Because Medigap policies are regulated by State and Federal laws, benefits for all options are the same regardless of insurer. The differences will be in the price, who administers the plan, and which of the ten options the insurer chooses to offer. You may want to choose a health insurer that you already feel comfortable with, or you can shop around for the best prices.
Minnesota Benefit Association, through our insurance administrators, has helped thousands of Minnesotans make the right Medicare choices. We offer unbiased advice, and have no special allegiance to one insurance company over another. The goal is to get each individual matched with the insurance company and the Medicare plan that is best suited for them.
Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans: This type of Medicare Advantage plan offers more provider flexibility. PPOs typically have a preferred provider network, but you may also use out-of-network doctors if you choose, although your cost sharing may be higher. Unlike HMOs, you don’t need referrals for specialist care and you aren’t required to have a primary care doctor.
A Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) can help pay your prescription drug costs. Designed to work alongside Original Medicare coverage, Medicare Prescription Drug Plans are available from private insurance companies approved by Medicare and doing business in Minnesota. You can also enroll in a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan if you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that does not include Part D prescription drug coverage in its benefits.
For Medicaid eligibility purposes, any income that a Medicaid applicant receives is counted. To clarify, this income can come from any source. Examples include employment wages, alimony payments, pension payments, Social Security Disability Income, Social Security Income, IRA withdrawals, and stock dividends. However, when only one spouse of a married couple is applying for Medicaid, only the income of the applicant is counted. Said another way, the income of the non-applicant spouse is disregarded. (Learn more here about Medicaid and income). For married couples, with non-applicant spouses’ with insufficient income in which to live, there is what is called a Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMMNA). This is the minimum amount of monthly income to which the non-applicant spouse is entitled, and it allows applicant spouses to transfer a portion of their income to their non-applicant spouses. At the time of this writing, the MMMNA is $2,057.50 / month, which is set to increase again July 2020. However, if shelter costs are high, non-applicant spouses may receive as much as $3,160.50 / month (this figure will not increase again until January 2020) for a spousal allowance. This rule prevents non-applicant spouses from becoming impoverished.
Medicare Part C, more commonly known as Medicare Advantage, provides another way to receive your Original Medicare benefits. Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurance companies that contract with Medicare. They are required to cover at least the same benefits as Original Medicare (with the exception of hospice care, which is covered by Part A); they may have other benefits as well. If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, you’re still in the Medicare program; however, you will receive and use a separate membership card, pay a plan premium (if applicable), and claims will be submitted directly to the private insurance company. You’d still pay a monthly premium for Part B.
Medigap plans can be considered when looking for an alternative to Medicare Advantage plans for 2019. Unlike the no monthly premium or low premium option that you might be used to with Medicare Part C plans in Minnesota, you will have to pay for a Supplement plan. Your plan will make healthcare costs more affordable in the long run, however. This is because your chosen insurance company will pay most of the expenses like deductibles and coinsurances of Original Medicare Part A and B.
Medicare Part D is optional prescription drug coverage. If you have Original Medicare, you can get this coverage through a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, offered through private Medicare-approved insurance companies. These plans offer stand-alone prescription drug coverage that work alongside Original Medicare, Part A and Part B. A Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan also provides the Medicare Part D benefit, covering all Medicare benefits under a single plan.
The Minnesota Board on Aging (MBA) may be helpful for seniors seeking a wide range of information. The office provides education in a broad range of areas, including health-care coverage and Medicare plans. The office was first established in 1956. Since that time, seniors have been able to turn to the Minnesota Board of Aging for a variety of programs, including:
If you have questions you should call the Senior LinkAge Line – a trusted, unbiased resource sponsored by the Minnesota Board on Aging. The Senior LinkAge Line can help you navigate the Medicare plan choices for 2019 so you can select the option that best meets your healthcare coverage needs. All Medicare beneficiaries are encouraged to review their Medicare health and prescription drug coverage during open enrollment in the fall.
It’s important to note that Minnesota has a Medicaid Look-Back Period. This is a period of 60 months (5 years) that dates back from one’s Medicaid application date. During this time frame, Medicaid checks to ensure no assets were sold or given away under fair market value. If one is found to be in violation of the look-back period, a period of Medicaid ineligibility will ensue.
There are several different Medicaid long-term care programs for which Minnesota seniors may be eligible. These programs have slightly different financial and medical eligibility requirements, as well as varying benefits. Further complicating eligibility are the facts that the requirements vary with marital status and that Minnesota offers multiple pathways towards Medicaid eligibility.
Medicare Part D is optional prescription drug coverage. This coverage is only available through Medicare-approved private insurers and doesn’t automatically come with Original Medicare. If you have Original Medicare, you can add on this coverage by signing up with a stand-alone Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan. You’ll probably pay a separate plan premium for a Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan, as well as additional costs like copayments and deductibles. You can’t enroll in a stand-alone Medicare Prescription Drug Plan if you have a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan, or you’ll be automatically disenrolled from Medicare Advantage and returned to Original Medicare.
One of the Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) is for Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries (QMB). The QMB program covers the premiums for Medicare Part A and Part B. The deductibles, copays, and coinsurance costs are covered as well. An individual can qualify for this program with an income of no more than $1,032 a month. A married couple can also qualify with a combined income of less than $1,392 a month.
TZ Insurance Solutions LLC and the licensed sales agents that may call you are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. Government or the federal Medicare program. This website does not contain a complete listing of plans available in your service area. For a complete listing please contact 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY users should call (877) 486-2048), 24 hours a day / 7 days a week or consult .
Countable assets include cash, stocks, bonds, investments, credit union, savings, and checking accounts, and real estate in which one does not reside. However, for Medicaid eligibility, there are many assets that are considered exempt (non-countable). Exemptions include personal belongings, household furnishings, an automobile, irrevocable burial trusts, and one’s primary home, given the Medicaid applicant or their spouse lives in the home and the equity value is under $585,000 (in 2019). For married couples, as of 2019, the community spouse (the non-applicant spouse) can retain up to a maximum of $126,420 of the couple’s joint assets, as the chart indicates above. This, in Medicaid terminology, is referred to as the Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA).
Minnesota, with nearly 400,000 seniors enrolled in a Cost Plan, is most affected by this change. Cost Plans have been provided in Minnesota by Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Medica and Health Partners. Your advisor and health insurance company are fully aware of the change and over the coming months will answer your questions. If you have a Cost Plan, your insurance company will have a new plan for you, ensuring your health insurance needs are covered in 2019 and beyond.
Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers in Minnesota can receive free, confidential, and unbiased one-on-one health insurance counseling through the State Health Insurance and Assistance Program (SHIP). Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) is another program which aims to empower seniors to identify, help prevent, and report instances of Medicare waste, fraud and/or abuse.
Most Americans become eligible for Medicare when they turn 65. But younger Americans gain Medicare eligibility after they have been receiving disability benefits for 24 months, or have ALS or end-stage renal disease. Thirteen percent of Minnesota’s Medicare beneficiaries were under age 65 as of 2017, versus 16 percent nationwide. On the high and low ends of the spectrum, 23 percent of Medicare beneficiaries in Alabama, Kentucky, and Mississippi are under 65, while just 9 percent of Hawaii’s Medicare beneficiaries are eligible due to disability.
Private insurance companies must have contracts with Medicare to offer Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans. Depending on the terms of the contract between the plan and Medicare, not every plan is available statewide or in all service areas. Each year, the plan must renew its contract with Medicare, so the availability of a plan in a specific service area is subject to change.