eHealth “MedSup” Price Index Shows Medicare Consumers Can Save 20% on Medicare Supplement Plans by Comparing Their Options

Survey of 169 Medicare Supplement Plan F offerings across 47 states and D.C. shows average Medicare Supplement Plan F premium is $162 for Women and $173 for Men at age 65

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – October 12, 2016 – A 65-year-old person enrolling in a Medicare Supplement F plan could save an average of twenty percent (20%) on their monthly premiums by comparing their options at eHealthMedicare.com and enrolling in the lowest cost plan, according to a new report published today by eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH – eHealthMedicare.com), the nation’s first and largest private online health insurance exchange.  

“If you want to find a Medicare insurance plan for your needs and budget, you should compare your choices from the broadest selection possible,” said eHealth CEO Scott Flanders. “What our analysis makes clear is that when people have options in a competitive market, they can save money when they comparison shop.”

Of the 10 types of Medicare Supplement plans available nationwide, 40%1 of those enrolled in a Medicare Supplement plan are enrolled in Plan F, which makes it the most popular plan by more than a three-to-one margin. By comparison, only 13% of those enrolled in a Medicare Supplement plan are enrolled in Plan C1

eHealth compared the monthly premiums for non-smoking men and non-smoking women who enrolled in a Medicare Supplement (MedSup) Plan F plan at age 65, age 67, and age 72 across 47 states and the District of Columbia.

Highlights from eHealth’s analysis of Medicare Supplement plan premiums for plans offered on its websites include:

  • A person could save over 20% on average by reviewing all their Plan F options and choosing the one with the lowest premium: On a state-by-state basis, Medicare Supplement Plan F premiums vary by as much as 50% in states like Arizona to as little as 2% or 3% in states like Rhode Island and South Dakota, respectively.
  • On average, the difference in premium between the highest priced and lowest priced Medicare Supplement Plan F plan available on eHealthMedicare.com was 21.2% at the state level.
  • Women pay 5% less than men: The average quoted Plan F premium for a female non-smoker at age 65 was $162 per month versus $173 per month for men.
  • New Mexico has the lowest average premium: eHealth offers Plan F plans from three different insurers in New Mexico. The combined average price of those three options was $130 per month for a male age 65 and $116 per month for women age 65.
  • New York has the highest average rate: eHealth offers Plan F plans from three different insurers in New York. The combined average price of those three options was $281 per month for a male or female aged 65.
  • Between age 65 and age 67, Medicare Supplement Plan F premiums increase 5.6% on average: For men and women, the average quoted rate for a 67-year-old was more than 5% higher than the average quoted rate for a 65-year-old.
  • Between age 67 and age 72, Medicare Supplement Plan F premiums increase more than 15% on average: For men and women, the average quoted rate for a 72-year-old was more than 15% higher than the average quoted rate for a 67-year-old.

State-specific premium data
The following figures represent the average quoted premiums for Medicare Supplement Plan F plans available on eHealthMedicare.com for male and female non-smokers at ages 65, 67, and 72.  Today on eHealth, 25 different insurance companies offer a total of more than 169 Medicare Supplement F plans across 47 states and the District of Columbia. On average, eHealth offers Medicare Supplement F plans from three or more insurance companies in each of the states it serves.

 

