Well, if you've been on Medicare for quite some time, and maybe you've got
a Medigap Plan, as you probably realize, things change.
Things, defined as rate increases.
They happen every year. It's a fact of life.
But sometimes, they're a doozy.
You get that letter in the mail, and it can knock you on your butt.
Well, you're probably asking, "When can I change my Medicare supplemental
insurance plan, because I'm paying too much now?"
Well, my name is Russell Noga with Medisupps.com, and I'm going to cover
when you can change, why you absolutely should try to change, and some
other enrollment periods and deadlines that you need to know about.
So if you did, in fact, get knocked on your butt with the rate increase letter,
I'm so sorry. I'm sorry to hear that.
We don't let that happen to our clients, by the way.
We're already shopping before you even get the letter to always keep you paying
the least amount possible.
Now, let's talk about a deadline for changing Medicare Supplement Plans if
you've got one already.
The deadline is...
None!
You do not have to wait till any specific time during the year to change
your Medicare supplement plan.
That's the great news.
You can change anytime.
So if you did get a rate increase, call us or go to Medisupps.com and check some
of the quotes.
I'm one of the few sites out there that actually gives online quotes.
But give us a call, because we'll shop the rates for you now.
You do not have to wait until October 15.
That's called the annual election period, by the way.
Most people just call it the enrollment period.
And many people with a Medicare supplemental insurance plan think they
have to wait until that date to change.
No, no, no, no, that's what keeps us busy all year long.
We're constantly changing.
I did 13 people today, got them off their Medicare Supplement Plan with the
company they had.
They kept their same coverage, but we saved them on their premiums.
In some cases, substantially.
So, what is Medisupps.com?
Well, we're an online independent insurance agency for Medicare Supplement
Insurance.
"Independent" being the key word.
That means we have access to all of the companies.
All of the ones worth looking at, at least.
So when you go direct to a company just get one rate, which is their rate,
they're never going to tell you what the other companies are charging.
And in most cases, it's substantially lower,
unless you got lucky and you call the lowest one right off the bat.
So people let us help.
There's no cost for our service.
In fact, over a decade now, we've been in business with over 10,000 clients
who allow us to help every year to shop their rates, and make sure you're always
paying the least amount possible.
Because keep in mind, when it comes to the Medicare Supplement Insurance,
it doesn't matter what the plan letter, every company has the same coverage,
but they all charge different premiums.
So don't let yourself get in a position again, where you get that rate increase
letter and say, "What happened?"
Our clients know what happened because we shop the rates for them every year.
But let's talk briefly about that Medicare open enrollment period.
Most people call it that.
It's just called APE, which occurs from October 15 through December 7.
Now, there are specific changes that have to happen within that time period.
Changing from a Medicare supplement plan to a different Medicare supplement plan
is not one of those changes.
You can do that anytime during the year.
But let's say you wanted to come off an Advantage Plan.
Can I change by a Medicare Advantage plan and go on to a Medicare supplement
plan?
If that's one of you people out there, then yes, you can during that
open enrollment period, or the annual election period from October 15 to
December 7.
Also, to change your drug plan, that also happens during that period.
And if you wanted to go from a Medicare Supplement Plan to a Medicare
Advantage Plan, you'd have to wait until that period.
Now, any of those changes made during that period, the coverage goes into
effect the following January 1.
But once again, if you're changing from a Medicare supplement plan to another
one, and if you got the rate increase, by all means, give us a call.
We can do that anytime a year.
Now, our phone number is 1-888-891-0229.
I've told you to give us a call a couple times now, but I didn't give you our
phone number. That's real smart.
But give us a call because, again, we can shop those rates anytime during the
year.
No matter what month you're watching this, we can move you to a
different Medicare Supplement Plan and save you money.
Now, one thing that's very important to mention is if you are changing outside
of your initial open enrollment period, what that is it's six months from the
time you took Part B Medicare.
If you are outside that period, let's say, a year later, you've got a Medicare
supplement and you got a rate increase.
If you are switching during that period, you will have to answer medical
questions on the new company's application.
This is called medical underwriting.
So a lot of people ask me, "Russell, what if I'm sick, can I change?"
Well, different companies have different underwriting guidelines.
And there are a lot of different options.
So that's why I said in the beginning of this video, you should try. You've got n
thing to lose by trying.
And we have a pretty good idea of if you'll get approved or not.
Now, this also occurs if you're coming from a Medicare Advantage plan back to
Original Medicare, you still have to answer those questions on the new
company's application, and go through medical underwriting.
So if you're asking, "Can I change my Medicare Supplemental Insurance Plan
anytime?"
Absolutely, you can.
Working with an independent agency is a great idea, by the way.
I'm not just saying that because we are one.
We are one because that's the best way to go and to help the most amount of
people.
Can you imagine if I just sold one company?
I would come on here and do this video and say, "I sell XYZ company.
They're the greatest company ever and have the greatest coverage and the
greatest client service and blah, blah, blah."
Without telling you, "Oh, by the way, there's all these other companies that
could have lower premiums. They have the same coverage."
Everybody's got good customer service, but as your agents, we handle all that
for you.
So, that's why we're an independent agency.
And you'd be crazy not to use one.
I don't do that for my car insurance because I just have it with a particular
company.
But I don't know if they're better rates out there.
Nobody's calling me every year and say, "Hey, Russell, I'm your agent, and my
job, because I get paid every year, is to shop the rates for you every year."
A lot of agents just set it and forget it, which is why we get so many clients,
by the way, and we'd love to have you aboard is because their agents never
call them again, to tell them there's a better rate, but the agent gets paid
every year that you're a client.
Well, if we're getting paid every year to be your agents, shouldn't we be doing
work every year and providing value for you?
Well, at Medisupps.com, we do.
So again, we'd love to speak with you.
It takes under five minutes for us to shop these rates and let you know
if there's a better premium out there and get you in the best spot with your
Medicare Supplement Insurance.
So, give us a call today.
Again, our phone number is 1-888-891-0229.
Call us today and we'll get you in the best Medicare Supplement Insurance now
and for years to come.
Thanks for watching.