Facts About Medicare Supplement Plans in Tennessee:
- Over 806,000 Tennessee 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).
- 272,860 Tennessee 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 Tennessee, with 161,323 enrollees, according to AHIP.
Medicare Supplement insurance (also called Medigap) helps senior and disabled Tennessee residents pay for certain Medicare co-payments, deductibles, Part B excess charges and other costs. Currently, insurance companies in Tennessee can offer residents one of the 10 standardized Medigap plan options: Plans A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N.
Tennessee Medigap enrollment statistics
According to AHIP, over 33% of Medicare beneficiaries in Tennessee were enrolled in a Medicare Supplement insurance plan in 2015.
Certain Medigap plans are more popular than others. The chart below shows which are most popular in Tennessee, according to AHIP.
| Popularity ranking | Plan | Total enrollees in 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | 161,323 |
| 2 | G | 28,332 |
| 3 | C | 17,876 |
| 4 | N | 16,112 |
| 5 | D | 6,659 |
| 6 | B | 2,699 |
| 7 | A | 2,237 |
| 8 | K | 883 |
| 9 | L | 497 |
| 10 | M | 81 |
| — | Old plans* | 17,248 |
| — | Pre-standardized** | 18,913 |
| *Plans no longer available for purchase including Plans E, H, I, and J.**Pre-standardized plans are policies sold before July 1992. | ||
Medigap plan pricing methods
Medigap pricing methods are important because they dictate how your health insurance 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.
The majority of Medigap plans in Tennessee are 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) who are Medicare eligible. Each state’s insurance department dictates the rules governing Medicare beneficiaries under the age of 65.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, insurance companies selling Medigap plans in Tenessee must offer at least one plan to under-65 Medicare beneficiaries who are disabled or have ESRD.1
Medigap insurers statewide are allowed to charge under-65 policyholders different premiums from their senior policyholders. Furthermore, insurers can charge non-senior applicants different premiums.
Learn more
1 https://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/8412-2.pdf#page=24