Medicare in Maine

30% of Medicare beneficiaries in Maine were enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans in 2018, but that had grown to nearly 53% as of late 2022. The remaining 47% of Maine’s Medicare beneficiaries had opted instead for coverage under Original Medicare. Nationwide, about 46% of all Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans as of 2022, but Maine was among several states where Advantage enrollment had surpassed Original Medicare enrollment by that point.

The availability of Medicare Advantage plans varies from one county to another. Across Maine’s 16 counties, Medicare Advantage availability in 2023 ranges from 31 plans in Washington County, to 37 plans in Oxford and Kennebec counties.

Medicare beneficiaries can switch from Medicare Advantage enrollment to Original Medicare or vice versa, each year during the annual election period in the fall (October 15 through December 7). There is also a Medicare Advantage open enrollment period (January 1 to March 31) during which people who are already enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or drop their Medicare Advantage plan and enroll in Original Medicare instead.

Medigap plans are used to supplement Original Medicare, covering some or all of the out-of-pocket costs (for coinsurance and deductibles) that people would otherwise incur if they only had Original Medicare on its own.

Medigap plans are standardized under federal rules — plans are designated by letter, from A through N; all Medigap insurers must offer at least Plan A and also offer at least Plan C or Plan F in addition to Plan A (note that under federal rules, Plan C and Plan F cannot be sold to people who weren’t already eligible for Medicare in 2019 or earlier).

People are granted a six-month window, when they turn 65 and enroll in Original Medicare, during which coverage is guaranteed issue for Medigap plans. Federal rules do not, however, guarantee access to a Medigap plan if you’re under 65 and eligible for Medicare as a result of a disability. And after the initial six-month open enrollment period ends, federal rules do not allow enrollees guaranteed-issue access to Medigap plans (including switching from one plan to another) unless they experience one of the limited situations that trigger a guaranteed-issue right.

But Maine has much more extensive Medigap regulations, designed to protect consumers and ensure greater access to Medigap. Maine’s rules are explained in the state’s Consumer Guide to Medicare Supplement Plans, and include several provisions:

• All Medigap insurers in Maine must designate at least one month per year when all applicants will be accepted for enrollment in Medigap Plan A, regardless of their medical history (Plan A offers the least amount of benefits). Insurers can be more lenient than this basic requirement and two insurers (Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Colonial Penn) offer year-round access to Medigap Plan A. The rest of the insurers have varying one-month windows when Plan A is available on a guaranteed-issue basis.
• People under age 65 in Maine are granted the same six-month open enrollment period for guaranteed-issue Medigap plans (starting when they’re enrolled in Medicare Part B) as people who are 65 and enrolling in Medicare due to their age. These enrollees also have access to another six-month open enrollment period — during which they can switch to any Medigap plan on a guaranteed-issue basis — when they turn 65. Maine Rule 275, Section 11 clarifies that insurers cannot condition eligibility or premiums on a person’s medical history as long as they enroll during their six-month open enrollment window, or in the 60 days preceding it (to ensure that people can have a seamless transition to Medicare, with Medigap coverage effective the same day Medicare begins).
• After the initial six-month window ends, Medigap enrollees in Maine are allowed to switch to a different plan from their current insurer or a different insurer, as long as they pick a plan with equal or lesser benefits (this chart on page 5 shows which plans are available, depending on the plan the person already has) and as long as they haven’t had a break of more than 90 days in their Medigap coverage since their initial open enrollment period.
• Medigap insurers in Maine must allow a Medicare beneficiary to enroll in a Medigap plan if they apply within 90 days of losing coverage under an individual market plan (not counting a short-term health plan or fixed indemnity plan), an employer-sponsored plan, or MaineCare (Medicaid).
• Maine is one of eight states where Medigap premiums cannot vary based on age, and that provision also includes people under age 65 (some of the states that ban age-based Medigap premiums only apply that requirement to plans sold to people who are at least 65 years old). Medigap premiums in Maine only vary based on tobacco use.
• Federal law gives people a “trial right” to try Medicare Advantage and then switch to Original Medicare instead, with guaranteed-issue access to Medigap as long as the person makes the switch to Original Medicare within a year. But Maine law extends that trial right period to three years. If a person in Maine signs up for Medicare Advantage when they’re first eligible for Medicare and then switches to Original Medicare within three years, they have a guaranteed-issue right to buy any Medigap plan available in their area, as long as they purchase it within 90 days of their Medicare Advantage plan ending.
• Maine residents who have Medigap coverage and terminate it to switch to Medicare Advantage also have a three-year trial period, although it’s a little more restrictive. As long as they switch back to Original Medicare within three years and apply for a Medigap plan within 90 days of the Medicare Advantage plan ending, they have a guaranteed issue right to buy a Medigap plan with benefits that are equal to or less than their original Medigap plan’s benefits (again, this chart on page 5 shows which plans have equal or lesser benefits).

There are 15 insurers in Maine that offer Medigap plans, as well as several association groups that offer Medigap coverage in the state. The state’s consumer guide shows 2023 Medigap premiums as well as each insurer’s pre-existing condition waiting period (if applicable) for people who didn’t have continuous coverage before enrolling in the Medigap plan. Insurers cannot exclude pre-existing conditions if the applicant had a least six months of creditable coverage prior to enrolling in Medigap (if they had creditable coverage but for a period of less than six months, the insurer can implement a pre-existing condition waiting period of up to six months minus the amount of time the person had creditable coverage in the prior six months).

Original Medicare does not cover outpatient prescription drugs. But Medicare beneficiaries can get prescription coverage via a Medicare Advantage plan, an employer-sponsored plan (offered by a current or former employer), or a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan.

As of October 2022, there were 287,402 Medicare beneficiaries in Maine enrolled in Part D coverage. The majority of them — more than 181,000 — had Part D coverage integrated with Medicare Advantage plans. And there were also more than 106,000 who had stand-alone Part D plans. As of late 2018, about 43% of Maine’s Medicare beneficiaries had been enrolled in stand-alone Medicare Part D plans, but that has dropped as Medicare Advantage enrollment has increased. By late 2022, only about 29% of the Maine Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in stand-alone Medicare Part D plans.

For 2023 coverage, there are 24 stand-alone Medicare Part D plans available in Maine, with premiums ranging from $4 to $105 per month.

Medicare Part D enrollment is available when a person is first eligible for Medicare, and there’s also an annual open enrollment period (October 15 – December 7) when beneficiaries can enroll in Part D coverage or switch to a different plan for the coming year.

Many Medicare beneficiaries receive financial assistance through Medicaid with the cost of Medicare premiums, prescription drug expenses, and services Medicare doesn’t cover – such as long-term care.

Our guide to financial assistance for Medicare enrollees in Maine includes overviews of these programs, including long-term care coverage, Medicare Savings Programs, and eligibility guidelines for assistance.

Need help with your Medicare application in Maine, or have questions about Medicare eligibility in Maine? These resources provide free assistance and information.

• You can contact the Maine State Health Insurance Assistance Program.
• The website for the Maine Bureau of Insurance includes a page of frequently asked Medicare questions.
• Visit the Medicare Rights Center. This website provides helpful information geared to Medicare beneficiaries, caregivers, and professionals.