Current Trends in Medicare and Medigap Insurance

February 9, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

The only thing that is certain in regards to Medicare and Medigap insurance is change. Each year, deductible amounts, premiums, coverage, etc. all change on both “original” Medicare (Parts A & B), Part D (Rx coverage) and Medigap plans. Add to that the changing marketplace for medical insurance in general, and you have a lot to keep up with.

We’ve put together a rundown of some of the changes/trends we see today, in early 2016, which may be helpful.

  • First of all, the Medicare Part B premium has changed for people who are “aging in” to Medicare in 2016. In most cases, if you already had Part B, you get the benefit of the “hold harmless” provision, which keeps your Part B premiums at the same level as they were in 2015. But for new beneficiaries in 2016, the premium is $121.80/month.
  • The average Part D premiums for 2016 increased to $41.46 (up 13% from 2015 numbers!). Of course, with Part D, you have to look at the whole picture of how a plan covers your medications. But still, this change is significant. Approximately 83% of people are paying more for Part D in 2016 than they did in 2015.
  • There are fewer Part D plans available. Part D options peaked at an average of 55 per state in 2007. Since that time, the number of available options for Part D in each state has steadily declined. Currently, there are an average of 26 plans in each state. Fewer options means less competition.
  • Likewise, there are fewer Medicare Advantage choices. In some areas of the country, they are down to 1-2 companies offering plans. This, coupled with lower reimbursement rates (the Federal government pays these plans) has further reduced the benefits offered by these plans. This is a trend we would expect to continue and possibly expand in the next couple of years.
  • More companies are entering the Medigap marketplace. Last year, in 2015, there were 3-4 large insurance companies that began a foray into the Medicare Supplement market. Some were more successful than others, but overall, this greater level of competition in most areas has led to increased price competition and lower (compared to past years) rate increase percentages.
  • Plans G and N are grabbing a larger portion of the Medigap market share. Plan G rates, in particular, have been more stable than ‘F’ rates in recent years, so although the Part B deductible (which ‘G’ doesn’t cover) has gone up, Plan G continues to attract more customers.
  • More and more Medigap companies are offering a husband-wife discount, and many companies are expanding that to be a household discount, available even if both spouses do not have a plan with the same company.
  • The “donut hole”, or coverage gap, for Medicare Part D continues to reduce in size. As part of the ACA legislation, the Medicare “donut hole” is being reduced each year, leading up to its eventual elimination in 2020.
  • The number of doctors that are accepting Medicare patients has seemed to stabilize, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study. This may/may not be attributable to the recent “doc fix” legislation, which was passed in April to avoid a proposed 21% cut in doctor reimbursement rates.

If you have questions about any of this information or want to speak with someone directly, you can call us at 877.506.3378 or reach out to us online on our Facebook page or Contact Form.
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Garrett Ball is the owner/president of Secure Medicare Solutions, Inc, a leading, independent Medicare insurance brokerage. We are licensed in 43 states and have helped thousands of Medicare beneficiaries navigate the Medicare maze over the last 8 years.

Filed Under: Medicare insurance news, Medicare News ·

Medicare Cards Will No Longer Use Social Security Numbers

April 22, 2015 by · 1 Comment

Medicare cards will no longer use Social Security numbers as required medicare cardsby a measure in the big Medicare bill signed by President Obama last week. Since its inception, Medicare has used beneficiaries’ Social Security numbers as a part of the Medicare claim number, which is displayed on the red, white and blue Medicare card.

Medicare has four years to implement this large change for new Medicare beneficiaries that sign up for Medicare. Medicare has four additional years to replace existing Medicare beneficiaries cards with a new randomly-generated Medicare claim number. This means that, according to the new bill, Medicare has eight years to fully implement this change.

This change is a result of the increasing incidence of identity theft and need to provide protection for beneficiaries’ Social Security numbers. Most other health insurance companies and programs have long since abandoned the practice of using Social Security numbers as the identifying marker on ID cards, including Medicare Advantage plans (privatized Medicare plans).

The change will, of course, be very costly to implement, and Congress has provided $320 million over four years to implement. This money will come from Medicare trust funds which are financed with payroll taxes and other beneficiary premiums.

Currently, over 4,500 people a day sign up for Medicare, and it is expected that 18 million more people are expected to qualify for Medicare in the next decade. Many new Medicare beneficiaries have been shocked, in today’s climate of identity theft, to find that their Social Security numbers are prominently displayed on their Medicare cards, so this will be a welcome change.

Secure Medicare Solutions client, Larry Williamson, said of the change, “I think it’s high time Medicare caught up with most other organizations that have ceased using Social Security numbers as ID numbers. Medicare cards are cards that you have to have in your wallet, and using the Social Security number just opens you up for the possibility of theft or abuse.”

