these plans cover any dental care. Medigap plans can instead help pay for out-of-pocket Medicare costs when you need covered care, such as Medicare deductibles, copays, coinsurance and more.
Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plans are different from Medicare Supplement plans, and many Medicare Advantage plans cover dental care as an extra benefit. Not all Medicare Advantage plans cover dental care, however, so it’s a good idea to compare plans online to find plans that cover dental benefits.
Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement are two very different types of plans, and you can’t have both at the same time. If you have Medicare Plan G and want to get dental coverage, you may be able to enroll in a standalone dental plan.
In this review, we outline more of what Medicare Supplement Plan G covers so you can decide if it’s the right plan for you.
What Do Medigap Plans Cover?
There are 10 different standardized Medigap plans available in most states, each identified by a letter of the alphabet: Plans A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M and N. Medigap plans are sold by private insurance companies, but the coverage offered by each type of plan with the same letter is standardized by the government.
Medigap plans provide coverage for out-of-pocket expenses that are incurred while using Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). These include deductibles, copayments, coinsurance and other costs.
For example, if you visit a doctor and use your Medicare Part B coverage, Part B may require you to make a 20% coinsurance payment. A Medigap plan such as Plan G can pay for the 20% coinsurance requirement for you.
Medigap plans do not cover any actual services or items. They simply provide additional cost coverage for the things already covered by Medicare Part A and Part B.
What Does Medicare Plan G Cover?
Plan G is one of the most comprehensive Medigap plans. Plan G helps pay for the following Medicare costs:
- Part A coinsurance and hospital costs up to 365 days after Medicare coverage is exhausted
- Part B coinsurance or copayments
- The first three pints of blood when blood is needed for a transfusion or other procedure
- Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayments
- Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance
- Part A deductible
- Part B excess charges
- Foreign emergency care
Plan G provides 100% coverage in each of the above areas except for foreign emergency care, where 80% of such costs are covered.
How Can I Get Medicare Dental Coverage?
While you can’t receive dental coverage through Plan G or any other Medigap plan directly, some insurance carriers offer a separate dental and vision package that you can add to a Medigap plan for an additional premium.
However, many Medicare beneficiaries receive dental coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan. These plans cover everything found in Medicare Part A and Part B, and most plans also cover extra benefits that are not found in Part A or Part B. Dental coverage is one of the most common and most popular extra benefits found in these plans.
Medicare Advantage dental coverage often includes both preventive and restorative care. Preventive care includes services like exams, cleanings and X-rays while restorative care can include fillings, extractions, root canals and even things like dentures. And most Medicare Advantage plans with dental benefits are available for a $0 monthly premium.
To learn more about the dental benefits included in a Medicare Advantage plan or to find out which plans are available where you live, contact a licensed Medicare Advantage insurance agent.
If you want to compare Medicare Supplement plans like Medigap Plan G to find out whether it’s the best plan for you, you can compare plans online or call to speak with a licensed insurance agent.
