NC Medicare enrollment quick facts:
- Over 1.2 million North Carolina residents were enrolled in Medicare Part A and/or Part B in 2019, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
- 486,014 North Carolina residents had a Medigap policy in 2017, according to data from America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).
- Plan F is the most popular Medigap option in North Carolina state, with 305,885 enrollees in 2017, according to AHIP.
Medicare Supplement insurance (also called Medigap) helps senior and disabled state residents pay for certain Medicare co-payments, deductibles, and other costs. 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.
Important: Plan F and Plan C are not available to Medicare beneficiaries who become eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020.
North Carolina Medigap enrollment statistics
Certain Medigap plans are more popular than others. The chart below shows which Medicare Supplement Insurance plans are most popular in North Carolina, according to AHIP.
Popularity ranking | Plan | Total enrollees in 2017 |
---|---|---|
1 | F | 305,885 |
2 | G | 92,435 |
3 | N | 32,330 |
4 | C | 11,613 |
5 | A | 4,752 |
6 | B | 2,828 |
7 | K | 1,813 |
8 | D | 2,087 |
9 | L | 1,104 |
10 | M | 82 |
Medicare Supplement Insurance pricing methods
Medigap pricing methods are important because they dictate how your premiums may increase in future years. There are three 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.
The majority of Medigap policies sold in North Carolina were attained-age rated, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).
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).
According to the KFF, insurance companies selling Medigap plans in North Carolina must offer at least one plan to under-65 Medicare beneficiaries who are disabled or have ESRD.1 During the open enrollment period, these individuals will have access to Plans A, C, and F only.
Medigap insurers in North Carolina are allowed to charge under-65 policyholders different premiums from their senior policyholders. However, insurers must charge the same premium to all non-seniors during the open enrollment period.
Learn more
1 https://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/8412-2.pdf#page=24