The plan right now is for Medicare to begin using randomly-generated Medicare claim numbers, which will still be displayed on beneficiaries’ Medicare cards but will not provide the same vulnerability to hackers and thieves.

Garrett Ball owns Secure Medicare Solutions, which is an independent Medicare insurance agency. If you have questions about this change or want additional information, you can contact us here.

 

Filed Under: Medicare insurance news, Medicare News, Medigap Plans, Secure Medicare Solutions · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Senate Passes Medicare Doc Fix Bill, Sends to President Obama

April 15, 2015 by · 2 Comments

There is big Medicare-related news out of Washington today, as the Senate passed medicare doc fix
the so-called “Medicare doc fix” bill late last night by a resounding 92-8 majority. This bill was recently labeled as the MICRA – Medicare and CHIP Reauthorization Act. President Obama has already said he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk. So, what exactly does this mean for you, the Medicare beneficiary?

Let’s start from the beginning. First and foremost, this bill is in response to the April 1 expiration of the sustainable growth rate for physician payments. When this expired, a 21% cut went into effect for doctor reimbursement rates for Medicare patients. CMS – the government organization that administers Medicare – announced that it would essentially “hold” claims for 14 days until this bill could be passed and signed. Medicare patients should see no effects from this – or really, even know that it is going on behind the scenes – but it is interesting to know nonetheless.

Even more interesting and important is what is actually in the bill itself. Here is a bullet-point summary of what the bill entails (bolded sections of particular importance to Medigap policyholders):

  • The bill repeals the sustainable growth rate of physician payments that had been in effect since 1997 – this is the so-called Medicare doc fix.
  • It replaces that with a .5% increase for physician payments each year for the next five years.
  • The bill created financial incentives for doctors to bill for quality care (“quality care” not defined at this point but will likely follow recent CMS directives).
  • The bill provides 7.2 million over two years for Community Health Centers.
  • It extends funding for nearly two dozen other programs – including federal abstinence programs and extra payments for rural hospitals.
  • The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will receive $5 billion for two years.
  • It increases the Medicare Part B and Part D income-related adjustments for premiums for high-earners.
  • In 2020, it requires Medicare Supplement policyholders to pay for the Medicare Part B deductible (currently $147/year) themselves. This eliminates “first dollar coverage”. And, this also means that the Medicare Supplement plan offerings (Medigap coverage chart) would also have to be revamped at some point to account for these changes. Plans F and C would likely be eliminated for new policyholders starting in 2020. If the past is any indication, current Medigap policyholders will be “grandfathered in” and allowed to keep their plans even if it includes first-dollar coverage. However, at that point (2020) or maybe before, there would likely be a considerable amount of rate pressure on people in first-dollar coverage plans, as there would be no “new” policyholders coming into those plans.
  • The overall cost of the bill is approximately $210 billion, with two-thirds of that being added to the Federal deficit and the remaining $70 billion in cost being split between Medicare recipients and providers.
  • Lastly, a previously scheduled hospital payment increase of 3.2 percent – scheduled for 2018 – will be delayed and spread over 6 years.

So, how will this, particularly the change in Medigap design, impact you? In 2010, the Medigap plans were revamped to include several new plans and remove several duplicate plan designs. When that happened, policyholders that had one of the “old” plans were allowed to keep their plan. It is very likely this would be the case with this plan design change as well; however, that will be something to keep an eye on. Obviously, the 2020 start date of this requirement gives plenty of time – even at Government pace – to revamp the coverage chart and implement the changes.

Also, the “doc fix”, which “permanently” replaces the sustainable growth rate should provide some stability to providers who accept Medicare patients and payments. This elimination of payment amount uncertainty is always, ultimately, a good thing for Medicare recipients. It is expected the President Obama will sign the bill into law within the next couple of days.

Garrett Ball is the owner of Secure Medicare Solutions, an independent Medicare insurance brokerage. If you have any questions about this or want additional information about current Medigap plans, please contact SMS at 877.506.3378 or online.

Filed Under: Medicare insurance news, Medicare News, Medigap Plans, Secure Medicare Solutions, Uncategorized · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Household Discounts for Medigap Plans

April 6, 2015 by · 5 Comments

Medigap companies are always looking for a competitive “edge” in the market place.household discount for medigap plans
One of the most recent trends is the inclusion of the household discount that most companies now offer. Although these discounts range from 5% to 12%, they can have a significant impact on which company is right for you.

The biggest change, in recent months, has been the inclusion of the discount for people who share a household with another adult, regardless of whether that other adult has the same insurance policy. In other words, you can qualify for the discount (with many companies), just based on being married or living with another adult. In year’s past, you would have had to both sign up for the same insurance company/plan. Now, that is not the case with many companies.

