Medicare supplement insurance is supposed to help you fill in the gaps where your basic Medicare coverage has dropped the ball and not paid for coverage.  To do this your supplement insurance plan or company needs to be notified when you decide to have them pick up the rest of the tab.  Many people are unaware of how to complete this simple process and for those that are unsure this article could help clear it up for you.
continue reading "How to Get Your Supplement Insurance to Cover the Gaps"

As was discussed previously, in certain instances it is acceptable for Medigap policies to exclude pre-existing conditions for a six month period after the start of the policy.  The policy can exclude the coverage of these conditions during this period but must start coverage at the end of the “pre-existing condition waiting period”.  There is a way to make sure that you skip this period and go right into having your coverage.
continue reading "The Importance of “Creditable Coverage” with Medigap Policies"

Medigap insurance is supplemental insurance to your Medicare insurance that is sold by insurance companies who are regulated by Medicare.  These companies can sell Medigap policies and make a profit from doing so but they must abide by rules and regulations set forth.  One of these rules is about the treatment of pre-existing conditions by the supplemental policies that are sold.
continue reading "How Does Medigap Treat Pre-Existing Conditions?"

Open enrollment is the time when you are allowed to enroll in Medicare for the first time and you have many options to assess.  Your Medicare open enrollment will happen the day you turn 65 AND are enrolled in Medicare Part B.  Insurance companies must adhere to some specific rules at this time in reference to Medical underwriting, here are a few of the rules they must adhere to: 
continue reading "What are Your Rights to Medigap Policies during Open Enrollment?"

Medigap insurance (Medicare Supplemental Insurance) is very important to many people who have needs above and beyond what Medicare offers.  Due to the fact that many people cannot get the coverage that they need from Medicare policies they get extra services from these supplemental policies.  People who don’t know about the changes, but use Medigap insurance, should be aware of some basic benefits changes that happened June 1^st, 2010.

Starting with policies eff ective on or aft er June 1, 2010, Hospice Part A coinsurance (outpatient prescription drug and inpatient respite care coinsurance) will be covered. Plan K will cover 50% of the costs and Plan L will cover 75% of these costs.  This may not be important to you, or it could be a massive change from what you did have covered.

When these changes happen to your Medicare or Medigap policies you need to reevaluate what you have covered.  You can contact someone in a local Medicare office or consult a health insurance company that offers Medigap policies.  If you are unsure if these changes affect you it is only important to consult with someone who would know.

Medicare Supplemental Insurance, or a Medigap plan, is purchased to help you fill in the gaps where your current Medicare plan may fall short.  These policies can be very important to help you survive with your income in case of some sudden emergency.  For this reason it is very important to know why your insurance company can drop your supplemental insurance at any time.
continue reading "Medicare Supplemental Insurance: When Can My Policy be Cancelled?"

When you are buying your Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) policy from an insurance company it is always good to know your rights.  Insurance companies, sometimes rightfully so, have a bad reputation for giving inaccurate information when selling insurance policies.  Remember with Medigap policies that all insurance companies must play by the same rules.
continue reading "Don’t Take Pressure Tactics from Medigap Insurance Companies"

Medicare Supplement insurance policies will vary by state based on the insurance companies that sell the policies in your area.  This is for your protection so the state insurance departments can evaluate the insurance companies and make sure the policies are legitimate.  It is all well and good for you that it is done in a way to protect you, but the question becomes, how do you know who is selling to you and what they are selling?
continue reading "How to Find Medicare Supplement Policies in Your Area"

When picking any kind of insurance policy there is a degree of stress and frustration as you try to decide how to cover all of the possibilities.  Insurance plans are there to protect you in the event of an emergency and how can they do that if you haven’t picked the right coverage?  What you have to do is lay out all of the possibilities and then think of a way to cover your bases in a most basic way.
continue reading "How to Pick a Medicare Supplement Policy"

There is a lot of talk about Medicare Supplements these days.  With the questions regarding the cost of Medicare, the co-pays involved may fluctuate at any time.  With tedious budget insecurities these days it makes sense that people are looking carefully at Medicare and Medicare Supplement plans.

They are trying to figure out what supplements are best.  What is the best cost?  What will cover the most for each individual’s situation.?  Is a Medicare Supplement actually going to help an individual in their particular situation?

In other words, if I only go to the doctor from time to time and use few prescriptions, perhaps I should stick with the basics.  After all, every year there is an open enrollment period during which anyone on Medicare and/or Medicare Supplements has the opportunity to change their coverage.  So if your circumstances change, you can change your coverage to fit your circumstances and needs.

Some of the Medicare Supplements, often called Medigap, cover different things.  In addition, Medicare Advantage covers a number of things that are not covered by basic plans.  It is important to study these plans carefully, check the financial issues such as co-pays and premiums.   While looking at these issues it is important assess your health and your health needs and make comparisons between the things you need, the things that are covered that fit your situation and that you can afford to pay.

