Medicare
Everybody knows there’s something special about turning 65. For most of us, it’s when we qualify for Medicare, the federal health insurance program for seniors. But for many Montanans, Medicare is only part of the picture of covering your healthcare costs as you age. Montanans can also buy a supplemental insurance policy to cover expenses that Medicare doesn’t– like deductibles and your share of doctors or hospital bills. Some Montanans choose to buy a Medicare Advantage plan, which rolls the services provided by Medicare Part A and Part B into one plan administered by a private health insurance company.
Add it all up and there’s a lot to consider as you approach 65.
Medicare
We get a lot of questions from Montanans navigating their way through Medicare. To help Montanans understand all their retirement insurance options — and how to plan for them — we wrote “The Road to Medicare: Planning Your Drive to 65.” We also compiled our Top Eight Questions below:
You can/must apply for a Medigap policy no later than 63 calendar days from the date your coverage ends. Plan G is not guarantee issue for special enrollment periods.
Medicare Supplement Insurance
Montana also offers trained, in-person assistance at locations throughout the state to answer questions you can’t answer on your own.
The Benefit Chart of Medicare Supplement Plans is available here from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, beginning on page 52.
Insurance Problems?
Call us at 1-800-332-6148
Reading Up on Medicare?
Grab our shopper’s guide and price comparison booklet.
Medicare Supp Price Comparison (pdf)
This guide gives you a general idea of rates available in Montana. The annual premium rates listed in this rate guide reflect data from surveys completed by the insurers in the Spring of 2018. Only those insurers who respond to the survey are included in this guide. Rate change requests submitted after the publication date are not reflected in this guide. Rate changes occur throughout the year and are applied to your policy generally at your renewal date. For the most specific and accurate information, please contact the individual insurance companies.
NOTE: The full Medicare rates spreadsheet can be downloaded here.
Rates for ages 70-79 are available here.
Rates for ages 80-89 are available here.
Rates for ages 90-99 are available here.
Our Shopper’s Guide (pdf)
The Consumer’s Guide to Medicare Supplement Insurance is a joint effort of the Office of the Montana State Auditor, Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (CSI) and the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to assist seniors in understanding Medicare and Medicare Supplement insurance.