Some of the companies that offer some form of household discounts now include Mutual of Omaha, Aetna, Medico and Equitable to name a few. These discounts range from 5% to 12%, depending on the company and where you live.

As you may already know, Medicare Supplement plans are Federally-standardized. So for example, a Plan F with one company is the same as a Plan F with another company. Price and company reputation are the only differentiating factors between companies, so it is important to compare based on premium.

If you have not compared your Medicare Supplement coverage lately, it is a good time to do so. Not only is there the new revamped calculation of the household discount available through many companies, but there are also several newer, very competitively priced companies in the Medicare Supplement market. Several of these are large companies that have “repriced” their plans, while others are well-established companies that have ventured into the large and expanding Medicare market.

If you have questions about this or would like a quick quote via email, you can call us at 877.506.3378 or request information at Medigap quotes.

Filed Under: Medicare insurance news, Medigap Plans · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Medicare and Medigap Trends – Five Things to Keep Your Eye On

June 3, 2014 by · 2 Comments

going on medicareLike many things, insurance is always changing. This has been particularly true over the last few years, and we believe it will continue to be the case into the future. As such, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on some trends that affect Medicare and Medigap insurance. We’ve listed five Medigap trends here that are pertinent for people on Medicare.

  1. Doctor acceptance of new Medicare patients. Some people have been concerned about this for years, and we have heard reports of doctors not seeing Medicare patients in certain geographic areas. Overall, I don’t think this will become a prohibitive problem. But nevertheless, if it occurs in large numbers, it could create quite a “bottleneck” effect for Medicare patients at doctor’s offices that do accept Medicare patients.
  2. Reduction in number of choices in Medicare Advantage plans. This is a trend that is certainly already under way. In many counties, there were 20/30 + plan choices in past years. Those numbers have been greatly reduced, and there are now some counties that have just a couple of companies offering plans. This is due, at least in part, to government regulations that have made it more difficult to make money in and participate in this market. Overall, I think its clear that lack of competition will be a bad thing for the overall appearance of these plans.
  3. Growth of “newer” Medigap plans – a move away from Plan F. This, too, is a Medigap trend that has already begun in earnest. Plan F, which is the most comprehensive Medigap plan, still has the majority of the market share in Medigap plans. However, with the onset of the 2010 re-standardization of plans, there are new offerings, some of which may appeal to different people and have a lower premium. One of the plans that appears to have caught on the most is Plan N, which is a lower level of coverage that still offers comprehensive Part A coverage but does have some out of pocket costs under Part B charges.
  4. The Online Movement. Because you’re reading this online, we’ll assume this comes as no surprise to you. As the next generation of “age-ins” turns 65, the likelihood will continue to increase that they are computer-savvy and more and more comparing and shopping for Medigap and Medicare plans will be done online. Companies will continue to endeavor to meet this demand by making more and more information available online. This and other Medigap trends will certainly have an impact on how companies “market” to the new generation of turning-65ers.
  5. New Medigap Companies Entering the Marketplace. We have seen several companies that are new to the Medicare market enter the fray over the last couple of years, trying to capture the large influx of Baby Boomers aging into Medicare. This includes companies like CIGNA, AFLAC and others, who have either begun or expanded their Medicare plan offerings recently. This will likely continue, with companies that have not offered Medigap plans beginning to do so.

Overall, it is a good idea to stay apprised of any changes to Medicare and Medigap insurance. Certainly, all of them will not affect you, and some may not come to fruition, but being aware of them allows you to be prepared if or when they do.

As always, if you have any questions or want to discuss further, you can contact us at 877.506.3378 or online.

Filed Under: Medicare insurance news, Medicare News, Medigap Plans · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How Does PPACA (“Obamacare”) Affect Medicare Supplements?

February 27, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

How does PPACA, or “Obamacare”, affect Medicare supplement insurance. This is a good, and common, question. It’s one that we get asked frequently since the bill was passed into law a couple of years ago. The short answer is that PPACA does not directly impact Medicare Supplement insurance in any way.

The bill does not apply to supplemental, or secondary, policies in the same way that it applies to primary insurance or “under-65” insurance. So, for people on Medicare, there is minimal impact overall and no impact to their Medicare supplement coverage. Medigap plans (another name for Medicare Supplements) are still standardized into the ten plans that were established in June 2010. These plans are set forth by the government – private companies that offer Medigap plans must go by these coverage outlines, but they can set their prices however they want.

Although Medigap plans are not directly affected, the PPACA does affect Medicare in some ways, primarily in the areas of Medicare Advantage (the private plans that replace Medicare) and Medicare Part D (Rx coverage for people on Medicare). For Medicare Advantage plans, the bill took some money away from the plans in the form of reimbursement rates. This is where part of the money to pay for the under-65 portion of the plan comes from. Medicare reimburses the private Medicare Advantage companies a certain amount per person for those who elect Medicare Advantage instead of Medicare itself. Decreasing this amount will obviously decrease the level of coverage (or added benefits) that these plans can offer.

