Our reviewers evaluate products and services based on unbiased research. Top Consumer Reviews may earn money when you click on a link. Learn more about our process.
Friday, April 18th
Medicare Plans, a service under the umbrella of QuoteWizard Insurance, operates as part of the renowned LendingTree financial company.
Thousands of plans analyzed
The company boasts of having a team of more than 40 experienced experts and healthcare providers. They continuously analyze over 50,000 Medicare plans, features, and benefits. The site itself is beautifully designed and easy to navigate, though the company details are a little sparse regarding how long this broker has been in business. On the bright side, you can expect coverage in all 50 US states.
Quick form might lead to unwanted calls
Getting started with Medicare Plans is a standard procedure for the industry. You start by entering essential details like your zip code, birth date, gender, and the final steps involve sharing your name, email address, street address, and phone number. By going forward, you are giving consent to multiple forms of communication, from texts to postal mail, from their marketing network, and up to eight affiliated insurance companies. So, keep in mind that you might get more emails and calls than you're used to.
Fast and easy quoting process
After filling out your info, the platform seems like it will offer you quotes tailored to your situation completely online, but this isn't accurate. In our case, we were told to call immediately after filling out our details. While this is standard, it was confusing since the agent didn't have any of the information that we submitted on the site already, and we had to go through the information gathering a second time. On the bright side, connecting with an agent was extremely quick. As soon as we clicked submit, we received a call with a friendly representative who was quick to answer questions and get right to the quotes.
Competitive rates but frustrating to work with
To compare rates more accurately among Medicare Supplement Plan providers, we used the same fictional persona in each review. So, for our quote we used the details of a 65-year-old woman in Wisconsin who never smoked and is looking for a Plan G. We were quoted a Base plan in Wisconsin with riders for equivalent coverage to a Plan G. We only got one quote, Mutual of Omaha at $146.39. The deductible is an annual cost of $240. This is fairly average in the industry in terms of price, which the representative seemed pretty surprised at.
No ongoing support from Medicare Plans
Once you've made your Medicare Supplement Plan selection, any ongoing service occurs directly with the chosen insurance company, like Mutual of Omaha. The agent suggested revisiting Medicare Plans for future price comparisons, but that Medicare Plans wasn't going to provide particular support in the long run. This setup suits a hands-off approach, but if you prefer ongoing broker support, this service might not be ideal for you.
Missing reputation details
As of our review, QuoteWizard's Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile was undergoing updates, obscuring its rating and any potential customer complaints. LendingTree, however, holds an impressive "A+" BBB rating and accreditation. While we did look for reviews for Medicare Plans, we noted that there weren't many customer reviews out there at all. None of the third-party review sites we use for research offered any feedback for the company. So, it's hard to gauge how this company stacks up in its reputation.
Worth checking out
Medicare Plans is a solid company to consider for your Medicare Supplement Plan. The website is easy to navigate and the instant phone call was a plus. While the pricing is about average for the industry, the delight of talking to a friendly representative who also stayed on task was particularly refreshing. The company is supported by its parent company's "A+” rating from the BBB, giving us more confidence based on our positive experience. For these reasons Medicare Plans gets a solid rating in this review.
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