What Changed in Medigap Coverage in June 2010?

Medicare and Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) went through a change in June of 2010 when multiple policies were dropped and added.  This made for some confusion from policy holders who didn’t quite know what to do in order to maintain their status or change it.  The following changes are important to your Medigap coverage, but remember that these policies are “guaranteed renewable” which means you can even keep an old policy plan that has been eliminated as long as you make your payments on time.
 
“Guaranteed issue” coverage now includes the right to buy a Medigap policy without health screenings or a new waiting period when an employer stops providing insurance that covers all of the cost for Medicare’s 20% co-insurance.
 
“Open enrollment” rights have been extended to include COBRA when this extension of employer coverage is lost.
 
When a person is entitled to “guaranteed issue” coverage or is applying under “open enrollment” rights, insurance companies cannot request, require or obtain medical information as part of the application process.  The one exception to this rule occurs when a person is first enrolled in Medicare Part B; an insurance company can require answers to health questions as part of the application for a Medigap policy.