Health Insurance
Medigap Policy - Supplement MUTUAL of OMAHA With companies offering the same standardized insurance plans, your Medicare supplement choice recmendation comes down to price and a company’s service, reputation and experience with Medicare supplement insurance policies. Wheyour client joins a Medicare Advantage Plan, he/she use the health insurance card that you get from the plan for your health care. In most of these plans, generally there are extra benefits and lower copayments than in the Original Medicare Plan. However, your client may have to see doctors that belong to the plan or go to certain hospitals to get services.
M E D I C A R E S U P P L E M E N T
Contracting call: 1-888-320-4340
- http://www.mutualofomaha.com/medicaresupplementinsurance/index.html?
A Medicare supplement insurance policy helps pay some of the expenses not covered by Medicare. What’s more:
A Medigap policy is health insurance sold by private insurance companies to fill the “gaps” in Original Medicare Plan coverage. Medigap policies help pay some of the health care costs that the Original Medicare Plan doesn’t cover.
If your clients are in the Original Medicare Plan and have a Medigap policy, then Medicare and your Medigap policy will pay both their shares of covered health care costs. Insurance companies can only sell a “standardized” Medigap policy. These Medigap policies must all have specific benefits so your client can compare them easily. Your client may be able to choose up to 12 different standardized Medigap policies (Medigap Plans A through L). Medigap policies must follow Federal and State laws. A Medigap policy must be clearly identified on the cover as “Medicare Supplement Insurance.”
Each plan, A through L, has a different set of basic and extra benefits. It’s important to compare Medigap policies because costs can vary. The benefits in any Medigap Plan A through L are the same for any insurance company. Each insurance company decides which Medigap policies it wants to sell. Generally, when you buy a Medigap policy you must have Medicare Part A and Part B. You will have to pay the monthly Medicare Part B premium. In addition, you will have to pay a premium to the Medigap insurance company. Married couples must each buy separate Medigap policies. Their Medigap policy won’t cover any health care costs for the spouse.
For more information, go to:
http://www.medicare.gov/medigap/default.asp
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Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage Plans are health plan options that are part of the Medicare program. If your client joins one of these plans, you generally get all your Medicare-covered health care through that plan. This coverage can include prescription drug coverage. Medicare Advantage Plans include:
To join a Medicare Advantage Plan, your client must have Medicare Part A and Part B. He/she will have to pay their monthly Medicare Part B premium to Medicare. In addition, they might have to pay a monthly premium to their Medicare Advantage Plan for the extra benefits that they offer. If your client joins a Medicare Advantage Plan, their Medigap policy won’t work. This means it won’t pay any deductibles, copayments, or other cost-sharing under your Medicare Health Plan. Therefore, they may want to drop their Medigap policy if they join a Medicare Advantage Plan. However, your client has the legal right to keep the Medigap policy.
CMS Marketing Regulations has determined that other products must not be discussed while a Medicare Advantage visit; a different meeting must be scheduled within 48 hours to discuss other products.
For plan comparison in your area:
http://www.medicare.gov/
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