Health Care Service Corporation Medicare Plans

Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) is a licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The company began in 1936 as the Chicago Plan for Hospital Care and now runs Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans in Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois, Montana and New Mexico. With 17 million members, HCSC is the largest customer-owned health insurer in the country.

HCSC offers Medicare Advantage, Part D and Medigap plans through its state Blue Cross Blue Shield divisions. The options that are available to Medicare members vary from state to state, but many enrollees can choose between HMO and PPO Medicare Advantage plans. Medigap supplement options also vary among markets. Members may be able to select from Plans A, B, C, F, G, K, L, M and N as well as high-deductible Plan F.

A significant portion of Medicare Advantage enrollees receive their insurance benefits through a non-Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield company, such as the health insurance divisions run by HCSC.

HCSC Medicare Advantage Plan Overview

Health Care Service Corporation offers Medicare Advantage products via the companies it represents under Blue Cross and Blue Shield: Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Pricing and availability for Medicare Advantage plans will vary based on your zip code. Plans that might be available to you in Oklahoma City, for example, might not be available to your cousin in Tulsa or your brother in Lawton.

Health Care Service Corporation Medigap Plan Overview

Health Care Service Corporation doesn’t offer Medigap on its own. Instead, as with Medicare Advantage, the company sells Medicare supplement plans via individual Blue Cross licensees in the five states where it operates. Across the various companies where HCSC offers Medigap policies, those policies are Medigap Plans A, B, C, F, high-deductible F, G, K L, M and N. The company, via Blue Cross affiliates, sells every Medigap plan except Plan D.

Medigap policies are standardized in every state except for Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin. If you buy Plan G from HCSC, it will cover the same benefits as Plan G from UnitedHealthcare, and both of these plans will look the same in Texas, Colorado, Hawaii or any other state where it’s sold. The difference comes in cost and the company selling it.

Below, we’ve outlined what each Medigap policy sold by HCSC covers. If you’re interested in a Medigap supplement plan from one of these Blue Cross licensees, get a customized quote today for accurate pricing and availability based on where you live.

HCSC Medigap Plan A

Sold by: Blue Cross of IL, MT, NM, OK and TX

Medigap Plan A is considered the basic set of Medigap benefits. All Medicare supplement plans cover the four basic benefits that Plan A covers, but the other plans cover more. Medigap Plan A from HCSC (via Blue Cross of Illinois) covers:

• Part A coinsurance and hospital costs (up to 365 days after Medicare hospital benefits end)
• Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
• Part B coinsurance or copayment
• The first three pints of blood

HCSC Medigap Plan B

Sold by: Blue Cross of IL and NM

One step above Medigap Plan A, Medigap Plan B covers an additional benefit that Plan A doesn’t, and that’s the Medicare Part A deductible. Medicare Part A is hospital coverage, and the deductible is set at the federal level ($1,556 per benefit period in 2022). If you know you’ll be in the hospital often or even just once in the upcoming year, getting supplemental coverage to pay for the deductible could help you minimize costs. Plan B covers:

• Part A coinsurance and hospital costs (up to 365 days after Medicare hospital benefits end)
• Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
• Part A deductible
• Part B coinsurance or copayment
• The first three pints of blood

HCHS, via its Blue Cross companies, offers a “Select” version of some plans. Select Medigap plans cover the same standardized benefits, but you’ll need to use a “Select” designated hospital for non-emergency care when you go to the hospital. Select plans cost less than the regular versions. In Illinois, you may have access to Select versions of Plans C, F, G, K, L and N as well.

HCSC Medigap Plan C

Sold by: Blue Cross of IL and MT

One of two Medicare supplement plans to cover the annual Part B deductible ($233 in 2022), Medigap Plan C gives you more coverage than Plans A and B. It’s one of the more comprehensive supplement plans, and its price tag reflects the added benefits. Plan C covers:

• Part A coinsurance and hospital costs (up to 365 days after Medicare hospital benefits end)
• Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
• Part A deductible
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• Part B deductible
• Part B coinsurance or copayment
• The first three pints of blood
• 80% of foreign travel medical expenses (up to the plan limit)

You should also know that Medigap Plan C has been cut from the lineup as of January 1, 2020. Along with Plan F – the other Medicare supplement plan that covers the Part B deductible – Plan C has been eliminated for new Medicare enrollees on or after that date. You may be able to buy Plan C or Plan F if you were eligible for Medicare before 2020, but neither plan is available to new members.

