As we are to discuss about the Medicare supplement plans or the Medigap plans that is why it is better to say that a health insurance plan is a helping aid for your unexpected medical costs. It is a contract between an individual and an insurance company in which the type and amount of health care costs that would be covered by the plan are specified and for which the individual agrees to pay premiums. These contracts are renewed either monthly or annually. But his basic thing is slightly different in our policies. From its very name you can imagine that there is some gap coverage between two things. Actually the original Medicare health plans are under government administration but these plans fails to pay all the costs spent in a treatment of the policy maker. In this position the person may face some real difficulties to have short of money. For their advantages solely some private companies have introduced this plan named Medigap plans or Medicare supplements plans which truly supplement the original plans responsively.

Let us now have a look at the history of the health insurance plans. It was Hugh the Elder Chamberlen from the Peter Chamberlen family, who was the first one to propose about the health care insurance plans in 1694. And perhaps the accidental insurance was the first among the health insurance policies first launched during the late 19th century. This was something like the modern disability insurance. This type of policies continued till the start of the 20th century. The accidental insurance was first launched in the United States by the Franklin Health insurance Company of Massachusetts, which was founded in 1850. They offered insurance against the injuries from accidents caused by railroads and steamboats. Soon after, by the year 1966, about sixty companies were found to be offering accidental insurance in the United States. However, the main drawback was that other than the accidental insurance the Medicare beneficiaries were to pay for all other medical costs. Later during the late 20th century begins the start of the modern health insurance programs. And gradually it evolved and the present day Medicare policies cover a lot more things like preventives, emergency health care procedures, prescription drugs and others.

Other than the original Medicare policies these days there are also the Medicare Supplement Plans. The Medicare Supplement Plans or the Medigap policies are supplementary health insurance policies that are sold by the private insurance companies. These policies are not independent policies and are closely related with the Original Medicare. The purpose of the Medicare Supplement Plans is to fill up the gap between the policy coverage of the Original Medicare plans and the actual medical bill payable. That is a reason why these policies are also known as the Medigap plans. However, though these plans are totally administered and sold by the private insurance companies still there are only 12 standard plans under the letter heads A through L that they are permitted to sell. And along with that it should also be remembered that each of these policies provides different benefits but the policies under the same latter cover should provide same coverage, irrespective of the company selling them.