Continental Life Insurance Company Medicare Supplement –Aetna

 Continental Life Insurance Company has been in business since 1983 providing quality Texas Medicare Supplement insurance plans to seniors statewide.  In 2006, it was bought by Genworth Financial Group.  However, Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood,Tennessee, also called CLI, is now a member of the Aetna family, having been acquired from Genworth in 2011.  Both CLI and Aetna have histories of excellent performance and reliability in the insurance business. Both are rated Excellent (A) by A. M. Best, an independent insurance rating firm. Continental Life Insurance Company Medicare supplement plans inTexas combine this reliability with some of the most competitive rates across the board.  This is a company with a small company (personal touch) feel, but with the strength and ability of the massive Aetna group behind them.

With industry giant Aetna taking control at the end of 2011 we have seen a major rate decrease and now all Medigap business is filtered through Aetna offices. There is no better name in quality insurance products as Aetna being a household name for years.   

Continental Life Insurance Company Medicare supplement plans are offered through this historically sound company, but the federal government, specifically Medicare, mandates the coverage according to the type of plan (indicated as a letter). In Texas, Continental Life Insurance Company offers Medicare Supplement (or Medigap) plans A, B, F, High Deductible F, G, and N. These plans fill the gaps in Original Medicare coverage.  They are purchased in addition to Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B coverage. 

Continental Life Insurance Company Medicare Supplement Plan A

All Medigap insurance companies must offer a Medicare Supplement Plan A policy. This plan fills in the most crucial gaps in the Original Medicare coverage (Part A and Part B).  Plan A covers four basic gaps:

1.  Hospital coinsurance for the Medicare benefit time of days 61-90 of a hospital stay, and additional hospital stay coverage of up to 365 days past the end of the Medicare coverage is covered by Plan A policies. 

2.  Part B coinsurance responsibilities after meeting the Original Medicare Part B deductible are covered under this Plan A policy.

3.  The first three pints of blood needed by a patient are covered under the Plan A policy.

4.  This plan also covers the coinsurance or copayment for hospice care covered by Original Medicare, specifically the prescription drug and respite care coverage. 

Continental Life Insurance Company Medicare Supplement Plan B

The Medigap Plan B offered by CLI covers the four areas which Plan A provides for, and also the payment of the Medicare Part A deductible. In 2012, the Medicare Part A deductible is $1156.

Continental Life Insurance Company Medicare Supplement Plan F

Medicare Supplement Plan F is the most extensive coverage available in a Medigap policy. This plan covers all the areas possible through a Medicare Supplement plan, including the benefits of Plan B, plus the following:

1.  Plan F pays the coinsurance costs for the skilled nursing care covered by Original Medicare.

2.  The Medicare Part B deductible, which is $140 in 2012, is also covered by CLI's Plan F policy.

3.  When a patient sees a physician who does not accept Medicare, there are excess charges (as much as 15% more) for which the patient is responsible. Plan F coverage includes these excess charges. 

4.  Foreign travel emergency benefits are also a part of Plan F. Traditional Medicare coverage is not valid outside theUnited States, so this Medigap policy pays 80% of costs of emergency care out of the country after a deductible is met. 

Continental Life Insurance Company Medicare Supplement High Deductible Plan F

The high deductible version of Plan F covers the same benefits, but has a large deductible which must be met before the insurance company pays them.  In 2012, this deductible is $2070.  So, the patient must pay $2070 of the costs associated with Medicare before the benefits of the Plan F policy begin to take effect. Very few seniors have ever requested information on this plan.

Continental Life Insurance Company Medicare Supplement Plan G

The CLI Texas Medigap Plan G covers all the areas of Plan F, with the exception of the Part B deductible ($140 in 2012). Generaly Plan G is several hundred dollars a year cheaper than F.

Continental Life Insurance Company Medicare Supplement Plan N

Plan N allows for the coverage of all the Plan F areas, except the Medicare Part B deductible and the Part B excess charges.  In addition, there are plan limits to the coverage of Part B coinsurance.  The plan covers Part B coinsurance 100%, but there are up to $20 copays on some doctor visits and up to $50 copays on emergency room visits that do not result in admission to the hospital as a patient.