Male Age 65

Female Age 65

Male Age 67

Female Age 67

Male Age 72

Female Age 72

AK

 $137.30

 $128.21

 $146.08

 $136.52

 $174.64

 $162.90

AL

 $149.93

 $141.79

 $161.44

 $152.70

 $193.87

 $183.06

AR

 $172.69

 $172.69

 $172.69

 $172.69

 $172.69

 $172.69

AZ

 $177.07

 $164.77

 $188.38

 $175.43

 $218.27

 $203.51

CA

 $165.57

 $165.57

 $178.19

 $178.19

 $219.60

 $219.60

CO

 $161.97

 $149.49

 $173.79

 $160.31

 $210.69

 $193.83

CT

 $252.10

 $252.10

 $252.10

 $252.10

 $252.10

 $252.10

DC

 $214.88

 $206.29

 $231.58

 $220.86

 $262.80

 $244.19

DE

 $187.09

 $163.98

 $195.59

 $171.37

 $233.28

 $203.94

FL

 $255.75

 $223.14

 $268.46

 $234.02

 $304.59

 $265.13

GA

 $178.87

 $168.58

 $190.20

 $178.57

 $215.79

 $200.03

HI

 $155.70

 $155.31

 $168.22

 $166.21

 $204.19

 $194.20

IA

 $140.96

 $126.02

 $148.04

 $132.18

 $176.91

 $156.73

ID

 $179.57

 $179.57

 $180.44

 $180.44

 $205.83

 $205.83

IL

 $153.45

 $145.49

 $165.16

 $156.70

 $200.02

 $189.53

IN

 $156.28

 $146.31

 $170.33

 $159.42

 $206.32

 $192.96

KS

 $154.98

 $146.48

 $165.47

 $156.49

 $197.96

 $186.72

KY

 $157.21

 $143.46

 $168.07

 $153.33

 $202.20

 $183.67

LA

 $181.17

 $165.81

 $194.02

 $177.48

 $233.64

 $212.69

MD

 $249.76

 $236.83

 $254.38

 $241.02

 $298.36

 $272.73

ME

 $211.36

 $211.36

 $211.36

 $211.36

 $211.36

 $211.36

MI

 $171.64

 $164.30

 $185.24

 $177.28

 $225.56

 $215.12

MO

 $196.18

 $181.44

 $211.68

 $195.79

 $238.75

 $220.42

MS

 $150.99

 $136.69

 $159.03

 $143.68

 $190.28

 $169.99

MT

 $131.32

 $131.32

 $137.64

 $137.64

 $163.92

 $163.92

NC

 $147.56

 $139.56

 $158.15

 $149.64

 $190.81

 $180.14

ND

 $155.60

 $137.43

 $162.99

 $143.86

 $194.66

 $171.04

NE

 $147.61

 $134.18

 $158.06

 $143.69

 $190.35

 $172.56

NH

 $206.09

 $179.90

 $216.40

 $188.81

 $245.70

 $214.10

NJ

 $173.22

 $173.20

 $188.04

 $187.96

 $225.26

 $224.88

NM

 $130.39

 $115.90

 $136.72

 $121.41

 $163.27

 $144.09

NV

 $189.31

 $171.16

 $201.15

 $181.76

 $244.25

 $220.18

NY

 $281.46

 $281.46

 $281.46

 $281.46

 $281.46

 $281.46

OH

 $152.14

 $141.81

 $165.33

 $154.14

 $202.86

 $188.97

OK

 $145.77

 $130.74

 $153.28

 $137.30

 $182.97

 $162.59

OR

 $138.33

 $138.28

 $150.03

 $149.79

 $179.86

 $178.74

PA

 $167.11

 $152.29

 $176.64

 $161.15

 $210.89

 $192.31

RI

 $174.02

 $152.46

 $181.99

 $159.40

 $217.13

 $189.81

SC

 $157.02

 $142.09

 $166.74

 $150.81

 $202.56

 $182.65

SD

 $147.50

 $130.90

 $154.69

 $137.15

 $184.86

 $162.94

TN

 $168.91

 $151.25

 $171.58

 $153.57

 $188.07

 $167.21

TX

 $162.08

 $154.67

 $175.76

 $167.89

 $211.24

 $201.55

UT

 $148.08

 $130.37

 $155.01

 $136.40

 $185.05

 $162.27

VA

 $147.37

 $134.78

 $160.16

 $146.46

 $193.79

 $176.47

VT

 $206.75

 $206.75

 $206.75

 $206.75

 $206.75

 $206.75

WA

 $203.05

 $203.05

 $203.05

 $203.05

 $203.05

 $203.05

WV

 $149.91

 $132.79

 $157.10

 $139.05

 $187.58

 $165.16

WY

 $138.50

 $130.63

 $147.71

 $139.34

 $176.69

 $165.94

Average

$172.53

$161.93

$181.38

$170.05

$210.06

$195.66

 

Detailed state-specific premium data             
The following table shows the highest quoted rate for a Medicare Supplement Plan F plan and lowest quoted rate for a Medicare Supplement Plan F plan in each state on eHealthMedicare.com. The prices listed are for the Medicare Supplement Plan F plans available to male and female non-smokers at age 65 on eHealthMedicare.com*.  

