When you buy a Medicare Supplement health insurance policy, you have a timeframe that allows you to review your health care policy and decide if you want to keep it in force or not. It’s straightforward, but there are some things you should know about this Free Look Period.
First, a quick overview.
Medicare Supplement Plans are also known as Medigap insurance plans and add additional Medicare coverage to your existing Original Medicare Part A and Part B coverage. Medicare Supplement plans are not Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C).
People switch or add plans during their initial Medigap Open Enrollment Period (OEP) or through the guaranteed issue right. However, you can change your plan at any time, subject to health underwriting.
Also, you can only use the free look period if you’re changing from one Supplemental plan or carrier to another. The Medicare Supplement free look period is sometimes confused with the Medicare Advantage Trial right, which is a type of guaranteed issue right.
Many people decide to buy a new plan because they’re paying for benefits they don’t need or want more covered services than their current policy offers. Others make a change to save with lower monthly premium costs or because a provider changes its plan’s service area. Those lower premiums may be tied into approved amounts that Medicare pays, exclusions, Part D prescription drug coverage, coinsurance, or copayment amounts.
Your OEP lasts six months, and it begins when you and your spouse are 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B. During this OEP, your health plan is not subject to medical underwriting, and you can buy any Medicare Supplement policy from any private insurance companies licensed in your state.
If you buy a policy later, your application may undergo medical underwriting. That involves looking at details about your health history, including medical problems and pre-existing health conditions. The insurance company can use this pre-existing condition information to possibly deny your application, charge you more for coverage, or require a waiting period before coverage starts.
Most states offer up to 10 standardized Medicare Supplement insurance plans labeled A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have a different way of standardizing their plans. An insurance agent can readily explain these standardized plan differences to you.
There is no specific amount of time a Medicare beneficiary must wait after buying a Medicare Supplement plan before switching to a different plan. However, if your new policy has a benefit that isn’t in your current policy, you may have to wait up six months before that benefit is covered.
As soon as your policy is issued, your Free Look Period begins immediately.
It applies whether you’ve added a Medigap policy for the first time or switched to a new Medigap plan from an existing plan. Rather than get stuck with a policy you don’t like, or with Medicare benefits that don’t meet your needs upon closer inspection, according to federal law, you have 30 days to cancel the policy.
During this evaluation period, if you’re switching between Supplemental policies, you should not cancel your original Medigap policy until you are sure that you want to keep the new one. The only downside is that you’ll need to pay both health coverage premiums for one month.
On the new Medicare Supplement plan application, you must agree to cancel the first policy because you’re only allowed to have one Medicare Supplement insurance plan outside of your free look window.
After you’ve closely reviewed your new policy and before the 30-day period expires you should call your new or old insurance provider to cancel one of the plans.
If you decide to exercise your right to cancel your policy during the Free Look Period, you will receive a full refund.
You can get more information on Medicare Supplement policies and the Free Look Period by talking to a qualified agent, logging on to medicare.gov, calling Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048
DISCLAIMER: Medi-Solutions Insurance Agency, LLC is not affiliated or endorsed with the Social Security Administration or the Federal Medicare Program. Information is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as an offer of insurance, advice, or recommendation. The information provided is not intended as tax, financial, investment, or legal advice. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation.
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