WPS Medicare Supplement Plans

  • WPS is a private health insurer, based in Wisconsin, that sells Medicare supplement insurance plans.
  • These optional plans, also known as Medigap plans, can help offset your share of Medicare costs.
  • WPS offers plans to residents across Wisconsin, plus 14 other states.

Medicare supplement insurance helps people with Medicare cover their costs after Medicare pays its share. These optional plans are also called Medigap plans.

With a Medigap plan, you pay a premium in exchange for potentially lowering your overall share of healthcare costs not paid by original Medicare (parts A and B).

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS) is a private insurance company based in Madison, Wisconsin. It offers Medicare supplement plans to residents of Wisconsin and 14 other states.

Read on to find out if you qualify for a WPS supplement plan and what’s covered for 2020.

WPS offers Medicare supplement plans throughout Wisconsin, plus several other states. Costs of plans vary by location, with price points split into three areas.

Here are the three areas, which include Wisconsin counties and other states covered by WPS Medicare supplement plans:

Area 1

  • Milwaukee county
  • parts of Kenosha county
  • parts of Waukesha county
  • Racine county
  • Sheboygan county
  • Arizona
  • Colorado
  • Florida
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Michigan
  • Nebraska
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Pennsylvania
  • Tennessee
  • Texas

Area 2

  • Appleton county
  • La Crosse county
  • Oshkosh county

Area 3

  • Eau Claire county
  • Ellsworth county
  • Green Bay county
  • Janesville county
  • Kaukauna county
  • Lancaster county
  • Madison county
  • Manitowoc county
  • parts of Kenosha county
  • parts of Waukesha county
  • Portage county
  • Rhinelander county
  • Spooner county
  • Wausau county

In most states, the types of Medicare supplement plans that companies can offer is standardized.

In three states, however, unique supplement plans are offered, based on the legal requirements of those states. The three states are:

WPS has created its own unique Medicare supplement plans. Let’s explore them in the following sections.

Basic Plan

Features of the WPS Basic Plan include:

  • an optional rider to pay 50 percent or 100 percent of the Medicare Part A deductible for hospitalization
  • up to $176 per day for days 21 through 100 for skilled nursing care
  • 100 percent of the Medicare copayments and coinsurance for hospice care
  • 100 percent of the Medicare copayments and coinsurance for the first three pints of blood
  • an optional rider for Medicare Part B excess charges
  • 40 paid home healthcare visits, and up to 365 visits with an optional rider
  • an optional foreign travel medical emergency care rider
  • no out-of-pocket limits
  • fitness program
  • discounts on eye exams and eyewear
  • discounts on hearing aids
  • additional preventive care services
  • an optional Medicare Part B deductible rider for participants who were first eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020

25% Cost-Sharing Plan

This plan includes:

  • 75 percent of the Medicare Part A deductible for hospitalization
  • up to $132 per day for days 21 through 100 for skilled nursing care
  • 75 percent of Medicare copayments and coinsurance for hospice care
  • 75 percent of Medicare copayments and coinsurance for the first three pints of blood
  • no coverage for Medicare Part B excess charges
  • 40 paid home healthcare visits, and up to 365 visits with an optional rider
  • out-of-pocket limits
  • discounts on eye exams and eyewear
  • discounts on hearing aids

50% Cost-Sharing Plan

Features of this plan include:

  • 50 percent of the Medicare Part A deductible for hospitalization
  • up to $88 per day for days 21 through 100 for skilled nursing care
  • 50 percent of the Medicare copayment and coinsurance for hospice care
  • 50 percent of the Medicare copayments and coinsurance for the first three pints of blood
  • 40 paid home care visits, and up to 365 visits with an optional rider
  • out-of-pocket limits
  • discounts on eye exams and eyewear
  • discounts on hearing aids

Each Medigap plan covers aspects of original Medicare (Part A and Part B) that you’d typically have to pay after Medicare covers its share.

It’s important to note that you can’t use a Medigap policy if you have a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan.

In addition to the services covered under each plan type, the state of Wisconsin mandates that certain services be included in the WPS Medicare supplement plans.

For the following services, Medicare will pay 80 percent of the Medicare-eligible charges after you’ve paid your Medicare Part B deductible. Your Medicare supplement plan will then pay 20 percent of the remaining charges not covered by Medicare.

These include costs for:

  • kidney transplants
  • dialysis treatments
  • kidney disease care
  • diabetic equipment
  • some diabetes supplies
  • diabetes self-management
  • education programs
  • chiropractic care
  • breast reconstruction after a mastectomy
  • hospital, ambulatory surgery center, and anesthesia charges for dental care, in certain cases

Costs for WPS Medicare supplement plans vary based on:

  • your age
  • your location
  • the plan type you choose

Below are a few examples of costs you’d pay at 65, 75, and 85-plus years old.

A 2 percent discount is included, assuming you pay for your plan with an automatic bank withdrawal. You may also pay by credit card or paper bill, but your premium rate will increase.

WPS also offers a 7 percent household discount to two or more individuals who live together. The discount applies to premiums and riders.

Medicare supplement (Medigap) plans are private insurance plans meant to help you cover your share of healthcare costs.

Though Medicare Part A covers inpatient care, Medicare Part B covers outpatient care, and Medicare Part C offers a private hybrid plan for parts A and B, you’ll still be responsible for a share of your healthcare costs with these plans. Costs may include:

  • deductibles
  • coinsurance
  • copayments
  • premiums

The goal of Medicare supplement insurance is to offer you a plan that helps cover any healthcare costs you might be left with. You do have to pay a monthly premium for a Medigap plan.

Once you qualify for Medicare coverage, you can add or switch a Medicare supplement plan at any time — you don’t need to wait for specific enrollment periods.

However, you’ll usually get the best price if you purchase a Medicare supplement plan when you first become eligible for Medicare.

There are 10 different types of Medicare supplement plans, which are standardized in most parts of the country. Only Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have exceptions, due to state mandates.

You can compare offerings and premium prices in your area using the Medicare plan finder tool.

  • Medicare supplement plans can help cover your share of Medicare costs.
  • Medicare supplement plans are sold by private insurance companies.
  • WPS offers supplement plans across Wisconsin and in 14 other states.
  • Wisconsin is one of the three states that offers unique Medicare supplement plans.
  • Compare supplement plans with care to ensure you’re comparing similar products and to find the one that best suits your needs.

The information on this website may assist you in making personal decisions about insurance, but it is not intended to provide advice regarding the purchase or use of any insurance or insurance products. Healthline Media does not transact the business of insurance in any manner and is not licensed as an insurance company or producer in any U.S. jurisdiction. Healthline Media does not recommend or endorse any third parties that may transact the business of insurance.

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