Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans for Los Angeles County, California

A Medicare supplement insurance plan (also called “Medigap”) is private health insurance designed to supplement original Medicare. This means it helps pay some of the health care costs (“gaps”) that original Medicare doesn’t cover (such as co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles).

Medicare supplemental insurance plans may also cover certain things that Medicare doesn’t. If you are in original Medicare and you have a Medicare supplemental insurance plan, Medicare will pay its share of the Medicare-approved amounts for covered health care costs. Then your Medicare supplemental insurance plan pays its share.

Every Medicare supplemental insurance plan must follow federal and state laws designed to protect you. Medicare supplement plan insurance companies can only sell you a “modernized” Medicare supplemental insurance plan identified by letters A through N. Each modernized Medicare supplemental insurance plan must offer the same basic benefits, no matter which insurance company sells it.

Cost is usually the only difference between Medicare supplemental insurance plans sold by different insurance companies.

Compare Medicare Benefits for Los Angeles County, California senior citizens

Medigap Insurance Costs Less Than You’d Expect

You can get a Medigap rate quote just by calling one of our experienced agents or by completing the “Easy Quote Form” by clicking here.

Your Guide to Medicare Supplement Insurance

You have probably heard that Medicare pays up to 80% of your health care costs, including doctor visits, lab work, and hospital care (if you have both Medicare Part A and Part B). What you might not know is that means that Medicare covers 80% of the costs that Medicare has approved. If your doctor charges more than Medicare approves, you may pay much more than 20%.

You can see how your medical costs could easily add up very quickly if you rely on Medicare alone to pay your health care bills. The fact is that many people just can’t afford to pay the costs leftover after Medicare pays a bill, which is why they choose a Medicare supplemental insurance policy.

With the right Medigap insurance plan, your cost for that $100 doctor visit is $0, with no deductible, no co-pay, and no co-insurance costs.

Medicare has designed 10 Medigap plans that provide various kinds of coverage. Each of these plans are required to cover some basic Medicare benefits.

The Medigap plans offered are known as Plan A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. All Medigap insurance companies offer the same plans with the same benefits. The only difference between insurance companies is the cost of your monthly premium. The difference between the plans is the cost of your out-of-pocket expenses.

The advantage of choosing a supplemental Medicare insurance plan over Medicare Select or Medicare Advantage is that with a Medigap plan you have absolutely no network restrictions; in other words you can go anywhere for your health care as long as the provider accepts Medicare. Additionally, with some Medigap plans, such as Plan F, you will have little or no out-of-pocket costs.

Let our highly trained, licensed Medicare supplement insurance agents help you wade through the maze of Medigap information. We have already helped many Medicare recipients make important healthcare insurance decisions about their Medicare supplemental plans, and we can help you too!

How to Choose a Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan

A Medigap (also known as Medicare supplement insurance) policy is the coverage you buy to help cover the gaps in your Original Medicare insurance. Only you can decide if a Medigap policy is the way for you to supplement your Medicare coverage and which Medigap policy to choose.

Be sure to compare available Medigap policies to see which one meets your needs and keep in mind that not all insurance companies offer all of the Medigap policies currently available. Plus different insurance companies may charge different amounts for exactly the same Medigap policy. With all this being said, where do you start?

Finding the Right Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan for You

Medigap premiums vary by insurer, area of the country and benefit package selected. To find out which insurance companies sell Medicare supplement insurance in your state, you can:

• Call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program for free assistance and a Medigap rate comparison shopping guide
• Visit http://www.medicare.gov and select “Compare Health Plans and Medigap Policies in Your Area”

If you conduct the research yourself, plan on speaking to more than one insurance company. Otherwise a good insurance broker can provide you the important details about various carriers and their Medigap plans. You’ll want to find out about things such as a company’s financial strength, whether they are licensed to provide insurance in the state and whether they use medical underwriting.

Steps You Need to Take to Get the Medigap Coverage You Want

Once you have chosen the insurance company and Medicare supplement insurance policy that is right for you, you’ll need to actually submit your application and payment.

You’ll want to request a clearly worded summary of your Medigap policy. Once you receive it, read it carefully to make sure you understand it and be sure to ask questions.

Next, fill out the application completely.  Send in your application with your check or money order to ensure you have a receipt of payment for your records.

Make sure to specify when you want your Medicare supplement insurance to become effective (usually the first of the month after you apply) and that you get your policy within thirty (30) days. If it doesn’t arrive, contact your insurance company or broker. If it still hasn’t arrived after sixty (60) days, call your State Insurance Department.

Finally, keep in mind that you only need one Medigap insurance policy. It is illegal for an insurance company to sell you a second policy unless you are cancelling your current policy. However, don’t cancel just yet. Be sure to get the new one in place before cancelling your old Medigap policy. You have a thirty-day free-look period beginning the day you get your new Medigap policy to decide if you want to keep it.

It’s important to know what you want in a Medicare Supplement Policy and how to get the best plan for you.

Protect Yourself from Medicare Fraud and Identify Theft

Medical identity theft occurs when someone uses a person’s name and insurance information without their knowledge or consent to obtain medical services or goods. Medicare fraud is when an individual or corporation tries to collect Medicare health care reimbursement under false pretenses. There are ways that you can protect yourself from both.

The fact is that we are all vulnerable. And while identity theft in general is believed to be on the rise, with medical identity theft you have more to lose than just your confidential information. Losing medical information to an unscrupulous thief puts your health at risk as well.

