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What to Know About Using Medicare With Secondary Insurance
When you have more than one type of coverage, understanding who pays first matters.
Talk to a Licensed Agent: (302) 407-0876Who Pays First
When you have Medicare plus another type of coverage, one payer is generally considered 'primary' and pays first, while the other is 'secondary' and covers some or all of what's left. In most situations, Medicare is the primary payer, though this isn't universal — for example, if you're still working and covered by an employer plan with 20 or more employees, that employer coverage is typically primary instead.
Medicaid is almost always the payer of last resort, stepping in only after Medicare and any other coverage has paid its share.
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Call (302) 407-0876How Secondary Coverage Helps
Secondary coverage — commonly a Medigap policy, an employer or retiree plan, Medicaid, TRICARE, or VA benefits — can help cover costs Medicare leaves behind, like the Part A deductible, Part B coinsurance, and skilled nursing facility coinsurance. Some secondary plans also help with costs Original Medicare doesn't cover well at all, like emergency care abroad.
In most cases, once your provider bills Medicare, the claim is automatically forwarded to your secondary insurer through a process called coordination of benefits, so you generally don't have to submit two separate claims yourself. One thing to keep in mind: Medicare Advantage plans generally can't be paired with a Medigap policy as secondary coverage — that combination is specific to Original Medicare.
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