Pages

How Medigap Guaranteed Issue Rights work


By Desiree Mikkelson


Medigap Guaranteed Issue Rights honor enrollment in a Medicare Supplement plan away from the Open Enrollment Period, with no increased premiums and do not consider pre-existing conditions.

Guaranteed issue rights, usually known as "Medigap Protections", defend those who are losing their Medicare coverage. A individual maybe losing their group health insurance policy due to the end of a marriage or the death of a spouse or family member, or the end of an employer sponsored healthcare plan.

In all instances, Medigap guaranteed issue rights allow that you may still enroll in a Medicare Supplement plan after your Open Enrollment Period. These rights ensure that a beneficiary can't be charged a higher monthly premium because of pre-existing health conditions, and that all pre-existing problems must be covered if current coverage stops.

Medigap guaranteed issue rights protect you in the following provisions: Your existing Medicare-backed plan, Medicare Advantage, PACE, etc., is moving from Medicare or becomes unavailable in your area. Your employer-sponsored retiree plan that pays after Medicare pays is finished. You have Original Medicare and a Medicare Select policy and you move from the plan's coverage region. You joined Medicare Advantage plan when you became first eligible and, during the first year of joining, you want to make the switch to Original Medicare Part A and Part B. You cancelled a previous Medicare Supplement Insurance policy to join a Medicare Advantage plan for the very first time; you have been in the plan under a year, and you would like to make the switch back. Your Medicare Supplement Insurance provider goes under, resulting in the end of your coverage, or your Medigap policy coverage otherwise stops through no fault of your own. You leave a Medicare Advantage plan or drop a Medigap policy because the company either gave you false information or broke the rules.

Because Medicare Supplement is an betterment to Original Medicare, guaranteed issue rights only apply to those seeking Medigap coverage to work with Medicare Parts A and B. Our future plans include Medicare Supplement Insurance topics on the Ask Medicare blog, including introducing the topic, providing information on the cost of Medigap plans and a comparing of Medicare Supplement Insurance vs. Medicare Advantage plans.

The Ask Medicare blog has a bundle of information on Medigap guaranteed issue rights, including the descriptions of each plan and its availability.




About the Author:


No comments:

Post a Comment