Medicare Supplement

Before You Apply for Medigap in Norfolk, Ask This

Norfolk, Va. — If you have shopped for a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy in Virginia, you may have noticed something odd: a Plan G from one insurer looks identical to a Plan G from another, yet the two companies don't behave the same way. That is by design. Medigap letters are standardized by federal law, so the coverage inside "Plan G" or "Plan N" is the same at every insurer licensed to sell it in Virginia. What changes is the company selling it — how it sets prices, how it raises them over time, whether it offers a household discount, and whether it will ask health questions before issuing a policy.

Norfolk is in Norfolk city, and Medigap availability is regulated at the state level, so a Norfolk resident can choose from any insurer approved to sell Medigap in Virginia. This guide walks through how to line those insurers up and compare the same plan letter across them.

Same letter, same coverage — by law

Medigap plans sold today come in standardized letters: A, B, D, G, G-HD, K, L, M and N for people newly eligible for Medicare. Plans C and F are only available to people who became eligible before January 1, 2020. Once a letter is set, its benefits are the same everywhere. A Plan N covers the same gaps in Original Medicare whether you buy it from a large national insurer or a smaller company you have never heard of.

That means your comparison is really about the company behind the letter — not the letter itself.

The insurers selling Medigap in Virginia

The table below lists every insurer approved to sell Medigap in Virginia and which plan letters each one offers. The list runs from AARP - UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company through WoodmenLife, and includes familiar names such as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield - Virginia, Mutual of Omaha, Humana, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company and USAA Life Insurance Company, along with companies you may not know, like Everence Association Inc., WoodmenLife and Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation.

Not every insurer sells every letter. For example, some sell Plans A, F, G and N only, while others also offer the high-deductible version of Plan G (G-HD) or Plans K and L. Start by narrowing the list to insurers that sell the letter you want.

Three ways insurers price the same plan

Two Plan G policies can have very different price tags because Virginia lets insurers use different pricing methods. The three main ones:

• Community-rated (no-age-rated): Everyone pays roughly the same premium, regardless of age. Premiums can still go up over time due to inflation and claims, but not because you had a birthday.
• Issue-age-rated: Your premium is based on your age when you first buy the policy. It doesn't go up as you get older, but inflation-based increases still apply.
• Attained-age-rated: Your premium starts lower at younger ages and rises as you age. Over 10 or 20 years, this method usually leads to the largest increases.

When you ask an insurer or agent for a quote, ask which method they use. A low starting premium under attained-age rating can look attractive at 65 and feel very different at 78.

Rate history: what to ask about past increases

Because the benefits are fixed, an insurer's rate-increase track record matters more than almost anything else. Two useful questions:

• How often have you raised premiums on this plan letter in Virginia over the last five years?
• What was the average size of those increases?

The Virginia State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance publishes a Medigap rate guide that shows current premiums by insurer and plan, and your local SHIP counselor can help you interpret rate history. Medicare.gov's Medigap policy search also lists the plans available in your ZIP code.

Household discounts and underwriting

Two more things vary from company to company:

• Household discounts. Many insurers offer a discount if a spouse or another adult in your household also has a policy with them — or sometimes just lives with you. The size and rules differ, and some companies do not offer one at all. Always ask.
• Medical underwriting. During your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, which starts when you are 65 and enrolled in Part B, insurers must sell you any plan they offer at their standard rate, regardless of health. Outside that window, most insurers in Virginia can use medical underwriting — asking health questions and possibly declining you or charging more. Some carriers have easier underwriting than others, and Virginia has limited guaranteed-issue rights in specific situations (for example, if certain coverage ends involuntarily).

If you are switching plans or insurers after your initial open enrollment period, ask up front whether underwriting applies and what conditions could lead to a decline.

A simple way to compare

A practical checklist when you are looking at the same letter across two or three insurers:

1. Confirm both insurers sell the plan letter you want in Virginia. 2. Ask which pricing method each uses. 3. Ask about rate increases on that plan letter over the last five years. 4. Ask whether a household discount is available and how much. 5. Ask whether medical underwriting applies to your situation. 6. Cross-check what you hear against Medicare.gov's Medigap search and Virginia's state rate guide.