Important changes are on the horizon for Brethren Insurance Services

Starting Jan. 1, 2013, Brethren Medical Plan will become a fully insured program. Brethren Medical Plan expects to offer a variety of designs for group medical plans through several national and regional insurers. The Medicare Supplement insurance program will also transition to one fully insured plan design. Medicare Supplement insurance is available to all Medicare-eligible employees and retirees of Church of the Brethren-affiliated employers, as well as their Medicare-eligible spouses, widows, or widowers. Plan designs and rates for 2013 will be announced in November during open enrollment.

Open enrollment for Dental, Vision, Supplemental Life (for current Life insurance members who are eligible to add up to $10,000 of additional coverage), and Short-Term Disability insurance will also take place in November. These products are available to eligible employees (and family members as applicable) of congregations, districts, camps, and other Brethren-affiliated organizations.

Brethren Insurance Services' Long-Term Care insurance continues to be available to all Church of the Brethren employees and members, as well as their families and friends.

Please contact Connie Sandman, member services representative, at csandman@cobbt.org or 800-746-1505, ext. 366, for more information.

What is Medicare supplement insurance?
Medicare supplement insurance, sold by Brethren Insurance Services and other insurance providers, can help pay some of the health care costs that Medicare parts A and B (also known as Original Medicare) doesn't cover, like copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles. Medicare supplement insurance is also known as Medigap because it is intended to fill the "gap" between total medical costs and the actual amount reimbursed by Medicare. 

Some Medigap policies also offer coverage for services that Original Medicare doesn't cover, like medical care when you travel outside the U.S. If you have Original Medicare and you buy a Medigap policy, Medicare will pay its share of the Medicare-approved amount for covered health care costs. Then your Medigap policy pays its share.

A Medigap policy is different from a Medicare Advantage Plan. Those plans are ways to get Medicare benefits, while a Medigap  policy only supplements your Original Medicare benefits.

8 things to know about Medigap policies 

1. You must have Original Medicare.
2. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, you can apply for a Medigap policy, but make sure you can leave the Medicare Advantage Plan before your Medigap policy begins.
3. You pay the private insurance company a monthly premium for your Medigap policy in addition to the monthly Part B premium that you pay to Medicare.
4. A Medigap policy only covers one person. If you and your spouse both want Medigap coverage, you'll each have to buy separate policies.
5. You can buy a Medigap policy from any insurance company that's licensed in your state to sell one.
6. Any standardized Medigap policy is guaranteed renewable even if you have health problems. This means the insurance company can't cancel your Medigap policy as long as you pay the premium.
7. Some Medigap policies sold in the past cover prescription drugs, but Medigap policies sold after Jan. 1, 2006, aren't allowed to include prescription drug coverage. If you want prescription drug coverage, you can join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D).
8. It's illegal for anyone to sell you a Medigap policy if you have a Medicare Medical Savings Account (MSA) Plan.

Brethren Insurance Services offers Medicare Supplement insurance to Medicare-eligible employees who work 20 or more hours per week at a participating employer with fewer than 20 employees, as well as their Medicare-eligible spouses. This insurance is also available to Medicare-eligible retirees of a Church of the Brethren-affiliated employer, as well as their Medicare-eligible spouses, widows, or widowers.  

You must enroll in this plan within the six-month enrollment period that immediately follows your Medicare eligibility date.  

Contact Brethren Insurance Services staff for more information at insurance@cobbt.org or 800-746-1505.

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