Medicare Supplement

Same Medigap letter, different insurers in Chandler: how to compare them

Chandler shoppers who have narrowed their Medicare Supplement search down to one plan letter — say, Plan G or Plan N — often hit the same wall next: dozens of insurance companies sell that exact same plan in Arizona, and the price tags are not the same. The coverage is. Understanding why the numbers move, and what actually varies between carriers, is the difference between guessing and choosing.

The plan letter is standardized. The company selling it is not.

Medigap plans in Arizona are standardized by federal law. A Plan G from one insurer pays the same benefits as a Plan G from any other insurer. A Plan N is a Plan N. That is the whole point of the letter system.

What is not standardized is the premium, the way that premium changes over time, the discounts a household can stack, and how easy or hard it is to get approved outside your one-time Medigap Open Enrollment window. Those are the real levers you are comparing.

People newly eligible for Medicare today can buy Plans A, B, D, G, G-HD, K, L, M, and N. Plans C and F are only available to people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. The table below lists every insurer selling Medigap in Arizona and which letters each one offers.

The three pricing methods, in plain English

When you call an insurer or pull a quote, ask which pricing method they use. There are three:

• Community-rated (no-age-rated): Everyone with the same plan pays roughly the same premium regardless of age. Premiums still rise over time from inflation, but not because you had a birthday.
• Issue-age-rated: Your premium is based on the age you were when you first bought the policy. Buy at 65, and your rate is anchored to age 65 pricing. Rates still adjust for inflation, but not for your aging.
• Attained-age-rated: Your premium is based on your current age, and it goes up as you get older, on top of any inflation adjustments.

None of these is automatically better or worse. An attained-age policy may start lower and climb; an issue-age or community-rated policy may start higher and rise more slowly. What matters is knowing which one you are buying so you are not surprised in five or ten years.

Rate-increase history: the number no ad shows you

Two insurers can sell the same Plan G today at similar rates, and five years from now one may have raised premiums much more than the other. Arizona's Department of Insurance publishes rate filings and historical rate change information, and many state SHIP offices keep summaries you can request. This is worth a phone call before you sign anything. A stable rate history is not a guarantee of future stability, but it tells you more than a first-year quote does.

Household discounts and underwriting rules

Household discounts are common in Arizona but the rules vary a lot between carriers. Some insurers give a discount if you live with another adult, whether or not that person also has a policy with them. Others require your spouse or partner to also be enrolled. The discount percentage itself differs by company.

Underwriting is the other big variable. During your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period — which starts the month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B — every insurer must sell you any plan they offer at their standard rate, regardless of your health. Outside that window, and outside a guaranteed-issue situation, insurers can ask health questions and turn you down or charge more. Each company has its own underwriting questions and its own list of conditions that are a problem. If you are switching plans later in life, this matters as much as price.

How to actually compare in Chandler

Chandler is in Maricopa County, and every Medigap insurer licensed in Arizona is available to you. Here is a practical order of operations:

1. Decide on the plan letter first, based on how you use care and what you want covered. 2. Go to the Medicare.gov Medigap policy search, enter your Arizona ZIP code, and pull the list of insurers offering that letter. 3. Request quotes from several — including at least one large national carrier and one smaller regional one — and ask each which pricing method they use. 4. Ask about the household discount and whether your spouse or roommate qualifies. 5. Ask for the company's rate-increase history, or look it up through the Arizona Department of Insurance. 6. If it is outside your Medigap Open Enrollment Period, ask what the underwriting looks like before you apply.

The insurers currently selling Medigap in Arizona — from AARP – UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company through WoodmenLife — are listed in the table below along with the plan letters each one offers.