What Is Medicare Supplement Insurance?

Medicare Supplement Insurance, also known as “Medigap” insurance, provides supplemental health insurance coverage for Medicare beneficiaries. Seniors on “original” Medicare may want to purchase Medicare Supplement (”Medigap”) insurance because Medicare often covers less than the total cost of the beneficiary’s health care.

Why Do I Need A Supplement?

Medicare Supplements alleviates the difference between what Medicare covers and out-of pocket expenses for deductibles, coinsurance, and co-payments. Medigap policies cover services that Medicare deems medically necessary, and payments are generally based on the Medicare-approved charge. The organizations we represent will help cover these expenses, while providing you with the strength and stability of some of America’s most respected Insurance Companies.

Why choose Medicare65.com and work with Nevin & Witt

Not only have we been successfully serving our customers with their Medicare and Insurance needs since 1950, we have excellent customer service. We employ full time, licensed Customer Service Agents to help you with whatever you need. We specialize in Medicare Supplements and Medicare Advantage plans for:    Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri,  Montana,  Nebraska,  Nevada,  New Hampshire,  New Jersey,  New Mexico,  New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Insurance Providers

What is Your Situation and How Can We Help?

 Typically, we find our clients fit one of four general categories when shopping for a Medicare supplement. Please select the category that best describes your situation to find additional information on what to search for:

- I am new to Medicare and am shopping for a Medicare supplement for the first time
- I got another Medicare supplement rate increase and am shopping for better rates
- I have a Medicare advantage plan and want to consider switching to a Medicare supplement
- I have had Medicare only For more than 6 months and would like to now Get a Medicare supplement

Situation: New to Medicare

When you're just going on Medicare, you have a lot of rights and privileges that make it fairly easy for you to get the best deal on your Medicare supplement. You are in a guaranteed issue period which allows you to go with any plan with any insurance company that is going to give you the best deal.

First, you must decide how to receive your Medicare benefits. You can get them through Original Medicare or you can choose one of the privatized Medicare Advantage plans.

Original Medicare allows you to see a greater number of doctors and medical facilities. Original Medicare has definitive guidelines of what it will cover.

Medicare Advantage plans typically have more restrictions on the physicians and medical facilities network and although they have outlines of coverage, decisions on whether a procedure or treatment is necessary can be subjective (they decide). Medicare Advantage can also include some extras, including your Part D drug plan and sometimes dental, vision, or even gym memberships. Since we are here to serve you, we offer Medicare Supplements and Medicare Advantage Plans in order to find the best fit for your needs.

To sum it up, Medicare Supplements mean a larger doctor network & more consistent coverage whereas Medicare Advantage means a lower cost& some extras but less certainty in coverage.

Whether you decide to stick with Original Medicare plus a Supplement OR if you want a Medicare Advantage plan, our representatives can help with either option.

Medicare supplements are standardized with plan letter designations from A-L. However, typically only 3-4 of these plans will be a good fit for most people. For instance, plan F is currently the most popular plan on the market. This is probably because plan F covers all of the deductible, coinsurance, co-pay, and excess charge gaps in Medicare. The great thing about the standardization of these plans is that once you decide which plan you want to go with you can then price shop pretty comfortably. The standardization of these Medicare supplement plans includes:

•Benefits – Plan F provides the same coverage from any company whether it’s Mutual of Omaha, Blue Cross, United Healthcare, etc. This applies for all plans, A-L.

•Claims Processing – Medicare requires claims to be processed electronically, so you don't have to worry if it's easier to work with one company's coverage versus another.

•Claims Decisions – Medicare makes all claims decisions, not the supplement company. Unlike under-65 health insurance, you don’t have to worry about if one company makes claims decisions differently than another.

•Doctors Network - any doctor that takes Medicare will take any company's Medicare supplement insurance. So, you don't have to worry about whether one Medicare supplement insurance company allows you to see more doctors or would be better received by doctor's than another.

