Texas Universal Health Care Plan Termination-Deadline

As previously published, Universal Health Care plans in Texas terminated 5-1-2013. For those members that were enrolled in one of these plans, there is an important deadline approaching. These members have until 6-30-2013, to have a Special Election Period to enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan, or have a Guranteed Issue opportunity to purchase a Medicare Supplement, or Medigap plan. If you or someone you know was enrolled in one of these plans, please call 877-740-8683, to discuss your options before the deadline.

Update on Universal Health Care Plan Termination in TX

We published an article last month, Medigap Guaranteed Issue-Plan Termination, that had valuable information for anyone who was affected by the Universal Health Care plan terminations in FL, and several other states. At the time, the Universal Health Care HMO plans in TX and NV were not included in the plan termination. Since then those entities have terminated their contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services(CMS), by “mutual consent”. In addition, the Texas HMO has also been placed in receivership. The members that were enrolled in these plans lost their coverage on 5-1-2013, and were returned to Original Medicare. The good news for these members is that they will have a Special Enrollment Period until June 30th 2013. During this time, they will be able to choose a new Medicare Advantage plan that is available in their service area. More importantly, this will trigger a Guaranteed Issue opportunity for these members to purchase a Medicare Supplement, also known as a Medigap policy, without having to answer any health questions. A lot of these people have had health conditions that would have made them unable to purchase a Medigap policy in the past, so it is very important to know the options, and deadlines, so they don’t miss this opportunity. If you or someone you know has been affected by any of these plan terminations, Please call 877-740-8683, or visit www.emedigap411.com for more information.

 

Reminder: Anyone that was involved in the earlier plan termination on 4-1-2013, will have a deadline of May 31st 2013.

Medigap Guaranteed Issue-Plan Termination

We recently received notification that a certain Medicare Advantage Carrier(units of Universal Health Care) had gone into receivership. Since Medicare Advantage plans are not Guaranteed Renewable, this means that the members in those plans no longer have coverage. The members were automatically switched back to Original Medicare. While this could cause a lot of disruption for those members, especially those currently undergoing treatment, there is a silver lining. The members will have a Special Election Period for 2 months, during which time they can choose another Medicare Advantage plan. More importantly, this also triggers a Guaranteed Issue opportunity to purchase Medicare Supplement. During this 2 month time period, you can’t be turned down for a Medigap Plan F (or A, B, C, K, or L), regardless of your health conditions. When we find someone in this situation, that doesn’t have a health condition that would require a Guaranteed Issue, we can usually save them the most money by applying for an underwritten Plan G Medicare Supplement. It is an important time, and a person in this situation really needs to know their rights, so they can make the best decision for their future coverage. If you or someone you know is in this or a similar situation please call 877-740-8683, or visit www.emedigap411.com , and speak to a licensed Insurance Agent.