Will Plan F be Discontinued In year 2020? The Answer is Yes and No

The Plan F has been the most popular policy sold because it covers all of the gaps left behind with original Medicare & has first dollar coverage. If you haven’t heard by now, there will be some significant changes coming to Medicare Supplements in the next four years – specifically with Plan F.

The reason behind the change is to help pay for the “doc fix” bill that has completely changed the way that Medicare pays doctors and is projected to cost around $200 billion over a ten-year span. Because enrollees will not have to pay for their Part B premiums, experts argue that they will seriously consider if they MUST go to the doctor. Their hope is that if they have to pay the deductible, it will drive down Medicare costs.

The idea behind the change – forcing enrollees to have a little “skin in the game” so they won’t abuse the coverage – As the theory goes. However this does not necessarily translate into the real world. There have been several studies completed that have shown that when enrollees don’t have to pay for Part B deductible, they don’t visit the doctor any more than when they do have to pay for the deductible.

The Good News for People who have had Medicare Part A before Jan 1st 2020, Is that Plan F will still be available to you, If you have a plan F you can keep it & even if you don't have the plan F at the time, as long as your Medicare part A had begun before Jan 1st 2020 you will always be able to shop for a plan F.

However, For People who become eligible for Part A Medicare on or after Jan, 1 2020, They will not have the ability to purchase a plan F or C  as these plans have 1st dollar coverage. The most comprehensive plan available for this group will be the Plan G. Plan G