If your Medicare Advantage Plan is leaving the County, or if any part of your Medicare Advantage Plan had a price increase above a certain amount, you will have a guaranteed issue right to switch to a Medicare Supplement (Medigap Plan) without any health screening. Your deadline to leave your plan and select a Medigap varies by each plan.
Medigap plans do not cover prescriptions. You will need a separate Prescription Drug Plan.
EXCEPTION: Those with Medi-Cal with no Share of Cost are not eligible to purchase a Medigap policy.
HELP! My Medicare Advantage plan is leaving the County.
The following 4 plans are leaving the County. This allows you to purchase a Medigap policy without any health screening. You may also purchase a stand-alone prescription drug plan at this time.
Plans leaving the County, which allows you to purchase Medigap from any insurer:
| UnitedHealthcare PPO | UnitedHealthcare CA-001A (see exception) |
| Humana Gold | Humana Community |
In order to have continuous coverage, you should complete enrollment in a Medigap and a drug plan before December 31, 2024. If you do not make a change by December 31, 2024, you will have just Original Medicare Parts A and B and no drug coverage starting in January.
If you do not enroll by the end of 2024, you have additional time to make changes. The deadline to join a drug plan is February 28th. The deadline to enroll in a Medigap is May 2nd. You may enroll in any Medigap, from any company. Coverage by the Medigap or drug plan will start the first of the month following your enrollment, or January 1, 2025, if enrolling before that date.
I am unhappy with my Medicare Advantage Plan!
The following plans have changed at least one of their co-payment amounts which, under California law, entitles you to purchase a Medigap policy without any health screening. If the parent company sells Medigap policies (UHC and Anthem), you must purchase a policy from the parent company. Purchasing a stand-alone prescription plan is also available to you at this time.
Plans which allow you to leave and purchase Medigap:
| UnitedHealthcare Canopy | Kaiser Senior Advantage Enhanced |
| Brand New Day (all plans) | Imperial (all plans except Courage) |
| Central Health (all plans) | Anthem Medicare Advantage PPO |
You must disenroll from your plan by December 7th for an effective date of January 1st 2025. (Some plans allow extra time)
If you are in Brand New Day, Imperial, Central Health, or Kaiser Enhanced:
The deadline to disenroll from your Medicare Advantage plan and join a Prescription Drug Plan is December 7th . Coverage in the drug plan will start January 1, 2025.
The deadline to enroll in an Medigap plan offered by any company is March 3, 2025. Coverage by the Medicare Supplement will start the first of the month following your enrollment or January 1, 2025, if enrolling before that date.
If you are in UHC Canopy or Anthem PPO:
These plans allow extra time to purchase a Medigap without health screening. You have until Feb. 28, 2025 to disenroll from your Medicare Advantage plan. You must purchase a Medigap from the same parent company as the plan you are leaving. The deadline to purchase a Medigap is March 3, 2025. The deadline to purchase a prescription drug plan is March 31, 2025.
Coverage by the Medigap will start the first of the month following your enrollment. To ensure continuous coverage, you should enroll in a drug plan and Medigap plan in the same month you disenroll from your current plan.
Once covered by a Medigap plan, you can change to an equal or lesser plan at a different company at your birthday and the following 59 days.
Proof of your right to switch to a Medigap.
To exercise your right to buy a Medigap plan without health screening due to a change with your MA plan, you must provide the Medigap company with documentation showing the price change that allows this right. Find the “proof” for your plan, below. OR Contact us for help.
Download the document for your plan. It provides the specific change that triggers your right.
Anthem PPO
Brand New Day
Central Health
Imperial Dynamic
Imperial Traditional
Kaiser Enhanced
UHC Canopy