Our clients often tell us one of the main perks of retirement is having time to travel. But how does travel impact your Medicare coverage? To get the best idea of how your healthcare coverage will travel with you, we should break down the answer into Medicare coverage and supplemental coverage. Medicare Coverage While Traveling We have good news and bad news. The good news: While traveling within the United States, you can go to any provider that accepts Medicare (which is th

Enrolling in Medicare and securing a Medicare supplement insurance plan is a complicated, but important task. It's best to have a professional agent by your side to help with the process and offer advice based on their experience. Usually enrollment goes smoothly, but when a hangup with the enrollment process happens, a competent agent can make all the difference. Here are 5 questions you can ask a Medicare supplement insurance agent to help you decide if you want to work wit

Navigating the Medicare maze isn't easy. Your first choice is whether to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare Supplement plan. (We did a basic comparison of Medicare Advantage and Medigap.) If you've decided you want a Medicare Supplement plan, you'll need to choose (1) a specific Medigap plan and (2) your plan carrier. Which Medigap Plan is Best for You? Deciding between the 10 Medicare Supplement plans can be a bit overwhelming. One of the plans even has an cou

While Medicare Supplement Plan F and Plan G might be the most popular Medigap plans, Plan N is at least worth exploring. Unlike Plans F and G, Medigap Plan N has co-pays, but many folks find them manageable: $20 for doctor visits and $50 for emergency room visits. Ultimately, whether paying $20 each time you visit the doctor sounds tolerable or not depends on how often you visit the doctor. Setting aside the Plan N co-pays, the aspect of Medigap Plan N that usually draws the

Unlike Medicare Advantage plans and prescription drug plans, you can sign up for a Medigap (also known as Medicare Supplement) plan throughout the year. There is no Annual Enrollment Period for Medigap plans. Unless a special exception applies or you are in your Initial Enrollment Period, however, you'll need to answer a few health questions to pass underwriting. The underwriting requirements vary by insurance company. Our Medicare consultants are familiar with the nuances of

Prospective clients often ask us: can I get a better deal if I purchase my Medigap policy directly from the insurance carrier? The answer is no, but let's explore the larger question of whether it makes sense to use an independent insurance agent instead of working directly with the insurance carrier. Should You Use an Independent Insurance Agent to Purchase Medicare Supplement Insurance? Full disclosure: Medicare Life Group is an independent insurance agency, so you can like

In most states there are up to ten standardized Medicare Supplement (Medigap) insurance plans. The most popular Medigap plans tend to be Plan F, Plan G, and Plan N. Let's explore Medigap Plan N. What is Medigap Plan N? As with all Medigap plans, Plan N is federally regulated and standardized, which means Plan N is the same regardless of which insurance carrier is offering it. While both Medigap Plan F and Plan G are more comprehensive, Medigap Plan N is a good option for peop

Two of the most popular Medicare Supplement insurance plans are Medigap Plan F and Medigap Plan G. Medigap Plan F is the most comprehensive of all Medicare Supplement insurance plans. With a Plan F policy, you will have zero out-of-pocket medical costs. Of course, as you might expect, the most comprehensive plan is also usually the most expensive plan. Medigap Plan G has the exact same coverage as Plan F with one major difference: with Plan G you have to pay the Medicare Part

If you're approaching age 65 and looking into Medicare Supplement insurance, trying to wrap your head around all the various plans can be a bit overwhelming. You may have heard that Medigap Plan F is the most comprehensive plan. Then why is Medigap Plan G the most popular? What is Medigap Plan G? In many states, Medigap Plan G is the most popular Medicare Supplement plan. If Medigap Plan F is more comprehensive, why would Plan G be more popular? It comes down to price. Mediga

How much can you expect to pay for a Medigap plan if you live in Ohio? Let's take a look at how much a Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) plan will cost you on a monthly basis. Below is a list of real-life Medigap quotes for a resident of Ohio in 2016.* For a free personalized quote, give us a call or request a quote online. For each of these example quotes, we assume a non-smoker, age 65. These quotes are for residents of Franklin (Columbus), Cuyahoga (Cleveland), and H

As we continue our series looking at the cost of Medigap in different states, today we look at real-life Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) quotes for a resident of Virginia in 2016. These quotes are real-life quotes, however, due to the range of factors that go into each quote, they should only be looked at as ballpark estimates. For a free personalized quote, give us a call or request a quote online. For each of these example quotes, we assume a non-smoker, age 65. Whi

Do you live in the Lonestar State? Today we look at real-life Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) quotes for a resident of Texas in 2016. While the quotes below are actual quotes for Medigap in Texas, due to the range of factors that go into each quote, they should only be looked at as estimates. For a free personalized quote, give us a call or request a quote online. For each of these example quotes, we assume a non-smoker, age 65. We look at quotes for residents of Hous

This post looks at the cost of Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) for a resident of Missouri in 2016. Rates vary depending on a number of factors, including your exact age, which county you live in, which insurance company is offering the policy, among other factors. Therefore, these quotes should only be looked at as ballpark estimates. For a free personalized quote, give us a call or request a quote online. For each of these example quotes, we assume a non-smoker, age

Today we explore the cost of Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) in 2016 for a resident of South Carolina. While these are actual real-life quotes, rates vary depending on your exact age, which county you live in, which insurance company is offering the policy, among other factors. Therefore, you should consider these quotes to be merely estimates. For a free personalized quote, give us a call or request a quote online. For each of these example quotes, we assume a non-sm

Today we explore the cost of Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) for a resident of California in 2016. Rates vary depending on a number of factors, including your exact age, the county you live in, and which insurance company is offering the policy. The quotes below should be considered merely ballpark estimates. For a free personalized quote, give us a call or request a quote online. For each of these example quotes, we assume a non-smoker, age 65, living in Los Angeles

This post will look at the cost of Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) for a resident of Montana in 2016. Rates vary depending on your exact age, which county you live in, which insurance company is offering the policy, among other factors. Therefore, these quotes merely ballpark estimates. For a free personalized quote, give us a call or request a quote online. For each of these example quotes, we assume a non-smoker, age 65, living in Yellowstone and Big Horn counties.

The federal government regulates private insurance companies with regard to Medicare Supplement programs. That said, some states provide additional Medicare Supplement protections beyond those of the federal government. For example, both Oregon and California have the "birthday rule" for anyone wishing to switch their Medicare Supplement insurance policy. What is the Medicare Birthday Rule? California and Oregon have what equates to an extra guaranteed issue period beyond tha

If you're approaching age 65 you've likely been inundated with Medicare and Medicare Supplement insurance advertisements. Obviously your 65th birthday is relevant to when you can sign up for Medicare and Medicare Supplement insurance, but the enrollment periods vary slightly depending on what plan you're signing up for. Below are the enrollment dates for Medicare Parts A and B, Medicare Part C (also known as Medicare Advantage), Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage), a

As you have already heard, Medicare Parts A and B - also known as "Original Medicare" - only covers about 80% of your medical expenses. There is also total of $1,454 per year in deductibles with Original Medicare. With Medicare Parts A and B only covering 80% of your expenses, there is a remaining 20% Medicare "gap." This is where Medicare Supplement insurance, informally known as "Medigap", steps in. Let's talk about Medicare Supplement insurance and explore how you might go

As you're likely aware, most states offer 10 different Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) plans, designated by letters A through N. The most popular and comprehensive plan is Medigap Plan F. Because it offers the most complete coverage, it also usually has the highest premiums. Not everyone can afford Medigap Plan F coverage, so there is an alternate plan available: Medigap Plan F High Deductible (sometimes called Plan HDF). What is Medigap Plan F High Deductible? While