Month: January 2011

Ohio Medicare supplemental insurance benefits are mandated at the same coverage since 1992. As I have blogged before for example, a Plan F provides the same benefits for senior Ohioans no matter which company underwrites the policy. Ohio Medigap companies, however, can design their own prices and the premiums can be VERY different. Ohio Medigap Plan Benefits and Company offerings Summary of Basic Ohio Medigap Insurance Plans and Companies that sell them: (brought to you by State of Ohio Consumer Education Series) Click Here As of June 2010 Medicare company reporting, the state of Ohio's average cost of a Plan F Medigap policy for a 65-year-old ranged from $1,164 to $4,848 per year according to the above publication - An Ohio consumers guide to Medicare Supplements, Medicare Options, and Part…

Many Ohio based Medigap insurance companies have price increases of ten percent or more every year! There are several ways to reduce your monthly premiums. As long as you are relatively healthy, Ohioans can change Medicare supplements anytime they want. In Ohio, there is no open enrollment period once you are already a Medicare beneficiary. If your premiums have increased dramatically, then you simply contact an independent Medigap focused agency (like us) to help you find a new carrier offering the exact same coverage at a lower rate. Regarding your health: In some cases, a certain amount of time must have elapsed since a particular health event occurred before you can be underwritten. In our experience, most consumers can be underwritten for a new plan as these questions and time limits…

Ohio residents can use our provided tools to get answers about Ohio Medigap plans and other Ohio Medicare insurance programs. This site includes a wealth of information that can be used by anyone to answer some of the harder questions and the easy ones as well! We have compiled facts, news, links, and more to help Ohio Medicare Supplement shoppers to make the most educated decision possible. As an Ohio resident, you can also call OSHIIP (The Ohio Senior Insurance Information Program), a state and federally funded program that educates, counsels and advocates for Medicare beneficiaries at 1-800-686-1578. If you are just beginning your search, you should ask questions like: Where can I find a comprehensive source of information on Medicare options in Ohio or a consumer guides?  What is an Ohio…

Medicare Part D plan can save typical enrollees an average of more than $450 in 2011, companies say Walmart is shaking up the Medicare drug marketplace again. They shocked the competition in September of 2006 with the announcement they were making generic drugs available for $4 per prescription. This time, as the cost soars for the most popular Medicare drug plans, the discounter is joining with Humana to introduce a national Medicare drug plan with a very low monthly premium of just $14.80 plus low copays and cost-shares. Humana Inc. on October 1, 2010 announced the innovative Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, co-branded with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ("Walmart"), that it says “can provide significant savings on monthly plan premiums and prescription medicine copayments and cost-shares for Medicare beneficiaries, including…

Ohio seniors, Medicare and Healthcare Reform. How does it affect you?  I have been reading all I can get my hands on relative to the impact of this bill to our clients and have found four basic problems: 1. Almost everything that I read is biased by someone trying to push something. There are cases where one could argue there is no bias but in those cases, the information tends to be so shallow that it is of little use. 2. This is a very big bill - 400,000 words long. I do not believe that any human being is capable of processing all of that information in any comprehensive sense. 3. Because the HealthCare Reform bill has very little direct impact on Medicare, we are forced to speculate on the…

When Can You Sign Up?   Most people find it difficult to keep up with all of the different "Enrollment Periods" in Ohio. First, Ohio Medicare Enrollment is based on age, aka INITIAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD: Ohioans can sign up when first eligible for Part B. (i.e., if you’re eligible for Part B when you turn 65, this is a 7-month period that begins 3 months before the month you turn 65, includes the month you turn 65, and ends 3 months after the month you turn 65.) Sign up early to avoid a delay in getting coverage for Part B services. To get Part B coverage the month you turn 65, you must sign up during the first three months before the month you turn 65. If you wait until the last four…