The California Birthday rule is the best way to save money on Medigap plans every year for the rest of your life!
Medicare Supplement plans are standardized in California. That means there is no difference in the plans offered by different companies, but they can charge different rates for the same plan. Some plans charge as much as $100 per month more than the lowest rate!
Once you are enrolled in a Medigap plan you are guaranteed to keep it for the rest of your life, as long as you continue to make the premium payments. Insurance premiums for most Medigap plans increase every year as you age. What started out as a very affordable plan could end up costing hundreds of dollars more each year. Anyone can apply for a Medigap plan at any time because there is no enrollment period like there is with Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans. However, the insurance company can decline your application based on your health status. For Medigap plan owners in other states, that means they are locked-in to the annually more expensive plan if they have health issues.
The California Birthday Rule provides an annual open enrollment within 60 days of the policyholder's birthday to replace a Medicare Supplement policy for the same or lesser coverage. If you have plan F, you can switch to another company’s plan F or any other plan. If you have plan G, you can switch to another company’s plan G or any other plan except plan F. You can always switch to the same or lesser coverage, you just can’t increase coverage.
Using the California Birthday Rule is the best strategy to save money on Medigap for the rest of your life! Request your quote today and see how much you can save.
CA residents now have 60 days after their birthday to switch. Members who take advantage of this new switching law cannot be turned down for the new plan because of a pre-existing condition.
The new law, which took effect on July 1st, 2020, made two changes to the CA Birthday Rule.
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