Eliminating Confusion about Medicare Supplements

This won’t be the first time you will hear about the confusion that exists regarding Medicare Supplemental Insurance, and it certainly won’t be the last, unfortunately.

The good news is that there are answers to just about all of the questions that come up regarding Medicare Supplemental Insurance, also called Medigap.  The not so good news is that it will take some time, phone calls and research to get those answers.

With some of the changes to Medicare during the past few years, the choices for Medicare Supplements has become different and more complicated than it was before, however, this has been done in the name of providing better coverage for Medicare beneficiaries, and in many cases coverage has improved for seniors using the newer supplements.

There are situations that come up for Medicare recipients that can be difficult and frustrating to figure out.  One example is that of an elderly grandmother who had good coverage under her original Medicare.  Her coverage had covered all of her medical bills including visits to the doctor; however, when she was taken to the doctor recently she was told that the doctor would not see her unless she paid $50 for the visit.  She had not made any changes to her Medicare plans and she and her family were confused about why she had to start paying for doctor visits.

In a scenario like this, there could be a few solutions to the problem.  First, the problem may not be with her Medicare coverage.  It is probable that she had coverage through Medicaid which was paying for what Medicare did not and for some reason something got a bit fouled up.  Checking with her local Department of Social Services or Medicaid office, she should be able to make sure that her Medicaid coverage is in tact, and if it is not, she should be able to fix it or re-apply.  Medicaid is often used as a supplement to pay costs that Medicare does not cover if a person is on a limited income.  If something like this has happened to you, contact your local Medicaid office or Department of Social Services.

In another scenario, a disabled individual was “auto-enrolled” for their Medicare Part D coverage into a plan that will not cover his medications.  His family was confused about what to do.  In this case, the solution was simple.  He is allowed to switch plans to the appropriate coverage by calling Medicare and determining which plan will work for him and making the changes necessary.

Even though dealing with Medicare supplements can be confusing, there are usually answers and solutions that are available.  Some of them take a little more work than others, but asking questions and being persistent will help solve the problem and will usually help you understand your coverage much better.