Page 1 - Medigap premiums for Pat Sargeant

June 1, 2019

Hi Scott,

Attached are two lists of premiums for Medigap High Deductible Plan F. You mentioned that
Pat is in Huntington Beach and so I used a HB zip code to get these premiums. The two lists are:

1) The California Department of Insurance’s Medigap premium comparisons for an 83-
year-old. Only a few companies still sell the High-Deductible Plan F. The comparisons
are divided into two sections – a) individual plans and b) group plans. The
UnitedHealthcare/AARP policies, for instance, are group-rated policies because you
must be an AARP member to get a policy. But according to this list, UHC/AARP does
not sell the high deductible version of Plan F. The insurance companies’ toll-free
numbers are shown on this list in Appendix A.

2) Premium comparisons from CSG Actuarial. These premiums are ranked from low to
high and in some cases show the company’s financial rating. CSG Actuarial is used by
insurance agents, and in a few cases the premiums shown here may be lower than
you can get because commissions aren’t included (there’s no way for me to know
which ones they are). The CSG premium quotes are in Appendix B.

As you know, during the 30-day period following her birthday each year, Pat cannot be asked
health-related questions if she wants to switch insurers – she can only be asked what her age is
(companies are also allowed to ask whether she smokes). You can probably call for her,
explaining that you are her son. Appendix C has an explanation of the Birthday Rule.

If she finds a lower rate and want to switch insurers, Pat can sign up to start her coverage on
July 1. Once she is sure that she has the coverage at the premium she was quoted, she (or you)
can call Blue Cross to drop her policy effective July 1. It’s good to have some written
confirmation of this – an e-mail, for instance. Appendix D is Medicare’s explanation of how to
go about this.

To be safe, before cancelling her current Medigap policy it would be good for her to have
written confirmation – an e-mail, perhaps -- from the new insurer indicating that her coverage
will start July 1 at the premium she was quoted.

Finally, when she goes to her doctors after July 1, she can show the office staff her new
Medigap enrollment card.