Medicare Supplements and Guaranteed Issue Rights

A unique feature of Medicare supplement policies is the Guaranteed Issue right. This means that you cannot be turned down, or that an insurance agent is required to sell you any Medicare supplement policy available in your state at that given time regardless of your pre-existing conditions. You also cannot be charged a higher premium due to previous or current health problems.

This feature does not ALWAYS apply, however. The following are occasions when you may have guaranteed issues rights to purchase a supplement to Medicare policy.

• During your Medigap Open Enrollment period
• You lose coverage in a Medicare Advantage Plan
• You are covered by both Original Medicare and an employer-sponsored health plan and lose the employer-sponsored coverage
• You are covered by Medicare and a Medicare Select Policy but move our of the coverage area for the Select Policy

In certain other instances you may have a “trial right” to try a Medicare Advantage Plan and still purchase a Medigap Policy if you change your mind.

More information on this can be found at: http://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/75-medsupp/upload/ChoosingAMedigapPolicy.pdf

or….

Contact an agent and we can answer any questions you may have about purchasing Medigap Insurance and whether or not you have “Guaranteed Issue Rights.”