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Jim, Tina, Tom or Michelle ColoradoHealth.com 8751 E. Hampden Ave, #A-1, Denver, C0 80231 303-782-0123, 303-782-0804(Fax), email=Michelle@Coloradohealth.com

Medicare supplements, sometimes called MediGap supplements, are designed to fill in some of the gaps in coverage that MediCare Parts A & B don’t cover. I’ll give you a quick overview of your options, but you should look at the official US Government website www.Medicare.gov for the most complete information.

Typically, you have to be 65 years old or older to qualify for Medicare. You’ll also need to meet certain criteria such as payments into the system or disabilities in order to participate. In some cases you can even purchase Medicare if you wouldn’t otherwise qualify. (This can apply to people over the age of 65 that have moved to the U.S. from a different country and haven’t built up the required credits.)

Here comes the alphabet part that can sound a little tricky. Medicare has two parts: Part A and Part B. Part A is generally free (pays for hospital charges), and Part B costs a little, and is generally subtracted from your social security income. Part B covers some of the costs of doctors. You need to have both Parts A & B before you can buy a Medicare supplement to augment your coverage. Medicare supplements have a standardized set of benefits categorized as Plan A through J. Take a look at the instant quotes and you can see a table that shows the coverage for each plan. Medicare supplement Quote (Remember Medicare has Part A&B, and supplements have Plan A through J.) The instant quote will give you a good idea of the cost of supplements. Many people like these because you have a large doctor network to choose from.

Medicare supplement A has the least additional coverage (and lowest price) and coverage typically gets better as the letters get larger. Some plans, like Plan I have some drug benefit, and some cover foreign travel. Plan A & B are very popular.

One recommendation that we have, is to get a very reputable carrier because you are betting your future that the carrier will be there when you need them. Note that Medicare supplements are generally guaranteed-issue (you can’t be turned down) when you first qualify for Medicare, but they are medically underwritten (you can be turned down for health reasons) if you switch at a later date or your carrier decides to leave the state.

A different approach to Medicare is called Medicare + Choice. Kaiser’s Senior Advantage and PacifiCare’s Secure Horizons are good examples of this, and they are offered in select parts of Colorado. The idea with these plans is that the government gives the money that is used to fund Medicare Part A&B to an insurance carrier. The insurance carrier takes that money along with what ever they charge you, and enrolls you in their system. The carrier you enroll with should offer better coverage than standard Medicare part A&B but you’ll will have to stay in the carrier's controlled system of doctors and facilities (such as the HMO in Kaiser’s and Secure Horizon’s case). This system has worked well, but most of the carriers in Colorado no longer offer Choice + options because the government funding wasn’t keeping up with their rising costs. Recently, (Jan 2004 ) the government has decided to increase payments to the carriers and this may stem the tide of Choice + failures.