Special Medigap Suspension Right for Disabled Medicare Beneficiaries

Few federal Medicare supplement insurance (Medigap) rights exist for you beneficiaries who are under 65 and have Medicare because of a disability. (This does not apply to those of you who are under 65 and have Medicare because you have End Stage Renal Disease.) However, one little known right you have is that, if you have a Medigap policy, you may suspend your Medigap policy, without penalty, for up to 24 months, while you are enrolled in your or your spouse’s employer or union group health plan. (Typically, because you are disabled, you would get this coverage through your spouse’s employment.) That is, you can get your coverage through that plan but at the same time keep your right to get your Medigap policy back if you loose your employer or union coverage for any reason in that 24 months. You have to notify your Medigap insurer that you want your coverage back within 90 days of loosing your employer or union coverage. Your Medigap coverage will start the day your employer or union coverage stops, and you can’t be made to wait because of preexisting conditions, and your Medigap policy has to have the same benefits and premiums as if it had not been suspended. (Of course, if the same policy had its rates raised and/or its benefits changed for everyone, yours will change too.)