Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D Prescription Plans, Underage Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicare Supplement/Medigap Plans
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Medicare is the United Sates federal government health insurance program to provide health insurance to the elderly and disabled. Medicaid is a different government program providing benefits for people qualifying with low income. Medicare begins for most people at age 65. Medicare is also available for qualifying disabled individuals of any age.
Medicare coverage for hospital services is provided under Part A, and
coverage for physician and other professional services is provided under Part B.
For beneficiaries entitled to Social Security benefits, Part A coverage is
provided with no premium payment required from beneficiaries. Both Part A and
Part B have annual deductibles and coinsurance requirements, meaning that
beneficiaries are financially responsible for a portion of the care they
receive. Under Part B, beneficiaries also pay a monthly premium.
Medicare supplement insurance was designed to fill in the gaps in Part A and
Part B coverage. The most common type of supplement is Medigap. Medigap is
specifically designed to supplement Medicare benefits and is regulated by
federal and state law. The majority of states (including the District of
Columbia and US territories) have limited the number of Medigap plans that can
be offered. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has developed 10
different Medigap plans that are now part of state and federal law. These plans
are described in detail below.
Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are exceptions to the Medigap rule. Each
of these states had alternative Medigap standardization in place when the
federal program was enacted in 1992 and they were allowed to keep their existing
plans. You can obtain details on the Medigap plans available in these states by
contacting the state insurance department.
The 10 Medigap plans are designated by the letters "A" through "J," with Plan
A being the basic plan and Plan J being the most comprehensive. Not every plan
is available from every insurance company or in every location. If an insurance
company sells Medigap plans, it must offer the most basic package (Plan A) in
addition to whatever other plans it chooses to sell. In addition, some states
have limited the number of plans available to beneficiaries.
To summarize, Medicare has two main parts:
It is very important to remember that Medicare pays based on Medicare approved amounts. This applies to Part B medical services and very importantly to Part A nursing facility services. Medicare covers less than 5% of the nursing/convalescent facility costs.
Insurance that goes with Medicare includes Medicare Supplement/Medigap policies, Long Term Care plans and Medicare HMO plans that administer your Medicare benefits. The Medicare HMO plans are only available in limited areas.
It is important to remember that when you first become eligible for Medicare, all insurance companies with a Medigap product are required by law to sell you a Medigap plan regardless of your health. After 6 months, however, insurance companies are allowed to raise the price if you are not healthy or not sell you a plan at all. Some states have laws guaranteeing that anyone on Medicare can purchase a Medigap plan, but most states do not. This could effect people if they want to leave a Medicare HMO and return to Medicare Supplement policy.
The linked WebPages below will provide you with descriptions of Medicare's benefits, Medicare Supplement/Medigap policies. If you would like to apply or need further information, please e-mail or call. The contact information is also below. We look forward to hearing from you.
For low cost Medicare Supplement/Medigap Plans and Medicare Part D information please contact
John K. Arnold
Florida Health Insurance
Group, Employee Benefits & Individual Health Insurance Specialist
Website Address www.floridahealthinsurance.com
E-Mail:
John K Arnold
Phone: 407-592-0311 (Best number to reach me)
Phone: 407-830-0259
Fax: 407-386-7053
If outside the US, it is best to e-mail as we can respond more
quickly. Thanks.
Let me know how I can help you.