Original Medicare Has No Out-of-Pocket Maximum. In a Cancer Year, That 20% Can Become Almost Any Number.

Quick ReadOriginal Medicare imposes no annual out-of-pocket maximum, leaving beneficiaries liable for 20% of unlimited Part B costs after a $283 deductible. A cancer patient accumulating $150,000 in Part B services owes $30,000 in coinsurance alone, before imaging, radiation, or specialist visits. Medigap Plan G eliminates that coinsurance exposure, but missing the six-month federal enrollment window at 65 can make coverage permanently unattainable. A 67-year-old retiree on Original Medicare, with no Medigap policy, receives a stage III colon cancer diagnosis in February. If someone accumulates $150,000 in Part B services subject to 20% coinsurance, the patient share is $30,000.