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Alabama's 13 Medicare Special

Medicare doesn't pay for all the costs of hospital and medical care.

Consider a Medicare Supplement insurance plan that lets you keep your own doctor, specialist and hospital.

The Medicare program helps 43 million Beneficiaries with their health care needs. However, Medicare does not pay for all the costs of hospital and medical care. Medicare offers you choices about how you receive your benefits. Choosing Medicare coverage can often seem difficult.

Medicare Supplement Insurance (or Medigap) Plans

When can I purchase a Medicare Supplement policy on a Guaranteed Issue basis?

There are two situations when an insurance company cannot refuse to sell you any Medigap policy it sells, make you wait for coverage to start (except in limited circumstances), or charge you more because of your health problems. They are during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period and when you have a Guaranteed Issue right.

Medigap Open Enrollment last for 6 months. You only have ONE open enrollment period during your lifetime. It begins on the 1st day of the month in which you are BOTH age 65 or older AND enrolled in Medicare Part B. This period cannot be changed or repeated. Most insurance companies will accept Medicare Supplement applications up to 6 months before the beginning of your open enrollment period.

Medigap Guarantee Issue Rights apply any time one of seven situations occur.

>> Click here for more information <<

There are significant changes to Medicare this year, most of which are a result of health care reform.
Among the changes that take effect in 2011:

Part D participants receive a 50% discount on brand-name drugs and a 7% discount on generics when they are in the Part D coverage gap, also known as the “donut hole.”
All beneficiaries with Medicare Part B are entitled to a free wellness exam once a year, which is not subject to the Part B deductible ($162 in 2011). This is in addition to the free “Welcome to Medicare” physical exam beneficiaries can receive during their first 12 months of Medicare coverage.
Beneficiaries with Medicare Part B have no cost-sharing for a wide range of preventive services.
All Medicare Advantage plans have a new mandatory maximum out-of-pocket limit for their plan enrollees.
The former MA Open Enrollment Period (OEP) is replaced by the new Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (MADP), which is from Jan 1 to Feb 14 each year.
Medicare Part D enrollees with higher-incomes pay a higher premium for their Part D prescription drug benefits.
The income limits over which people pay a higher Part B, and this year Part D, premium are no longer indexed for inflation. Instead, they are frozen at 2010 levels from 2011 through 2019. As incomes rise over time, more people will have to pay the higher premiums.