The state’s regulatory insurance body won’t recommend one approved insurance company over another. They do suggest comparing the premiums and financial strength of different companies. These are some highlights of various insurers that you may want to compare:
Medicare Supplements in Arizona
Posted in Medicare last updated on September 28, 2023Get customized quotes and compare Medicare Supplements in Arizona
Medicare Supplements in Arizona
SAMPLE COMPANIES IN ARIZONA
One of the nation’s most recognized insurance companies for Auto, Home Owners and other Property and Casualty insurance is in the Medicare Supplement market now. The purchased National General’s Accident and Health lines and were rebranded. If you’re able to pay your premiums one time per year you’ll get an additional 10% discount plus a household discount if you qualify. This makes them one of the lowest priced Medicare Supplements on the market
The division that administers and markets the Medicare Supplements is Transamerica Premier Life Insurance Company is the division that markets and sells the Medicare Supplement. They’ve carried an A+ rating by A.M. Best, the organization used to measure an insurance companies ability to pay it’s claims, for many years. They are most well know for their competitively priced and forward thinking Life Insurance policies. You’ll probably recognize their pyramid shaped sky scraper in San Francisco. Their Medicare Supplement is straight forward priced and is the same whether you’re enrolling with a spouse or not and they do charge a $25 application fee.
This company should definitely be familiar to you. They’ve been in the under 65 health insurance market for years and you may have had them through an employer in the past. Cigna has a subsidiary company called American Retirement Life Insurance Company that offers Medicare supplements too. They market their products under different divisions depending on what state you live in. . All the companies under Cigna’s umbrella are administered from the same place. The Cigna family of companies has an A rating from A.M. Best and is always trying to offer competitively priced Medicare Supplements. If you are enrolling with a spouse, Cigna will reduce your premium.
The Mutual of Omaha family of companies are A+ rated with A.M. Best for many years. Omaha companies gives you a discount on your premiums just because you live with another adult in the house. You don’t have to be married and it could be anyone as long as the are at lease age 18 and have lived in the household for the past year and there’s no application of policy fee to pay.
This is another company that has different subsidiary companies in different states that offer Medicare Supplements. They’re competitively priced but they’re about 20-30% higher that some of the smaller, less recognizable organizations. You can only get the d 7% discount if you have a spouse that either already has a supplement with one of the Aetna family companies. The Aetna family includes Aetna Health and Life, American Continental and Continental Life . They will charge $20 application fee per person.
They’ve been around longer than any other company for Medicare Supplements. Their flagship product, High Deductible F is a solid choice that can save thousands of dollars in premiums will keeping you covered for catastrophic medical events. This company has over 500,000 policies in force all over the United States. United American is an A+ rated company by A.M. Best. There is no household or married couple discount and there is no application fee.
With a solid rating of A+ by A.M. Best, and a solid history of over 8 years in the supplement market, Government Personnel Management is a strong competitor in the supplement market. The company began in the 1930’s serving our military and family members. The company then expanded to serve federal employees, individual customers, and senior citizens. It’s probably a company you’ve never heard of, but they’re worth taking a look at. Mutual of Omaha, a long time leader in the Medicare supplement market, actually administers the plan and services it’s policy holders. There’s a $25 application fee and the only way to get a 7% discount is if another person that you live with also has their supplement.
Bankers Fidelity is not related to Bankers Life or Liberty Bankers. They’re completely unrelated and easily mistaken for each other. Bankers Fidelity has offered Medicare Supplements for over 30 years and are one of the very few that will accept certain medical conditions that most other companies will decline. They do this by rating their applicants as either Preferred or Standard rates. We’ve been successful getting applicants approved with them that were declined by another company. It’s a go to company if you have a Medicare supplement now and your trying to lower your rates.
If you are one of the 1.1 million Arizonans who qualify for Original Medicare, you can choose between an Aetna, Cigna, United American Medicare supplement, and many others. The Arizona Department of Insurance lists dozens of different insurance companies that have been authorized to market their products within the state.
Best Medicare Supplements in Arizona
Original Medicare will supply you with very broad coverage. At the same time, you will have some gaps in your protection because of deductibles, coinsurance, or copayments. Your Arizona Medicare supplement plan will fill in these gaps to keep medical costs under control no matter what happens.
Besides choosing a company, you also need to drill down to find the supplement plan that works the best for you. As with any health insurance, you need to balance the benefits you will get with the premium. Obviously, Medicare supplements that offer more benefits will generally have higher premiums; however, they may provide you with a good value if you do need expensive hospital services, doctor’s visits, and medical tests.
With that said, this is a quick overview of the choices that satisfy the majority of clients:
Medicare Supplement Plans F and Plan G in Arizona
For many years, Plan F held a very strong lead as the most popular supplement. It covered everything Medicare allowed a Medicare supplement to cover, but because of this, it also came with relatively higher premiums. It appeared obvious that people who decided to buy a Medicare supplement to help them manage medical costs preferred comprehensive coverage over saving a little money on premiums each month.
In recent years, Plan G has begun to contend for some of Plan F’s business. This is because the two plans are almost identical twins with only two exceptions:
- Plan G did not pay for the Part B Deductible. After Medicare recipients pay this deductible, Part B of Original Medicare generally pays 80 percent of covered expenses.
- Plan G also cost less, and very often, the difference in annual premiums was enough to make up for not covering the Part B deductible.
It might be fair to argue that you have no way to know how much the Part B deductible will increase in the future. Since Plan G is a very good alternative to Plan F, you might just consider signing up for it, so you don’t have to worry about switching.
Currently, there are also a high deductible versions of Plan F and G. Today, after you pay the annual deductible for covered services, it works just like regular Plan F. In return, you get much cheaper premiums. In the future, Medicare might introduce a high deductible version of Plan G to replace the one for Plan F.
Plan N
Medicare Plan N offers you a cost-sharing alternative. You have to pay up to a $20 copay for some visits to the doctor’s office or $50 for an ER visit that doesn’t result in a hospital admission. Plan N also doesn’t cover the Medicare Part B deductible or charges in excess of Medicare Assignment amounts. Excess charges can be as much as 15% more in Arizona.
How Important is Covering Medicare Excess Charges?
Unless your doctor accepts Medicare Assignment, doctors in Arizona can charge up to 15 more than Medicare allows. If your supplement doesn’t cover excess charges, you would have to pay that surcharge out of your pocket. For example, say that you need tests that Medicare says should cost $1,000. Doctors could add in an extra $150 if they don’t accept Medicare Assignment.
If you have Original Medicare and have already satisfied the Part B Deductible, you’d be responsible for 20 percent, or $200, plus the extra $150. Plan will cover the 20 percent but not the extra charges. Plan F and G will cover these excess charges, so you don’t have to shop by price for your doctor or absorb the expense. Otherwise, Plan N still offers you a robust plan with lower premiums that you may find suits your needs.
Once you find the best Medicare supplement, you can simply compare high-quality insurance companies to find competitive rates, extra membership perks, and discounts. We have helped many Arizona Medicare recipients and can help you too.