Oregon Introduces “Birthday Rule” for Medigap Subscribers

Insurance companies typically don’t give you just a whole bunch of time to make the important decisions associated with becoming insured. Generally these decisions are made like a fortune-teller reads a palm as you have to buy the plan without knowing what it is that you really need. Now, in Oregon you will have a little more time to be able to make the right decision for you and your health.

Every year the Medigap subscriber will have 30 days after their birthday in which to make changes to their Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan (Medigap). This means there is more time than there was before to make a good decision about what type of coverage is necessary. What’s more important is that it means insurance companies have less of an opportunity to decline your policy based on medical history.

In the current way that Medigap coverage is offered insurance companies can deny your policy based on your Medical history if you don’t apply for coverage in the first six months after you start using Medicare. Instead of having to make a decision within six months of enrolling in Medicare as a Medigap user you now have 30 days around your birthday each year to do so.