Medigap Eligibility Criteria and Insurance

| September 26, 2013

medigapMedigap providers are those who help individuals with numerous kinds of Medicare aid and Medicare supplement insurance plans in the United States. This is commonly referred to as Medigap. They offer services like covering for medical expenses which are not or are partly taken care of by Medicare. The name Medigap has been given to establish the idea that it takes care of the gap or difference between the amount of money compensated by Medicare and the overall amount which is charged.

What is the Eligibility Criteria?

For enrolling into a Medigap plan, an individual is required to enroll in Medicare’s part A and B. At the time of the open enrollment period that commences within a period of 6 months after an individual becomes 65 years old or during the time when an individual enrolled in Part B of Medicare at 65 years of age, he/she can get a Medigap plan without any medical screening. Other than the open enrollment period, a person might need to undergo medical screening for which the statement of a physician might be required.

One should also understand that here monthly premiums apply and there can be no cancellation of policies. A Medigap insurance plan is not like other types of Medicare coverage such as the Medicare Advantage plan. A Medigap plan might be applicable to only one individual. One of the well-known private Medigap providers can be contacted on this website medigapproviders.com.

Those individuals who receive SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) benefits or those who have end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are eligible for Medicare coverage, no matter what their age is. However they cannot buy a Medigap policy till they turn 65 years. A Medigap provider is not entitled to sell out Medigap policies to individuals who are below 65 years of age as per the federal law. If they still do it, they might need to do a medical screening. In states like Vermont, California, and Massachusetts, patients of ESRD are not eligible for Medigap policies whereas, in the state of Delaware it is only the ESRD patients who are eligible for Medigap policies.

Insurance Plans

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have standardized the Medigap proposals into a total of ten plans, which are labeled as A to N. These Medigap plans are looked after by private organizations. There are various combinations of offering under every Medigap plan. The coverage is almost in proportion to the premium paid by an individual. The various rules and regulations that administer the sale of Medigap insurance policy offerings can differ from one state to another as it is a private insurance and not a government one.

There are several companies who might dole out Medigap coverage to the retirees. These plans have been standardized in the year 1992, but those who had it from before 1992 are governed by non-standard plans, which are not inconformity with the new policies. There have been a lot of changes in Medigap policies with new laws that developed over the years.

 

 

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