HCSC Medigap Plan F

Sold by: Blue Cross of IL, MT, NM, OK and TX

Medigap Plan F covers all of the Medicare supplement benefits available. There’s a high-deductible version of the plan as well. It covers the same benefits but requires you to meet a high annual deductible, which changes each year, before benefits will pay out. Plan F was a popular choice among Medigap customers. Under this plan, you’ll be covered for:

• Part A coinsurance and hospital costs (up to 365 days after Medicare hospital benefits end)
• Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
• Part A deductible
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• Part B deductible
• Part B coinsurance or copayment
• Part B excess charges
• The first three pints of blood
• 80% of foreign travel medical expenses (up to the plan limit)

As we mentioned earlier, Plan F has been eliminated as of January 1, 2020. This plan still offers good protection, and you can keep it as long as you have it in place when it’s eliminated. But it may become more expensive to keep as fewer people enroll (and companies stop pricing it competitively).

HCSC Medigap Plan G

Sold by: Blue Cross of IL, MT and TX

As an alternative to Plan F, Medigap Plan G covers almost all of the Medicare supplement benefits with the exception of the Part B deductible. That deductible is $233 for 2022, which means you might save more by picking Plan G and paying the deductible out of pocket. Plan G usually costs less than Plan F and covers:

• Part A coinsurance and hospital costs (up to 365 days after Medicare hospital benefits end)
• Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
• Part A deductible
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• Part B coinsurance or copayment
• Part B excess charges
• The first three pints of blood
• 80% of foreign travel medical expenses (up to the plan limit)

HCSC Medigap Plan K

Sold by: Blue Cross of IL and TX

Medigap Plans K and L – both of which are offered by HCSC through different Blue Cross licensees – require enrollees to cover more of the costs of their care, unlike most Medigap plans. Plan K, for instance, only covers 50 percent of the cost of certain benefits, like the Part A deductible, until you meet the out-of-pocket maximum for the year. Plan K covers:

• Part A coinsurance and hospital costs (up to 365 days after Medicare hospital benefits end)
• 50% of the Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
• 50% of the Part A deductible
• 50% of the skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• 50% of the Part B coinsurance or copayment
• 50% of the first three pints of blood

The out-of-pocket caps for Plans K and L are set by the federal government and change each year. Once you reach that spending cap and pay your Medicare Part B deductible, the plan will pay for covered benefits at 100 percent for the rest of the calendar year.

HCSC Medigap Plan L

Sold by: Blue Cross of IL and TX

Medigap Plan L covers the same benefits as Plan K but at a higher percentage, which means a higher price tag for you if you pick this plan. Still, it can be a good option depending on the kind of Medicare supplement plan that you need. With Plan L, you’ll find coverage for:

• Part A coinsurance and hospital costs (up to 365 days after Medicare hospital benefits end)
• 75% of the Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
• 75% of the Part A deductible
• 75% of the skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• 75% of the Part B coinsurance or copayment
• 75% of the first three pints of blood

Plan L also has a cap on out-of-pocket expenses for the year that also changes each year. Once you reach this amount and the Medicare Part B deductible, Plan L will cover the rest of your covered expenses at 100 percent for the remainder of the calendar year.

HCSC Medigap Plan M

Sold by: Blue Cross of MT

Medicare supplement plans range from basic (like Plans A and B) to comprehensive (like Plans C and F). Medigap Plan M ranks on the comprehensive end of the spectrum, covering nearly all supplemental benefits with a few exceptions. Plus, this plan requires you to cover half of the Part A deductible yourself, without the benefit of an out-of-pocket spending cap like Plans K and L. With Plan M, you’ll get coverage for:

• Part A coinsurance and hospital costs (up to 365 days after Medicare hospital benefits end)
• Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
• 50% of the Part A deductible
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• Part B coinsurance or copayment
• The first three pints of blood
• 80% of foreign travel medical expenses (up to the plan limit)

HCSC Medigap Plan N

Sold by: Blue Cross of IL, MT, NM, OK and TX

Medigap Plan N covers the same types of benefits that Plan M covers with a couple notable differences. First, Plan N requires some cost sharing for medical and emergency care, and it covers the Part A deductible in full (rather than the 50 percent covered by Plan M). HCSC offers Plan N via Blue Cross licensees in all five states the company serves. It covers:

• Part A coinsurance and hospital costs (up to 365 days after Medicare hospital benefits end)
• Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
• Part A deductible
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• Part B coinsurance or copayment
• The first three pints of blood
• 80% of foreign travel medical expenses (up to the plan limit)

As we mentioned, Plan N requires some cost sharing. With this plan, you’ll pay up to $20 per doctor’s office visit and up to $50 per ER visit if you don’t get admitted to the hospital as an inpatient. These cost-sharing amounts are set by the federal government and standardized across all plans regardless of the company selling them.

Still deciding which Medicare supplement or Medicare Advantage plan will work for you? Let us help. We’re Medicare experts who can guide you to the plan that makes sense for your needs and budget. Find accurate pricing and availability by getting a personalized quote today.