Addressing Medicare.gov confusion among retirees

If you’ve logged into your Medicare.gov account and noticed that your Medicare Supplement policy appears to have a monthly termination date, you’re not alone. Many people are seeing what looks like a cancellation notice on their Medigap coverage, leading to confusion and unnecessary panic.

The good news is that your Medicare Supplement is not actually canceling each month. This is simply how Medicare.gov’s system is displaying the information, and it does not mean your coverage is at risk.

Medicare.gov tracks policies differently depending on the type of Medicare coverage you have. Unlike Medicare Advantage or Part D prescription drug plans, which renew on a yearly basis and can change during open enrollment, Medicare Supplement policies work under a different set of rules.

Medigap plans are guaranteed renewable for life as long as you continue to pay your premiums. This means your coverage stays in place indefinitely unless you cancel the policy yourself or stop making payments.

However, Medicare.gov’s system appears to generate a rolling monthly end date for Medigap plans. This may be due to the fact that these policies are billed on a monthly basis, but it does not mean the coverage is actually set to expire at the end of each month.

Medicare Supplement Plans are different from Medicare Advantage

One of the biggest misconceptions about Medicare is assuming that all Medicare-related plans operate the same way. Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans must be renewed annually, and you have the option to switch plans during open enrollment. These plans are managed by private insurance companies but are closely tied to Medicare’s annual open enrollment process.

Medicare Supplements, on the other hand, do not require re-enrollment and are not affected by open enrollment periods. Your Medigap coverage will remain in place as long as you pay your premiums on time, even if your insurance company stops offering the plan to new enrollees, and until you voluntarily cancel or switch to another plan.

This is why the termination date on Medicare.gov does not mean your coverage is actually ending.

If you check your Medicare.gov account and see that your Medigap policy appears to be terminating each month, don’t panic. This is simply a display issue. However, it’s always good to double-check your coverage status by taking the following steps:

1. Check your premium payments. As long as your most recent payment has been processed, your policy remains active.
2. Call your insurance company. If you need reassurance, your insurance provider can confirm that your policy is still in effect.
3. Ignore the Medicare.gov term date. There is nothing you need to do as long as you continue paying your premiums on time.

The termination date you see on Medicare.gov is misleading and does not affect your actual Medicare Supplement coverage. Your Medigap plan will not cancel each month unless you stop paying your premiums or decide to switch plans.

If you’re ever unsure about your policy status, the best thing to do is contact your insurance company directly instead of relying on the Medicare.gov system, which does not always display information accurately.

Sylvia A. Gordon, JD is known nationally as “Medicare Mama” to over one million followers on social media. She has 30 years’ experience in Medicare insurance. Her family has helped tens of thousands of retirees across the nation. Find her book, “Medicare Mama’s Guide to Medicare and Social Security Retirement” on Amazon, Kindle, and Audible.