Iowa Senior Health Insurance
Explore Your Options
Many people decide to live and retire in Iowa. Whether it’s because of the Midwestern charm, family generation farms, or its large number of golf courses (what better to do with all that flat land!) Iowa is a great place to spend your later years in life. Once you become eligible for Medicare, you need to make sure you are well educated on your Senior Health Insurance Options. My Senior Health Plan is here to do just that. Our licensed Specialists will walk you through basic Medicare and the different ways to supplement it. First, let’s go over the different plan types available in Iowa.
Medicare Supplement Plans, also known as Medigap, are policies offered by private health insurance companies. This type of plan is designed to help you cover coinsurance, deductibles and co-pays. All Medicare Supplements have a monthly premium and do not include prescription drug coverage. Your premium is dependent on the state in which you reside; however, you can use your benefits nationwide. This may be something to consider if you migrate south to avoid Iowa’s cold winters.
Prescription Drug Plans (Part D) are stand-alone policies to help you cover your prescription costs. These are most commonly paired with Medicare Supplements plans and have a monthly premium as well. Depending on the plan in which you enroll, your prescription co-pays can range from $0 and up. Not taking any prescriptions? Most people still enroll into a Prescription Drug Plan to avoid paying the late enrollment penalty or to cover prescriptions they may start taking later in the year. If you need Extra Help paying for your prescriptions, please click here to see if you qualify.
Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C) are regulated by the government and hold annual contracts with CMS, the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services. This type of plan is county specific and plan options vary between counties. Medicare Advantage Plans available in Iowa are HMO, POS, PPO and PFFS plans. To learn what the difference in these plan types are, contact MySeniorHealthPlan.com and talk to a licensed Specialist today. Medicare Advantage Plans are network based, meaning you must see an in-network doctor to avoid paying an out of network cost.
Some residents of Iowa have Indian Health Services as well. The relationship between the Federal Government and Native American tribes constitutes various rules to follow. However, CMS has made Medicare & Medicaid healthcare services accessible to all Native Americans who are eligible. For more information visit http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/American-Indian-Alaska-Native/AIAN/
Senior Resources:
Indian Health Services: http://www.ihs.gov
Medicare: www.Medicare.gov
Iowa Department of Human Services: http://dhs.iowa.gov/
