Medicare Supplemental Insurance Quotes - Medicare Supplements Made Easy

Medigap (Medicare Supplement) Guaranteed Issue Rights

Typically, the best times to purchase a Medicare Supplement plan is when you first turn 65 or enroll in Medicare part B. This is known as the Medigap open enrollment period and lasts from 6 months before your enrollment in Medicare part B through 6 months after your enrollment in Medicare Part B. During the Medigap open enrollment period an insurance company cannot refuse you or increase your premium based on previous health conditions. In fact, they cannot even ask you questions about your preexisting conditions.

If you are no longer in your first six months on Medicare part B, there are several circumstances in which you may still qualify for a guaranteed right to purchase a Medicare supplement policy. Guaranteed issue rights (also known as "Medigap protections") are the rights you have under certain circumstances when insurance companies are required to offer you certain policies regardless of any previous health problems and must cover all preexisting conditions.

Generally, there are 5 reasons that may qualify you for guaranteed issue rights:

1. You are in a private insurance company’s Medicare Advantage Plan, and that plan is no longer being offered in your area, or you move out of a plan's service area. You will have the right to switch to Original Medicare and purchase a Medicare supplement, no health questions asked.
2. You have Original Medicare and an employer group health plan (including retiree or COBRA coverage) or union coverage that pays after Medicare pays and that plan is ending.
3. You joined a Medicare Advantage plan or Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) when you first became eligible for Medicare at age 65, and within the first year of joining, you are unhappy with that plan and you want to switch back to Original Medicare.
4. You dropped a Medigap policy to join a Medicare Advantage for the first time; you have been in the plan less than a year, and you want to switch back.
5. Your Medigap insurance company goes bankrupt and you lose your coverage, or your Medigap policy coverage otherwise ends through no fault of your own.

Some states may also have additional rights. You should contact a licensed agent for more details and information on which Medicare supplement plans are included.

To learn more about Medigap plans and enrollment periods, you can use the Medicare Supplements Made Easy and connect with a licensed professional agent.