What are Guaranteed Issue Rights

What are Guaranteed Issue Rights? 

You may have a guaranteed issue right to purchase a Medicare Supplement policy. Simply put, these rights mean that insurance entities have to approve of your application regardless of your current medications or your health. You may have to provide some documents to prove your eligibility. Understanding the Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment Period will help you.

Medicare’s Guaranteed Rights

Guaranteed issue rights are something all Medicare recipients are entitled to when they turn 65 and are enrolled in Medicare Part B. You have a 6 month period to buy any Medicare Supplement, or Medigap, plan sold in your state. You may also have guaranteed issue rights if:

• You’re moving out of the plan’s service area
• Your plan is leaving Medicare or leaving the area
• Your employer plan is ending and supplements Medicare
• Medicare company didn’t follow the rules
• You lost your coverage through no fault of your own

Enrolling in Medigap

When you turn 65 and enroll in Part B,  you’ll get guaranteed access to certain standardized Medigap plans.  Residents of Massachusetts, Minnesota, or Wisconsin have different Medigap options.  During this period, you will be able to buy any Medigap policy sold in your state without being subject to medical underwriting. If you wait until this period ends, you may be charged more or even refused coverage based on pre-existing conditions. 

 

If you join a Medicare Advantage plan when you’re first eligible and want to swap back to Original Medicare, you could qualify for a Medicare Supplement plan. Along with your completed and signed application, you’ll have to send the following as proof: 

• Notices, letters, emails, and claim details with your name on them that prove you’re going to lose your current coverage.
• Any envelopes these documents came in to prove when the issuer mailed them to you using the postmarked dates. 

Bottom Line

Guaranteed issue rights are protections that allow you to enroll into any Medicare supplement plan that any insurance company offers in the state you reside in, regardless of your health status or pre-existing conditions. If you qualify, the insurance company is legally obligated to cover costs associated with all of your medical conditions.