I’m 68 with Medicare and a HealthSpring supplement, and my new employer offers company-paid insurance. Can I keep all three to cover gaps or doctors outside one plan’s network?
Answered by 4 licensed agents
To begin with HealthSpring is a Medigap plan. Both Medicare, itself, and Medigap plans have no networks, per se. You can visit any provider who accepts Medicare. That said, you should begin by examining whether, or to what extent, your providers lie outside of the network for your company plan. If that is minimal, then it may not be worth continuing to pay both Part B and Medigap premiums - which could easily exceed any higher copays you might encounter. However, the other issue - which I woujd need to research further - is whether you can have coverage by the group plan, Medicare and Medigap. You can have Medicare as the secondary payer behind your group plan, but that may be all.
Yes — potentially, but I would not recommend assuming that all three will coordinate simply because you have them. The key is determining exactly what your “HealthSpring supplement” is and how the new employer plan coordinates with Medicare.
If by HealthSpring supplement you mean a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy, you can generally have Original Medicare + a Medigap policy + employer group health coverage. However, the employer plan and Medicare have specific rules about who pays first, and the Medigap policy is designed to supplement Original Medicare, not to act as a general secondary network insurance plan.
Yes, you can, provided you are enrolled in Medicare Parts A & B; however it’s not necessary simply to be able to choose a doctor you like, and it could end up costing you thousands in unnecessary costs. I recommend that you meet with your Medicare agent or give me a call, as the best option will be to do a review of your current group coverage and network, compare it to what you would pay on a Medicare Supplement with a Part D, and choose the best option. Supplements have no network and the Plan G offers platinum level coverage so you could pick your doctor and drop your current group plan, as long as it makes sense financially. I would love to walk you through all your options.
If you keep all three your claims will be quite confusing. Depending on size of the company either medicare or company insurance will be primary. You would have to cancel your supplement.
