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Monday, April 21st
GoHealth, originating as an insurance marketplace back in 2001, made its debut in the Medicare scene in 2016. Despite its somewhat recent foray into Medicare, GoHealth proudly claims that nearly 10% of all individuals nationwide who enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan in 2019 chose GoHealth as their platform. GoHealth works in all 50 states and has available plans for customers anywhere in the US, which makes it much easier to find a plan with this provider (theoretically) than with some of the more limited options.
Helpful resources on site
GoHealth offers a very informative website. This broker offers details by state, by age, along with helpful how-tos and even some resource pages about upcoming changes to Medicare as a whole. There's an entire section of the site dedicated to telling you more about changes coming in upcoming years, which can help you make more informed decisions going forward. However, when you get in touch with a representative, the helpfulness vanishes.
Quick online form
Getting started with GoHealth is simple. The initial step involves verifying your zip code to make sure there are plans available in your area. Following this, you'll provide basic information such as your name, and phone number. While submitting this information grants GoHealth permission to contact you via text or allow partner businesses to reach out on their behalf, you will need to call them to finalize your plan anyway. However, you might need to reject a few calls after you've picked out your plan, since your information may be available to different companies through the GoHealth brokerage. On the bright side, you can see a decent baseline to prepare you for the pricing at GoHealth. For example, a Wisconsin plan is stated to average around $170 per month before contacting a representative.
Is it a real voice or is it fake?
We got our notification from GoHealth via text. From there we were instructed to make a phone call to the company's reps. The representative will ask for your street address in order to provide you with accurate information. In our quest for a quote, the limited plans presented a challenge. When we first joined the call, the representative spoke with a strangely happy voice that felt almost fake. We weren't sure if it was a real person at first or a bot. Then we were transferred to a licensed agent who sounded even more like a bot.
Hangups and frustration
When going through all of the questions, we asked about Plan G, and the agent ignored our questions and continued down the list of required questions they had. Finally, when we asked a third time about Plan G pricing, the agent disconnected the call and hung up on us. When we called back, the same original rep answered the phone and gave us the exact same introduction, which felt very creepy. Then we were transferred twice and the second pickup said "thank you for calling Social Security” which was completely wrong. We had to hang up. We think many seniors would have given up on the process by now, especially due to the AI-feel of the entire call.
Never got a quote
Due to calling multiple times, getting disconnected over and over or transferred to the wrong place, we were unable to get any information about pricing from this company. For this reason it falls immediately to the bottom of the pack. If you can't get quotes or pricing from a company without tons of hassle, it isn't worth your time.
Credible company with solid ratings
When it comes to credibility, GoHealth holds an accreditation and an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Positive customer feedback, numbering over 9,000 4- and 5-star ratings, came as something of a surprise given our experiences. While these reviews aren't Medicare Supplement Plan-specific, they could have you thinking that GoHealth is a business with a track record of satisfying clients. However, there are a range of complaints about the call representatives (which doesn't surprise us in the least).
Don't make the call
Despite its reputable standing, GoHealth falls to the bottom of the list. After being transferred for 30 minutes, hung up on, and sent to a completely different department via call, we had to give up on ever getting a price for Medicare Supplement Plans here. Given those difficulties, not even an "A+” rating can keep GoHealth from the bottom of the pack. For these reasons, GoHealth receives an incredibly disappointing rating.
If you or a family member is approaching the age of 65, or if you are soon eligible for Medicare Parts A and B due to other qualifying reasons, now is the perfect time to start looking at additional coverage options for your Medicare. While Medicare insurance covers many of your medical expenses, it doesn't cover everything. To help pick up the extra slack, you can dive into a Medicare Supplement plan, often referred to as "Medigap”.
These plans work to address the gap between the 80% of medical concerns covered by Medicare and the remaining 20% that isn't covered. This way, you can reduce your out-of-pocket medical expenses and feel safer and more comfortable with your coverage.
The Medicare Supplement Plans are assigned letter names to differentiate them, which can sometimes lead to confusion. With an ever-evolving landscape of plans and their coverage, keeping up with changes like swapping Plan F (once a popular choice but was discontinued for new enrollees after January 1, 2020) with its successor, Plan G, (which offers similar benefits but introduced an annual deductible) can be extremely confusing. Paying attention to the changes in the market will help you make a more informed decision about your healthcare coverage and help you recognize what coverage you need and what you don't.
One thing to keep in mind as you plan for your Medicare journey is the "guaranteed issue period”. This is a period that spans the six months following your 65th birthday. During this period, you can get a Medicare Supplement Plan without any prerequisites beyond paying your premiums.
For example, this means that while health conditions won't disqualify you, being a smoker might result in higher premiums. However, once this six-month grace period concludes, insurers may request more detailed health information, such as your history of diabetes or heart conditions that may potentially impact your premiums and change what plans are available to you.
When it comes to purchasing a Medicare Supplement Plan, you have two primary options: buying directly from an insurance company or getting your plan through the services of a broker. Going with an insurance company means you might be able to continue using a company you already trust, which may be appealing due to lower rates or trustworthy insurance adjusters. On the other hand, if you choose to go with a broker, the company gives you access to a range of insurance providers, so you can compare rates and plans side by side, including the rates offered by your preferred insurance company.
Regardless of whether you choose to work with a broker or purchase directly from an insurance company, the most important thing about choosing a Medicare Supplement Plan is that you need to do your research. While you can initially explore various providers' websites, keep in mind that Medicare rules dictate plans must be sold either in person or over the phone, so you should be prepared to talk with a representative to finalize your Medicare Supplement Plan.
If you're not sure where to start with your Medicare Supplement Plan, we've put together a few things that might help you narrow down your options:
To help you stress less about your Medicare plans, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked the best Medicare Supplement Plans available today. This way, you can save both time and money in your search. All you need to worry about is finding the best provider using our handy list and detailed reviews and getting back to enjoying your golden years stress-free!
Select any 2 Medicare Supplement Plans to compare them head to head