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United Health Care branded Plan L Supplement Medicare Connecticut

This post will give some information about the United Health Care branded Plan L Supplement Medicare Connecticut.  In fact, AARP Medicare Supplements offered through United Healthcare currently have the lowest monthly premiums in Connecticut.   Medicare Supplements (also called Medigap) are standardized in Connecticut which means the benefits are uniform from company to company.  Plan L covers 75% of the cost share that Medicare A and B does not cover.  This means that plan L will cover 75% of the inpatient hospital deductible from Part A of Medicare and 75% of the Part B co-insurance. (Medicare Part B has 20% coinsurance).

Plan L

Plan L does not cover the part B deductible which is $144.00 one time per year.  It also does not cover part B excess over 100% and excludes coverage for foreign travel emergency.   The plan is still very solid and like all supplements, allows you to go to any doctor you choose as long as they accept Medicare.   The premium for plan L is $114.00 a month.  This cost should be compared to Plan N ($147.00) a month and Plan F ($221.00 a month).  In many cases, the math will come out better on the plan L as compared to the F or N.  You will see this is the case when you factor in the premium savings.

Bottom line:  Once Plan L covers 75% of the part B coinsurance, it will leave very small charges for doctors visits in the $8 to $12 range.  An inpatient stay would cost more as Plan L will cover 75% of the Part A deductible leaving the insured with $304 to pay out of the total charge of $1,216.00.

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Medigap plans also called Medicare supplement plans are secondary to Medicare insurance plans offered by private insurance companies.  The plans are standardized in most states and range from plan A to N.

Traditionally, plan J (now a retired plan) and plan F have been the most popular as they both cover 100% of secondary costs not covered by Medicare.  Plan F can be costly with an premium ranging from $170 a month to $250 a month depending on the state you live in.

There are lower cost alternatives that are worthy of consideration.  The plan L supplement has only been around for a few years and is not well know but it should not be ignored.  Plan L premium is about 1/3 the cost of plan F.  (Around $120 a month) ($114.25 in CT)  It covers 75% of the costs not covered by Medicare and has a total out of pocket limit of $2,400 per year.   A 25% cost share may seem like a big risk at first glace but it is more than reasonable if you consider how Medicare bills costs.

Plan L covers 75% of what Medicare does not cover.  For part B of medicare, it will cover 75% of the 20% Medicare does not cover.  This leaves the insured with a 5% cost share.  Further, the 20% cost share is based on what Medicare allows the provider to charge. It is not based off the regular rate.

Under Medicare Part A, the hospital deductible is $1140 which Plan L covers 75% of.  This leaves only $285.00 for the insured to pay.   Part A covers at 100% for the first 60 days of hospitalization after the deductible is met so there is little risk of owning any more than $285.00

My personal experience with clients using plan L has been overwhelmingly positive.  Clients that do not use many medical services for the year experience huge savings over plan F and those that utilize a lot of services rarely spend more than than the premium savings vs. a plan F.

Plan L is a solid choice for those that want to take the time to understand why it will save them money.