Central States Indemnity Medicare Plans Review

Central States Indemnity is a Berkshire Hathaway Company headquartered in Omaha, NE. Central States Indemnity was founded in 1977, with roots dating back to 1932.

The company maintains an A+ rating for financial strength from the credit agency A.M. Best and is headed by Chairman Warren Buffet.

Central States Indemnity Co. of Omaha (CSI) and CSI Life Insurance Company provide coverage to millions of individuals that includes life, disability and unemployment insurance.

CSI also offers Medicare Supplement Insurance plans (also called Medigap) to qualified Medicare beneficiaries in a number of states.

Central States Indemnity sells one type of private Medicare insurance: Medicare Supplement Insurance, or Medigap. The company does not sell Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D plans. 

There are 10 Medicare Supplement Insurance plans available in most states, and Central States Indemnity sells plans including Medicare Supplement Plans A, B, C, F, G and N. 

Medicare Supplement Insurance helps pay for out-of-pocket costs associated with Original Medicare (Medicare Part A and Part B). You can use the chart below to compare the Medicare costs that are covered by each type of standardized Medigap plan.

It’s important to note that CSI doesn’t offer each of the above types of Medicare Supplement plans in every state.

Central States Indemnity Medigap Plan A

Medigap Plan A pays coinsurance costs for Medicare Part A inpatient hospital care and hospice coinsurance and copayments. It also covers Part B coinsurance costs and the first 3 pints of blood used in a blood transfusion. 

Central States Indemnity Medigap Plan B

Medigap Plan B is one step up from Plan A and offers all of the benefits of Plan A as well as coverage of the Medicare Part A deductible, which is $1,608 per benefit period in 2024. 

Central States Indemnity Medigap Plan C

Plan C is among the more robust Medigap plans. It includes coverage for everything found under Plan B in addition to coverage of skilled nursing facility care coinsurance, the annual Medicare Part B deductible and foreign travel emergency care. 

Please note that new Medicare beneficiaries who first became eligible for Medicare after January 1, 2020 aren’t allowed to apply for Plan C or the next plan we’ll discuss, Medicare Plan F. If you became eligible for Medicare before 2020, you can still apply for Plan C or Plan F if they’re available where you live.

Central States Indemnity Medigap Plan F

Plan F covers more Medicare costs than any other type of Medigap plan. Medigap Plan F provides all of the same coverage as Plan C while also adding coverage for Medicare Part B excess charges. 

Central States Indemnity Medigap Plan G

Medigap Plan G offers all of the same benefits as Plan F, except it doesn’t pay for the Medicare Part B deductible. New Medicare beneficiaries who became eligible for Medicare after January 1, 2020 may consider applying for Plan G because it is the most comprehensive Medigap plan available to new beneficiaries.

Central States Indemnity Medigap Plan N

Plan N is a mid-tier Medigap plan that offers coverage of everything found under Plan C with the exception of the Part B deductible. While Plan N does cover your Part B coinsurance costs, you may be required to pay a small coinsurance of up to $20 for some doctor’s office visits and up to $50 if you visit the ER but aren’t admitted to the hospital for inpatient care. 

It’s not unusual for an insurance company’s plan selection to vary by state, so the selection of Central States Indemnity Medigap plans may differ by location.

At least one CSI Medicare plan is typically available in all states except for Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. 

A Medicare Supplement Insurance plan may be used at any location that accepts Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). If your doctor or other health care provider accepts Medicare, they will accept your Medigap plan from Central States Indemnity. 

The cost of a Medigap plan from Central States Indemnity may depend on a number of factors, so the only way to know how much you might expect to pay for a plan is to contact the company directly.

You must meet each of the following requirements in order to be eligible for a Central States Indemnity Medigap plan. 

1. You must be enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Part B.
   
   
2. You must live in the area that is serviced by the plan in which you are trying to enroll. 

You may enroll in a Central States Indemnity Medigap plan at any time. However, the best time to do so is during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period. 

Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period begins the month you are 65 years old and enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B, and it lasts for the next 6 months. During this time, insurance companies are not allowed to use medical underwriting to determine your rates. This is called having a “guaranteed issue right.”

You may also qualify for a guaranteed issue right for other reasons, such as moving to an area that isn’t serviced by your current plan or losing plan coverage through no fault of your own.

If you apply for a Medigap plan when you don’t have a guaranteed issue right, insurance companies reserve the right to subject you to medical underwriting and charge you higher premiums or deny you coverage altogether due to your health.