However, there is a bigger problem. Yes, these thefts can cost the victims money. But more importantly it puts them at risk of physical harm because inaccurate medical information, such as blood type and medications, may end up recorded in their patient records.

Too many people think it won’t happen to them. An estimated $60 billion or more annually to fraud. And from 2000 to 2007 the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) paid 478,500 claims totaling up to $92 million to dead physicians.

A recent report indicated that a 57-year-old Fresno woman is facing a decade in state prison after being found guilty of Medicare fraud. She targeted low-income seniors telling them they needed to purchase expensive powered wheelchairs and Medicare would foot the bill.  Instead she turned over the patients’ insurance information to an equally fraudulent Los Angeles clinic for bogus wheelchair orders in exchange for a cut of the profits.

It’s up to each person to protect themselves against Medicare fraud and identity theft. Here’s how you can do it:

• Protect your Medicare number by keeping your card in a safe place. Share it only with your medical provider.
• Closely monitor your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) sent by your health insurer. It describes the services you have received and what is and isn’t covered under your plan. Notify your provider if anything looks out of place.
• Request a copy of your medical files from each health care provider and review them for errors. Be sure to report incorrect information immediately.
• Monitor your credit report to see if there are any unpaid accounts that might have been created by someone other than you.

http://www.medicaresupplementplans.com/

Best Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans

It’s easy to apply for a Medicare supplement insurance plan:

			Click the Medicare supplemental insurance plan that best fits your needs.
			Print and complete the application.
			Fax or mail the application.

Plan F is the most popular Medicare supplemental insurance plan.

Click here for a side-by-side benefits comparison of all 10 Medigap plans.

Get a free Medicare supplement insurance quote.

Rates are determined by the insurance companies and are subject to change at any time. The actual rate will be determined upon acceptance into the program based upon eligibility criteria and your medical conditions, if applicable.

A Medicare supplement insurance plan (also called “Medigap”) is private health insurance designed to supplement original Medicare. This means it helps pay some of the health care costs (“gaps”) that original Medicare doesn’t cover (such as co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles).

Medicare supplement plans may also cover certain things that Medicare doesn’t. If you are in original Medicare and you have a Medicare supplemental plan, Medicare will pay its share of the Medicare-approved amounts for covered health care costs. Then your Medicare supplemental plan pays its share.

Every Medicare supplemental plan must follow federal and state laws designed to protect you. Medicare supplement plan insurance companies can only sell you a “modernized” Medicare supplemental plan identified by letters A through N. Each modernized Medicare supplemental plan must offer the same basic benefits, no matter which insurance company sells it.

Cost is usually the only difference between Medicare supplement plans sold by different insurance companies. 

Medicare Supplement Insurance Policy Benefits

Medicare Supplement Insurance Policy Benefits.

Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans

Medicare supplement insurance plans do not include prescription drug benefits.

You can easily find and compare Medicare Part D prescription drug plans by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or by visiting www.Medicare.gov.

Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan Benefit Comparison

A Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan (also known as a Medigap policy) is health insurance sold by private insurance companies to fill gaps in Original Medicare coverage. Medigap policies can help pay your co-insurance, co-payments, and deductibles. Some Medigap policies also cover certain benefits Original Medicare doesn’t cover.

Medigap insurance companies can only sell you a “modernized” Medigap policy identified as Plan A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N.

Each modernized Medigap policy must offer the same basic benefits, no matter which insurance company sells it. For example, Plan F offers the same benefits with all insurance companies, and Plan C offers the same benefits with all insurance companies.

Cost is usually the only difference between Medigap policies sold by different insurance companies.

Plan F is the most popular Medicare supplement insurance plan.

Click here to apply.

Get a quote.

	Plan A	Plan B	Plan C	Plan D	Plan F	Plan G	Plan K*	Plan L*	Plan M	Plan N
Medicare Part A Co-insurance hospital costs up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are used up
Medicare Part B Co-insurance or Co-payment							50%	75%		**
Blood (first 3 pints)							50%	75%
Part A Hospice Care Co-insurance or Co-payment							50%	75%
Skilled Nursing Facility Care Co-insurance							50%	75%
Medicare Part A Deductible							50%	75%	50%
Medicare Part B Deductible
Medicare Part B Excess Charges
Foreign Travel Emergency (up to plan limits)
Medicare Preventive Care Part B Co-insurance

The chart above is a brief summary of benefits.

If a check mark appears in a column of this chart, the Medigap policy covers 100% of the described benefit. If a column lists a percentage, the policy covers that percentage of the described benefit. If a column is blank, the policy doesn’t cover that benefit.

Note: The Medigap policy covers Co-insurance only after you have paid the deductible (unless the Medigap policy also covers the deductible).

*After you meet your out-of-pocket yearly limit and your yearly Part B deductible, the Medigap plan pays 100% of covered services for the rest of the calendar year. Plan K Out-of-Pocket Limit is $4,660.00. Plan L Out-of-Pocket Limit is $2,330.00. Out-of-pocket limit is the maximum amount you would pay for Co-insurance and Co-payments in a calendar year.

**Plan N pays 100% of the Part B Co-insurance except up to $20 Co-payment for office visits and up to $50 for emergency department visits.

For more details, please see any of the insurance company brochures or the official government guide to Medicare: Choosing a Medigap Policy: A Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare.