Louise Norris is an individual health insurance broker who has been writing about health insurance and health reform since 2006. She has written dozens of opinions and educational pieces about the Affordable Care Act for healthinsurance.org. Her state health exchange updates are regularly cited by media who cover health reform and by other health insurance experts.
1) Original Medicare (Medicare Parts A & B) covers benefits on a fee-for-service basis and is managed by the federal government. This option offers the ability to add a Medicare supplemental policy to help pay your share of the out-of-pocket costs (deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments) of Medicare-covered services. Also, Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage can be purchased.
As is the case nationwide, enrollment in private Medicare plans grew in Minnesota in 2018. As of December 2018, there were 581,822 Minnesota Medicare beneficiaries with private Medicare coverage, which amounts to nearly 58 percent of the state’s Medicare population. Nationwide, most people with private Medicare plans are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, but Medicare Cost plans are another type of private Medicare coverage, and as of 2018, Minnesota residents accounted for two-thirds of the national total enrollment in Medicare Cost plans.
MA plans feature a network of doctors and hospitals that enrollees must use to get the maximum payment, whereas supplements tend to provide access to a broader set of health care providers, said Shawnee Christenson, an insurance agent with Crosstown Insurance in New Hope. While that might sound good to beneficiaries, supplements can come with significantly higher premiums, Christenson said.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has been in business since 1933. With over two million members, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has been meeting the health care needs of persons in Minnesota and around the country. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has long been recognized as one of the highest quality health plans in the Midwest for member satisfaction. As the state’s oldest, largest and most-trusted health plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota welcomes the opportunity and responsibility to improve the health of Minnesotans and their communities.
American Indians can continue to use tribal and Indian Health Services (IHS) clinics. We will not require prior approval or impose any conditions for you to get services at these clinics. For elders 65 years and older this includes Elderly Waiver (EW) services accessed through the tribe. If a doctor or other provider in a tribal or IHS clinic refers you to a provider in our network, we will not require you to see your primary care provider prior to the referral.
If you have questions you should call the Senior LinkAge Line – a trusted, unbiased resource sponsored by the Minnesota Board on Aging. The Senior LinkAge Line can help you navigate the Medicare plan choices for 2019 so you can select the option that best meets your healthcare coverage needs. All Medicare beneficiaries are encouraged to review their Medicare health and prescription drug coverage during open enrollment in the fall.
In the 1980s, in an effort to control costs, Minnesota began implementing PMAP, or pre-paid medical assistance programs. PMAPs provide blocks of Medicaid funding to non-profit HMOs and a variety of rural health programs across the state. The program was instituted as a demonstration project in 1983, but has continued to be the mechanism by which Medicaid funds are dispersed to providers in Minnesota for three decades.
HealthPocket is a free information source designed to help consumers find medical coverage. Whether you are looking for Medicare, Medicaid or an individual health insurance plan, we will help you find the right healthcare option and save on your out of pocket healthcare costs. We receive our data from government, non-profit and private sources, and you should confirm key provisions of your coverage with your selected health plan. If you select a plan presented on our site, you will be directed (via a click or a call) to one of our partners who can help you with your application. Our website is not a health insurance agency and not affiliated with and does not represent or endorse any health plan. HealthPocket, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Health Plan Intermediaries Holdings LLC (NASDAQ: HIIQ)
The average cost of monthly premiums for insurance in Minnesota is $477, which may be too expensive for some of the residents in the state. However, the US federal government offers more affordable Minnesota Medicare insurance coverage for beneficiaries over the age of 65, and some workers with disabilities may qualify as well. The Minnesota state government also offers various assistance programs for Medicare beneficiaries.
State Farm Medicare Supplement Insurance is designed to cover the gaps in Medicare, helping to pay deductibles, coinsurance and copayment amounts not covered by Medicare. Once you have a Medicare Supplement plan, both your plan and Medicare will help pay your covered medical expenses, lowering your out-of-pocket costs and giving you the confidence that your health insurance needs are met. And at State Farm we give you the flexibility to choose between different plans to meet your individual needs and budget.
If you don’t want Medicare Advantage, think about a Medigap policy (Medicare Supplement Insurance). If you get Original Medicare, you can pay an extra monthly premium to get a private Medigap policy that covers some of the expenses that Medicare Parts A and B won’t cover, such as co-insurance, copayments, and deductibles. Medigap policies do not cover prescription drugs (you need Part D for that). Learn more about Medigap policies or find one in your area.
As a result, an estimated 320,000 Medicare Cost enrollees in Minnesota needed new coverage for 2019. There are 21 counties where Medicare Cost plans continue to be available, but Medicare Cost enrollees in the rest of the state were not able to keep their Cost plans. Instead, they had the option to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan (some were automatically enrolled in a comparable Medicare Advantage plan, although they had an option to pick something else instead), or select a Medigap plan to supplement their Original Medicare. Enrollees whose Medicare Cost plans ended have guaranteed issue rights to a Medigap plan, so they can purchase one even if they had pre-existing medical conditions. But that guaranteed-issue right only lasts for 63 days, which means Monday, March 4, 2019 is the last day these individuals can purchase a Medigap plan without having to go through medical underwriting.
The MedicareWire website is available for educational purposes. Our goal is to present information accurately and without bias, based on our interpretation of factual information. However, this site is not intended as a substitute for legal, health, or financial advice from a licensed professional. On this page we help consumers research and compare Medicare Part C plans. Here's how we promote this page in search:
The federal government paid the full cost of covering the newly-eligible Medicaid population through 2016. Starting in 2017, the state began paying a portion of the cost, but the state’s share will never exceed 10 percent. A few weeks prior to passage, an amendment had been added to HF9 that would allow Medicaid expansion to expire if the federal government ever defaults on its promise to always pay at least 90 percent of the cost of covering the newly-eligible population. But that amendment was removed from the bill prior to passage.
