Happy Holidays to all my clients, colleagues and business associates. I wish you all the best in the coming year.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Happy Holidays
Happy Holidays to all my clients, colleagues and business associates. I wish you all the best in the coming year.
Watch Out for Illegal Insurance Practices
It is illegal for anyone to do the following:
• Pressure you into buying a Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) policy, or lie
to or mislead you to switch from one company or policy to another.
• Sell you a second Medigap policy when they know that you already have one,unless you tell the insurance company in writing that you plan to cancel your existing
Medigap policy.
• Sell you a Medigap policy if they know you have Medicaid, except in certain situations.
• Sell you a Medigap policy if they know you are in a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO, PPO or private Fee-for-Service Plan) (unless your coverage under the
Medicare Advantage Plan will end before the effective date of the Medigap policy).
• Claim that a Medigap policy is part of the Medicare program or any other Federal program. Medigap is private health insurance.
• Claim that a Medicare Advantage Plan is a Medigap policy.
• Sell you a Medigap policy that can’t legally be sold in your state. Check with your
State Insurance Department to make sure that the Medigap policy you are interested
in can be sold in your state.
• Misuse the names, letters or symbols of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Social Security Administration (SSA), Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS), or any of their various programs like Medicare. (For example, they can’t suggest the Medigap policy has been approved or recommended by the Federal government.)
• Sell you a Medicare Advantage Plan when you want to stay in Original Medicare and buy a Medigap policy. A Medicare Advantage Plan isn’t the same as Original Medicare. If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan you will be disenrolled from Original Medicare and can’t use a Medigap policy.
If you believe that a Federal law has been broken, call the Inspector General’s hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477). TTY users should call 1-800-377-4950. Your State Insurance Department can help you with other insurance-related problems.
This information is provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors® (SCSA) www.csa.us and comes from Choosing a Medigap Policy 2009 at www.medicare.gov.
• Pressure you into buying a Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) policy, or lie
to or mislead you to switch from one company or policy to another.
• Sell you a second Medigap policy when they know that you already have one,unless you tell the insurance company in writing that you plan to cancel your existing
Medigap policy.
• Sell you a Medigap policy if they know you have Medicaid, except in certain situations.
• Sell you a Medigap policy if they know you are in a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO, PPO or private Fee-for-Service Plan) (unless your coverage under the
Medicare Advantage Plan will end before the effective date of the Medigap policy).
• Claim that a Medigap policy is part of the Medicare program or any other Federal program. Medigap is private health insurance.
• Claim that a Medicare Advantage Plan is a Medigap policy.
• Sell you a Medigap policy that can’t legally be sold in your state. Check with your
State Insurance Department to make sure that the Medigap policy you are interested
in can be sold in your state.
• Misuse the names, letters or symbols of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Social Security Administration (SSA), Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS), or any of their various programs like Medicare. (For example, they can’t suggest the Medigap policy has been approved or recommended by the Federal government.)
• Sell you a Medicare Advantage Plan when you want to stay in Original Medicare and buy a Medigap policy. A Medicare Advantage Plan isn’t the same as Original Medicare. If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan you will be disenrolled from Original Medicare and can’t use a Medigap policy.
If you believe that a Federal law has been broken, call the Inspector General’s hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477). TTY users should call 1-800-377-4950. Your State Insurance Department can help you with other insurance-related problems.
This information is provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors® (SCSA) www.csa.us and comes from Choosing a Medigap Policy 2009 at www.medicare.gov.
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