Once you have considered your options, then you can shop. The first option is to research the companies and their pricing and then apply directly with them. The second option is to use us as your agent, which is completely free. Why shouldn’t you do it yourself? First of all, because we want to help; our services are completely free. Secondly, there maybe a few companies you miss while shopping. Medicare65 works with all the major providers. In five to ten minutes on the phone with you, we can tell you which companies will offer the best price for your supplemental coverage. Finally, we will stick with you in the coming years. Each year, your rate may increase, so we can always help to re-evaluate if a specific company is still the best fit, saving you money.

Situation: I Have a Medicare Supplement but Shopping For Better Rates

About half of our new clients are in this situation. Many other agents sell a Medicare supplement to a client, but do not follow up with them each year to reevaluate. After several years, the client may forget who their agent is. When their rates go up, they start looking at other plans and often find Medicare65 can help.

We are here to help you find other Medicare Supplement Insurance companies that can provide you with the same plan you currently have with the best available rate. More than likely, the medical questions will have to be answered to qualify for coverage. A Medicare65 agent will help you understand the companies that will most likely cover you based on any medical conditions while still giving you the best combination of good coverage at a reasonable cost.

Sometimes, the Medicare recipient has the best plan available to them. Typically, this is because the client has a health condition that would exclude them from switching to another company that offers a better price.

When a client switches companies, but not plans, there are 3 key changes:

1. Lower Price.
2. Premium paid to a different Medicare supplement insurance company.
3. Different Medicare Supplement insurance company’s logo on the Medicare card.

What stays the same:

1. Choice in Doctors.
2. Claims paid electronically.
3. Medicare will still make the claims decisions - not the Medicare supplement insurance company.

Switching to another company is not difficult. The application process takes around 10 minutes and a Medicare65 agent can handle most of it over the phone. There is nothing to lose by switching if it saves you money because you get the same benefits as before.

Situation: I Want Off Medicare Advantage and Back to Original Medicare & a Medicare Supplement

Although we do offer Medicare Advantage Plans, they are not right for everybody. If you are currently on a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan and want to switch to Original Medicare, you can disenroll between January 1^st and February 14^th. We are here to help evaluate the best options for your current situation.

Situation: On Medicare A & B Only for More than 6 Months and Now Want a Medigap Policy

This situation is not very common. Usually when beneficiaries are on Medicare Parts A & B only, they made that decision because either they felt they didn’t need one or couldn’t afford it. In both these situations when the beneficiary is ready to purchase a Medicare supplement, they may have a medical condition(s) that cause the Medicare supplement companies to decline them coverage.

There are some folks who have been blessed with good health that just didn't want to spend the money for a Medicare supplement if they didn't feel they would use it and only decide to now strongly consider purchasing a Medicare supplement because a close friend or relative just went through a major medical event and either didn't have a Medicare supplement and had to pay out a lot of money for their treatment or they did and were very happy they didn't have to pay a lot of money for their treatment when they otherwise would have.

Others are in good health, but now realizing the importance of the Medicare Supplement coverage because of many factors. In any case, this situation requires medical underwriting to qualify for a Medicare Supplement. The easiest way to go about this is to contact a Medicare65 agent at 1-800-247-9889 to guide you through your options. We can take your application over the phone and you can also get a quote here.

Medicare Supplements Are Not One Size Fits All

Although certain plans are more popular and more widely sold, there isn’t one choice that makes sense for everyone. There are so many considerations when purchasing a Medicare supplement, including, medical underwriting, financial stability of the company, and the rate increase history of a company. To ensure you get the best deal on a Medicare supplement, call Medicare65 to speak with an agent that will be able to understand your situation and preferences. We can educate you on your options and make recommendations for your best Medicare Supplement option.

What If I Am Losing My Group Retirement Health and Prescription Drug Plan?

If you are losing your retirement health and drug plan coverage, or turning 65, we can help you in the same way we have helped retiree's from such companies as American Express, American Airlines, Eastman-Kodak, Conoco-Phillips, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Whirlpool-Maytag, Alcatel-Lucent, PepsiCo, AT&T, Exxon, Microsoft, General Electric, IBM, Apple and many others.