Medigap policies are supplemental insurance plans administered by private health insurers. The insurers have a process they use to decide whether to offer coverage and what to charge based on your health status. This process is called medical underwriting.

That said, you can swap your Medigap policy without having to go through medical underwriting during open enrollment and in certain other specific situations.

If you’re within the 6-month Medigap open enrollment period, you can swap your Medigap plan without medical underwriting.

You can also change your mind for the first 30 days after enrolling, so make sure to keep your original policy until you’re certain that you want to switch to the new plan. This is called the free look period.

Your state may have guaranteed issuer rights. These are situations in which the insurer can’t deny you a policy. These may include:

  • Your Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan is no longer available.
  • You have Original Medicare (parts A and B) but also a private employer plan that’s ending.
  • You have Original Medicare and Medicare Select, but you move out of the latter’s service area.
  • You joined Medicare Advantage or the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) but now want to switch to Original Medicare within the first year.
  • It’s been less than a year since you joined a Medicare Advantage plan or switched to Medicare SELECT.
  • Your current plan’s administrating company goes bankrupt, or you lose coverage for other reasons not in your control.
  • You leave a Medicare Advantage plan or Medigap policy due to rule violations or misleading information.

These approved situations may vary from state to state.

If you’ve used your current Medigap policy for fewer than 6 months and wish to change to a different one, you may need to wait another 6 months for the new policy to cover any preexisting conditions.

But if you’ve had your current policy for more than 6 months and it has the same benefits as the new one, the new company can’t exclude or delay coverage for preexisting conditions.

Reasons you may wish to switch your Medigap policy include:

  • You’re paying for benefits that you don’t need
  • You need more benefits than what you’re getting.
  • You want to switch insurance companies.
  • You want to lower your costs.

If you decide to switch Medigap policies, it’s best to research the specific guidelines and rules in your state.