For Part D, the biggest change is the reduction and eventual elimination of the Part D donut hole. This is the portion of Part D coverage during which the insured must pay the largest portion of their cost. In the past, the individual was responsible for paying the full retail costs of medications during this coverage “gap”. Because of the PPACA, this gap is being reduced each year up until 2020, at which time consumers will pay 25% of the retail costs of medications during the coverage gap (instead of the 100% that they were responsible for in 2010 before the bill).

For Medicare Supplements, many people believe “Obamacare” will have a “trickle-down” effect on Medigap insurance companies, particularly those who also are involved in the under-65 insurance market. There have been several companies that have pulled out, or reduced, their service areas for under-65 insurance, and some feel that this will affect their profit needs/motives in the Medicare supplement market.

If you have questions about this information or wish to discuss this further, you can contact me at 877.506.3378 or online at Secure Medicare Solutions.

Filed Under: Health care reform, Medicare insurance news, Medigap Plans · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment

August 28, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

South Carolina Medicare Supplement policyholders often ask me about the Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment period, thinking that it takes place at the end of the year (November-December). However, Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment is not a once-a-year occurrence. It occurs only when someone is turning 65 or first signing up for Medicare Part B – NOT each year on an annual basis.

In other words, you can change or add a Medicare Supplement plan at any time during the year, not just during a once-a-year period. Many people do elect to evaluate their options once a year at the end of the year; however, this is not the only time that you can do it. In fact, you are likely to get more attention from the company or broker you are dealing with if you evaluate/change plans in the middle of the year.

Many people get confused about this, in part, because South Carolina Medicare Part D does have a once-a-year Annual Election Period (AEP), and it is November 15-December 31 each year. Also, the Medicare Advantage plans, the privatized version of Medicare, do also have enrollment/disenrollment restrictions, which include a certain times of the year for you to enroll or disenroll from those plans.

Maybe the best time of all to review your South Carolina Medicare Supplements coverage is whenever your rates change. Since coverage is Federally-standardized, there is never any reason to pay more than the bottom-line price for your supplement insurance.

Filed Under: Medicare insurance news, South Carolina Medicare Advantage plans, South Carolina Medicare Supplements · Tagged: , , ,

South Carolina Medicare Resources

August 24, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

For South Carolina Medicare enrollees, there are many resources through which you can get answers to your questions, obtain information about your benefits, and evaluate your current coverage. We’ve compiled a few of those resources below with links to the corresponding web sites:

  1. South Carolina Medicare Insurance – Medicare in SC – This is the home page for Secure Medicare Solutions, which is a leading, independent resource for Medicare and Medicare insurance information in South Carolina. At the site, you can research information about your South Carolina Medicare Supplements coverage or South Carolina Medicare Part D information.
  2. South Carolina Medicare Minutes – South Carolina Medicare Minutes is an independent blog and reference for all things related to South Carolina Medicare and Medicare insurance. The blog has frequent updates about things of interest to those who have Medicare in the Palmetto state.
  3. Medicare.gov – The Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare – Medicare.gov is the official government Medicare site. This site give you information about how the various parts of Medicare work overall, how they work with one another, as well as information about how to sign up for the various parts of Medicare.
  4. Center for Medicare Advocacy – This is an independent site with unbiased information about Medicare and how it works. You can get the answers to a lot of frequently asked questions on this site.
  5. Garrett Ball – EzineArticles.com Expert Author – This is the main site for EzineArticles.com, which is a leading, human-reviewed article site, which compiles qualified articles from expert authors from around the world. Garrett Ball, who has been given the designation of expert author, writes articles particularly about South Carolina Medicare Insurance, which can be found on his author home page.
Filed Under: General, Medicare insurance news, Medicare News, South Carolina Medicare Supplements · Tagged: , , , ,

South Carolina Medicare Enrollees – Dental Insurance is Here

August 5, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

I am asked by South Carolina Medicare enrollees, if not every day, almost every day, about dental insurance. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of options available for those who are over 65 and want affordable dental insurance. Most of the plans that are out there only cover some dental or only offer discounts (not real insurance).

Finally! There is a plan now, from United Health Care, which does cover those over 65 and offer solid dental coverage for a reasonable price. It also offers, for a very small additional price, vision coverage.

For information about this new dental plan, including an outline of coverage and quote, go to South Carolina Medicare Insurance quotes and type the word “Dental” in the comments box.

Filed Under: Medicare insurance news · Tagged: ,
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