Sooner, rather than later, take the time to make good comparisons of everything Medicare, Medigap and Medicare Advantage have to offer and determine what is best for you.  One place to start – that has the best information – is found at www.medicare.gov.  There is a tremendous amount of information, plus phone numbers to call and links to other sites.

Whether or not you end up needing Medicare Supplements, the main way to find out what you do need is checking the official Medicare site and doing your homework.

Medicare used to be simple.  Part A – the free part – helped with hospitalization, which is what it does today.    Part B, which handles doctor’s visits and other outpatient issues, still does the same.  There are then other parts of Medicare from Part D on up.  Part D covers prescription drug coverage.

If you have a lot of special expenses including prescriptions, it is a good idea to look into Medicare Advantage policies.  There are various Medicare Advantage plans through numerous private insurance companies.  The good thing is that if you decide to purchase part “F” let’s say, from any insurance company, the coverage is exactly the same.  The problem is that since there are not tight restrictions upon Medicare Advantage you could end up paying a great price for a certain plan with one company and end up paying two, three or four times as much with some of the other companies – for the same exact coverage.

So, in addition to researching and determining what type of policy you need and what coverage you need, you also need to determine what prices will work best for you.  The best place to start finding this information is to access Medicare at www.medicare.gov that will be accurate and provide information, links, phone numbers and more.

No matter what, it is important to determine whether or not you need Medicare Supplements , which ones you need and, how much they will cover and how much they will cost.

The plan was to have healthcare reform before Thanksgiving.  There were too many details to work out to appease both sides of the aisle, so the deadline was moved to Christmas.  Well, that didn’t quite work out either.

Here we are approaching Valentine’s Day and all factions seem to be doing everything they can to out shout each other, do one up on each other and stop the other groups from getting their ideas passed.

For the most part, since the beginning, it seems that the President has been appealing – almost begging – for people to work together to get this done.  You can almost hear him saying “Can’t we all just get along?”  Unfortunately, the answer has been a resounding “NO!”

With the great divide between opinions, especially between Republicans and Democrats it doesn’t seem that Healthcare Reform is the central focal point, it seems that each party’s desire to win is the focal point of a tug of war that is ripping Healthcare Reform to shreds.

It seems that in the beginning of the work toward Healthcare Reform, at least some people tried to work together.  In fact, it seemed that there was actual communication and some ideas that people agreed with – both in the public and in Washington.

The problem is that somewhere down the road things got derailed and people turned this into a tournament to see who could win and who could lose.  So far, nobody has won, the lawmakers are arguing and the public is losing.

Somehow, the tournament has to stop; the communication has to start and the concern for the public needs to begin to be reflected in the negotiations.  It’s not all about money.  Yes, money is part of the entire picture, which includes wars and education and aid to other countries.  It’s time to balance things out so that the millions of people in this country – some who make a decent living – are able to afford and keep at least basic, if not, decent healthcare.

The deadline has come and gone – more than once.  It’s time to stop the games and solve the healthcare reform problem.

These days we are hearing all sorts of comments regarding healthcare reform and Medicare reform for quite a long time.  Actually, talks started before the Presidential election, and both sides of the aisle dug in their heels and to this point have not budged.

With coaxing from the President, as well as plenty of uproar from citizens throughout the country, the roadblocks are beginning to lift a little and work is starting to begin again.

The difficult part of the whole situation is that the seniors are not making the laws.  Sure, seniors would change some things from the current system – and hopefully have some more money to make the changes.  However, it is the lawmakers who have

the task of trying to speak for the seniors who helped get the lawmakers elected to begin with.
continue reading "Most Seniors are Glad to have Medicare"

Medicare has been the center of a tremendous amount of controversy for quite a while.  Through the Bush years the economy kept getting worse and worse to the point that billions of dollars in surplus turned into much more in deficit in two terms of the Bush administration.

Now we are a year into the Obama administration and lawmakers, as well as seniors and most of the rest of the country are still going back and forth regarding Healthcare reform, including Medicare.

This is not to blame President Obama – he inherited a huge mess – which is still pretty messy, and instead of people supporting him for working so hard to try and fix things as quickly as possible, he is greeted with a slew of roadblocks, blame and negativity.
continue reading "Even with a Few Cuts, Medicare is Much Better Than Nothing"

Every year from December 15th to December3 1st there is an open enrollment period regarding Medicare.  It is important to get this done on time every year.

What if this doesn’t happen on time?  If you are 65 years old, you are eligible for Medicare.  There is a period of seven months every year to enroll for Part B of Medicare.  This part of Medicare covers doctors’ visits and services you need as an outpatient.

It is important to try to get in touch with Medicare and Social Security two or three months before your 65th birthday.  Starting with the three months before your birthday you have a total of seven months to enroll.  If you do not enroll on time, there is a general enrollment period from January through March every year.  You will have to wait, however, for your benefits to actually start in July.
continue reading "Did You Sign Up Before the Deadline?"