How do you research & pick a supplement insurance company

[muckmail]

I have been to several agents and all they do is give me a list of of companies
with a price for my current age and ask me to pick a company.

How do I research & find data to pick the company that is best for me?

I would like to stay with an N plan because I think premium rates for the G plan
will out pace the rates for an N plan but I do not know how to pick company
that will somewhat stay reasonable with rates.

My current company list is.
Mutual Of Omaha Insurance Company
Manhattan Life Assuance Company
GPM Health & Life
Federal Life Ins Company
Accendo Ins Company (CVS company)
Aetna
Humana Archive & Value
Cigna National Health Company.

Any suggestion, this is very difficult decision.

Thank you,

 

[MBSC]

It would help to know the state you live in and if your personal health/family history indicate a shorter/longer than average life expectancy. In the interim, I will provide some general information that may or may not apply to your specific situation.

I agree with choosing Plan N over G. All Plan N's have the same medical benefits but some companies may include extra benefits like gym membership that you may/may not find important.

Medigap carriers all provide about the same level of customer service. Also, once you have enrolled in a Medigap, you typically have very little interaction with them since coverage decisions are handled by original Medicare. Because of this, all carriers pay their portion in a timely manner, so one carrier is not "better" than another from this point of view.

Several small carriers, like Thrivent, have recently stopped taking new Medigap applications due to the increasing popularity of Advantage plans, so I would avoid the smaller companies like Federal Life. You get a "Guarantee Issue" provision to choose another company when they go bankrupt, but not in this situation. It leaves you in a pool of aging enrollees who become less healthy over time causing premiums to increase.

The lowest rate for your current age may not be the best choice over the long term. Most states allow 'attained-age' policies that increase each year for both age and inflation. In these states, the UHC/AARP plans are usually the default choice. They use a hybrid pricing method that simulates the low attained-age rates in the early years but are 'community-rated' at age 80+. This means the rate only increases for inflation, not age, in the later years.

A few states have "Birthday Rules" or other consumer protections that allow you to change plans annually without medical underwriting. In these states, you can just choose the lowest price Plan N each year.

 

[Mack]

You can compare plans at https://www.medicare.gov

 

[muckmail]

I know differences in Medicare plans.

I am looking for a history of past company premium rate increases.
I want information about companies that host medicare plans.

Thank you,

 

[MBSC]

I am looking for a history of past company premium rate increases.

Call your state's Dept. of Insurance for rate increase history. If they can't get what you are looking for, see the link in the post below.

Plan F And Plan N

For me I will pay $58 each month for F-hd. I see the doctor 4 to 6 times a year. And in 2020 with luck I will go of G-hd. There is a G-HD? First I've heard of this. Newly 65 here and I've been frustrated for 5 months trying rot figure out the Medigap secrets like which companies to avoid...

mymedicareforum.com