Medicare Supplement Information

• People age 65 or older.
• People under age 65 with certain disabilities. See guide section
• People with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant).

• The Original Medicare Plan
• Medicare + Choice Plans, including:
  • Medicare Managed Care Plans
  • Medicare Private Fee-for-Service Plans
  • Medicare Preferred Provider Organization Plans

• Most people do not pay a monthly Part A premium because they or a spouse has 40 or more quarters of Medicare-covered employment.
• The Part A premium is $216.00 for people having 30-39 quarters of Medicare-covered employment.
• The Part A premium is $393.00 per month for people who are not otherwise eligible for premium-free hospital insurance and have less than 30 quarters of Medicare-covered employment.

• Whether you have Part A and Part B
• Whether your doctor or supplier agrees to accept "assignment"
• How often you need health care
• What type of health care you need
• Whether you choose to get services or supplies not covered by Medicare. In this case, you would pay for these services yourself.
• Whether you have other insurance

Medigap policies for people under age 65 and eligible for Medicare because of a disability or End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)

You may have Medicare before age 65 due to
• a disability, or
• ESRD (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney
transplant).

If you are a person with Medicare under age 65 and have a disability or ESRD, you might not be able to buy the Medigap (sometimes called “Medicare Supplement Insurance”) policy you want, or any Medigap policy, until you turn age 65. Federal law does not require insurance companies to sell Medigap policies to people under age 65. However, some states require Medigap insurance companies to sell you a Medigap policy, even if you are under age 65. These states are listed below.

At the time of printing this guide, the following states required insurance companies to offer at least one kind of Medigap policy to people with Medicare under age 65:

• California • Colorado • Connecticut • Hawaii • Kansas • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • New Jersey • New York • North Carolina • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • South Dakota • Texas • Vermont • Wisconsin

Medigap policies for people under age 65
Even if your state isn’t on the list on page 33, some insurance companies may voluntarily sell Medigap policies to people under age 65. It is likely Medigap policies sold to people under age 65 will cost you more than Medigap policies sold to people over age 65. However, some states require that people under age 65 who are buying a Medigap policy get the best price available during the Medigap open enrollment period. In certain states the guaranteed issue rights described on pages 18–19 also apply to Medigap policies that only these certain states sell to people under age 65.

Remember, you will get a Medigap open enrollment period when you turn age 65 and are enrolled in Medicare Part B. You will probably have other choices of Medigap policies or be able to get a lower premium at that time. During the Medigap open enrollment period

• you can buy certain Medigap policies from Medigap insurance companies, and

• insurance companies can’t refuse to sell you a Medigap policy due to a disability or other health problem or charge you a higher premium (based on health status) than they charge other people who are age 65. Because Medicare (Part A and/or Part B) is creditable coverage, if you had Medicare for more than six months before you turned age 65, you probably won’t have a pre-existing condition waiting period.

For more information about the Medigap open enrollment period and pre-existing conditions, see pages 11–12 of the 2007 Guide to purchasing a Medigap Policy.