Comprehensive Guide to AARP Medicare Supplement Plans

AARP, a non-profit organization serving retirees, offers members access to affordable healthcare options through partnerships with top insurance providers. While AARP itself doesn’t sell insurance, it acts as a bridge connecting seniors to various plans, including Medicare supplements. By logging in with your ZIP code, you can explore tailored coverage options. AARP collaborates with private insurers to provide plan choices like MedicareSupplement, MedicareRx, and MedicareComplete, ensuring retirees over 50 get quality healthcare at reasonable costs.

Understanding Original Medicare

Original Medicare includes Part A, covering hospital stays, skilled nursing, hospice, and home health care; and Part B, which handles outpatient services, mental health care, ambulance, and prescription drugs. Supplemental insurance, or Medigap, helps cover deductibles, co-payments, and other expenses beyond these parts.

Benefits of Additional Coverage

Medicare Supplement Plans from AARP partner UnitedHealthcare offer flexibility, no network restrictions, and simplified claims. They provide key coverage such as hospital and outpatient care, blood coverage, hospice co-insurance, and foreign travel emergency assistance for the first 60 days. These plans are designed for those over 65, with some eligibility for younger individuals with disabilities or specific conditions like ESRD or ALS.

Enrollment Requirements

Enrolling in Parts A and B of Original Medicare is essential before opting for Medigap policies.

Separate policies are needed for each person, as Medigap covers only one individual. These plans do not include vision, dental, hearing aids, or long-term care.

Lifetime and Standard Coverage

Once purchased, Medigap plans provide guaranteed lifetime coverage, regardless of age or health status.

Coverage levels are standardized, with additional benefits varying by insurer, such as better customer service.

Doctor Flexibility & Nationwide Validity

Plans do not restrict you to specific doctors; you can see any physician accepting Medicare patients.

Coverage is valid across all 50 states, with some plans offering international emergency medical assistance during travel.

AARP offers Basic and Extended Basic Plans, covering hospital and medical co-insurance, blood, hospice, nursing care, home health, and foreign travel emergencies. The extended version adds coverage for Part A and B deductibles. Policies vary slightly in Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, with state-specific benefits and restrictions. While Medigap helps with many costs, prescription drugs require a separate Medicare Part D plan for full medication coverage.