Guaranteed Issue Periods for Medicare Supplements

In the Medicare Supplement world guaranteed issue rights are rights that you may have in certain situations that require insurance companies to waive health questions and any pre-existing conditions you may have when applying for their insurance policy.  Most of the times you have guaranteed issue rights when your coverage changes or you are dropped from a policy (ex: upon retiring).

Here are a few of the top reasons people receive guarantee issue rights on their Medicare Supplement policy:

1.       You are in an MA Plan, and your plan is leaving Medicare or stops offering care in your area, or you move out of the plan’s coverage area

2.       In situations where you may have an employer group health plan, COBRA, or union coverage that is ending.

3.       You are in a Medicare Select plan and you move out of the Medicare Select policy’s service or coverage area.

4.       You joined an MA plan when you where first eligible for Medicare at age 65, and within the first year of joining, you decide you want to switch to Original Medicare.

5.       You dropped a Med Supp to join an MA and then within less than a year you decide to switch back.

6.       Your Medicare Supplement (Medigap) company goes broke.

7.       You leave a Medicare Advantage Plan or Medicare Supplement plan because the company did not follow the rules or because they misled you.