Monday, September 13, 2010

By Ron Johnson

There exist many questions surrounding medicare supplement insurance, and it is something that should be owned by everyone. These are policies sold by private companies to provide something called gap coverage. The is a way to have coverage over and above what is provided by medicare. Sometimes there are minor gaps but other times these gaps can be quite considerable. The added expense can frequently be more than a budged can withstand for a given month. This is why supplement insurance is important and why no one should find themselves without it.

Once retirement age arrives, there is no excuse for not being prepared. Of course the recent economic downturn has hurt many retirement funds, and some people never saved properly to begin with. Still, medical expenses continue to eat a huge portion of the retired person's budget, and when an emergency arrives the importance for supplemental insurance is easy to see.

So then this is not an issue of whether to purchase it or not. Instead this is an issue of what to buy. Thankfully there are many choices that vary in terms of benefits and price. These options, however, require the purchaser to be complete in their research to be sure that are well versed in these differences so they purchase the policy that suites them best.

There are twelve standard plans for medicare supplement insurance, also knows as Medigap insurance. Some are more expensive than others, and some are not available in certain states. Where there are unavailable plans in some states, a plan that similarly matches is generally offered. This means that even in those states an equivalent level of benefits can be obtained for a similar price.

Keep in mind that the benefits that each plan offers are no different between companies. Unfortunately, there is ofter a rather big difference in the price. The truth is that while you may pay more for gap insurance from some companies, the level of coverage you receive remains the same. Certainly the adds between companies might appear otherwise, but these plans provide fixed levels of coverage regardless of the price.

On January first of each year, the benefits of medicare are adjusted for inflation. Because the supplemental insurance benefits follow along with those from medicare, this means that your rates for medicare supplement insurance will increase every year with inflation.

Prices for these plans are set in three ways. One is called attained age. In this price plan, premiums will increase due to inflation as well annually every 1, 3, or 5 years. Still, this is often the least expensive option. The next is issue age. Cost here is based on a persons age when they sign up. There are no increases in premiums other than the annual inflation adjustment. Finally, community-rated plans offer premium prices based on geographic location.

So as you can see there are many options available and no shortage of good reasons to purchase medicare supplement insurance. With a bit of research you will find the plan that fits both your budget and your medical needs.

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