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Ohio Medicare Supplement Policies

Medicare is a health care program created for U.S. senior citizens. Medicare comes in four parts. The original two parts, named A and B, cover hospital services, home health and doctor's visits. Part C, Medicare Advantage, allows buyers to get their Part A and B benefits from private insurance companies. Part D covers prescription drugs. Medicare comes with a number of premiums, copayments and deductibles, so many beneficiaries purchase Medicare supplements to help pay the costs. These supplements are standardized but approved for sale by individual states. Ohio's Medicare supplements are overseen by the state's Department of Insurance.

  1. Premiums

    • Medicare supplements are sold by private insurance companies authorized to do so by the Ohio Department of Insurance. While the benefits for each plan are standardized, the premiums can change drastically depending on which company you buy them from, as well as your age and your gender. In 2010, Ohio had more than 30 companies selling Medicare supplements. Premiums for people aged 65 ranged from $65 per month for the most basic plan, Plan A, up to $209 for the plan with the most benefits, Plan F. Once you hit age 70, premiums range from $80 monthly for Plan A and $245 for Plan F, while the premiums for aged 80 go from $106 for Plan A to $238 for Plan F.

    Medicare SELECT

    • Ohio allows insurance companies to sell MedSup policies as a Medicare SELECT option. Medicare SELECT supplements have all the same benefits as the regular plans, but use HMO-style networks to help keep down costs. Not all MedSup insurance companies offer the SELECT option; in 2010, only nine companies in Ohio sold them. Premiums for Medicare SELECT were $70 per month for users aged 65, $87 per month for Plan A for people aged 70 and $98 for Plan A for those 80. Plan F Medicare SELECT, the most expensive, had premiums from $80 up to $31.

    Medicare Supplements for the Disabled

    • Some people younger than 65 qualify for Medicare benefits. The disabled, people with Lou Gehrig's disease and individuals with renal failure can also enroll in the program. However, most Medigap companies do not allow Medicare users under 65 to buy plans. Ohio is home to two companies that do sell MedSup policies to people under 65. As of 2011, Liberty National Life and United American offer Plans A, B and F to younger beneficiaries. Premiums are generally far more expensive than those for seniors, with $420 per month for Plan A, $503 for Plan B and $244 for Plan F.

    Benefits

    • Each Ohio MedSup plan has its own benefits. Plan A offers the core benefits, which all subsequent Medigap plans also offer in addition to their own. The core benefits in 2011 are 100 percent coverage of the costs of the first three pints of blood annually, the coinsurance for Part A hospice care and the copays for Part B hospital outpatient services, as well as an extra 365 days of Part A hospital benefits after original Medicare benefits stop. Plans B through N also offer coverage for skilled nursing facility coinsurance, benefits for medical emergencies which happen outside the U.S. and coverage of the Part B deductible.

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