Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia: Medicare Supplemental Insurance Plans

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia offers a variety of Medicare supplemental insurance plans for Medicare-eligible seniors. Their '65plus Medicare Supplement' plans are: Plans A, C, E, F, and J, plus SmartChoice (SM) and SmartChoice Preferred Plan F.

Benefits of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia's Medicare supplemental insurance (also called Medigap) plans include:

• Your Medigap coverage is guaranteed renewable as long as you pay your premium.
• Claims are filed for you, so you don't have to fill out any paperwork.
• You can use any health care provider or hospital of your choice. Federal law mandates that Medigap policy holders in Georgia and all U.S. are free to choose their preferred health care providers. With Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, you can also choose from over 16,000 of their participating physicians across the nation.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia pays for all Medicare deductibles*
• Skilled nursing co-insurance comes standard with all plans except Plan A.

* Plan A does not pay deductibles for Medicare Parts A and B. Plan E does not pay the deductible for Medicare Part B.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia's SmartChoice Preferred Medicare Supplement Plan for seniors includes additional benefits. Extra benefits include coverage for Medicare Part B deductible, physician office visits with a co-pay of $10, chiropractic services with a $10 co-pay each visit, and basic vision care coverage.

Medicare supplemental health insurance companies set their own monthly premiums. Knowing how your insurer determines the price of your Medigap plan is important for understanding how much your plan will cost now and in the future. There are three types of pricing structures for Medigap health insurance for seniors: 1) issue-age rated, 2) community rated, and 3) attained-age rated.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia uses the attained-age rated pricing method to set prices for its Medigap policies. This means that your Medigap premium is based on your age, and increases as you get older. Attained-age rated insurance policies for seniors may cost less when you're younger, but may end up costing the most as you become significantly older. Your Medicare supplemental insurance premium may also be adjusted for inflation or other factors.