AZ Medicare enrollment quick facts:
- Over 736,000 Arizona residents were enrolled in Medicare Part A and/or Part B in 2017, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
- 258,077 Arizona residents had a Medigap policy in 2015, according to data from America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).
- Plan F is the most popular Medigap option in Arizona, with 173,054 enrollees in 2015, according to AHIP.
Medicare Supplement insurance (also called Medigap) helps senior and disabled Arizona residents pay for certain Medicare co-payments, deductibles, and other costs. Currently, insurance companies can offer state residents one of the 10 standardized Medigap plan options: Plans A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N.
Arizona Medigap enrollment statistics
According to AHIP, 36.8% of Medicare beneficiaries in Arizona were also enrolled in a Medigap plan in 2015. Certain Medigap plans are more popular than others.
The chart below shows which plans were most popular in Arizona in 2015, according to AHIP.
| Popularity ranking | Plan | Total enrollees in 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | 173,054 |
| 2 | G | 32,061 |
| 3 | N | 18,862 |
| 4 | C | 11,690 |
| 5 | A | 2,215 |
| 6 | K | 1,658 |
| 7 | B | 1,149 |
| 8 | L | 1,019 |
| 9 | D | 882 |
| 10 | M | 21 |
| — | Old plans* | 12,948 |
| — | Pre-standardized** | 2,518 |
| *Plans no longer available for purchase, including Plans E, H, I, and J.**Pre-standardized plans are policies sold before July 1992. | ||
Medicare Supplement Insurance pricing methods
Medigap pricing methods are important because they dictate how your premiums may increase in future years. There are 3 different pricing methods:
- Attained-age rated: The premium increases as you age.
- Issue-age rated: The premium is based on your age when you buy and it may increase due to inflation and other factors, but not due to your age.
- Community rated: The same premium is charged to all Medigap policyholders.
According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), the majority of Medigap insurance policies issued in Arizona are issue-age rated.1
Under-65 enrollment rules
Although Medicare Supplement insurance is primarily for senior citizens, it also covers disabled people and those with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Each state’s insurance department dictates the rules governing Medicare beneficiaries under the age of 65.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), insurance companies selling Medigap plans in Arizona do not have to offer any Medigap plans to under-65 Medicare beneficiaries.2 Medigap insurers in Arizona are allowed to charge under-65 policyholders different premiums from their senior policyholders.
Learn more
1 https://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/8412-2.pdf#page=24
2 https://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/8412-2.pdf#page=24