Age 65 Non-Smoker

Male

Female

State

AK

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $127.92

 $126.94

Highest Quoted Rate

 $165.00

 $165.00

Difference

 $37.08

 $38.06

Percent Difference

22%

23%

State

AL

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $129.90

 $129.90

Highest Quoted Rate

 $178.08

 $177.33

Difference

 $48.18

 $47.43

Percent Difference

27%

27%

State

AR

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $167.17

 $167.17

Highest Quoted Rate

 $199.34

 $199.34

Difference

 $32.17

 $32.17

Percent Difference

16%

16%

State

AZ

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $142.67

 $142.67

Highest Quoted Rate

 $294.69

 $283.43

Difference

 $152.02

 $140.76

Percent Difference

52%

50%

State

CA

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $156.79

 $156.79

Highest Quoted Rate

 $179.08

 $179.08

Difference

 $22.29

 $22.29

Percent Difference

12%

12%

State

CO

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $137.50

 $137.50

Highest Quoted Rate

 $185.92

 $175.16

Difference

 $48.42

 $37.66

Percent Difference

26%

22%

State

CT

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $234.50

 $234.50

Highest Quoted Rate

 $311.75

 $311.75

Difference

 $77.24

 $77.24

Percent Difference

25%

25%

State

DC

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $146.53

 $146.16

Highest Quoted Rate

 $237.67

 $226.33

Difference

 $91.14

 $80.17

Percent Difference

38%

35%

State

DE

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $177.01

 $163.21

Highest Quoted Rate

 $187.70

 $176.57

Difference

 $10.69

 $13.35

Percent Difference

6%

8%

State

FL

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $239.77

 $223.01

Highest Quoted Rate

 $256.46

 $225.97

Difference

 $16.69

 $2.96

Percent Difference

7%

1%

State

GA

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $165.88

 $158.27

Highest Quoted Rate

 $210.28

 $202.28

Difference

 $44.40

 $44.00

Percent Difference

21%

22%

State

IA

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $134.97

 $139.08

Highest Quoted Rate

 $173.59

 $173.16

Difference

 $38.62

 $34.08

Percent Difference

22%

20%

State

ID

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $178.44

 $178.44

Highest Quoted Rate

 $199.00

 $199.00

Difference

 $20.56

 $20.56

Percent Difference

10%

10%

State

LA

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $141.46

 $133.74

Highest Quoted Rate

 $186.08

 $185.62

Difference

 $44.62

 $51.88

Percent Difference

24%

28%

State

IN

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $141.87

 $126.22

Highest Quoted Rate

 $172.55

 $167.26

Difference

 $30.68

 $41.05

Percent Difference

18%

25%

State

KS

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $147.67

 $138.08

Highest Quoted Rate

 $197.24

 $196.74

Difference

 $49.57

 $58.66

Percent Difference

25%

30%

State

KY

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $153.55

 $133.52

Highest Quoted Rate

 $173.77

 $173.32

Difference

 $20.22

 $39.80

Percent Difference

12%

23%

State

LA

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $169.63

 $147.51

Highest Quoted Rate

 $192.12

 $191.65

Difference

 $22.49

 $44.14

Percent Difference

12%

23%

State

MD

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $179.46

 $173.00

Highest Quoted Rate

 $276.00

 $268.00

Difference

 $96.54

 $95.00

Percent Difference

35%

35%

State

ME

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $195.30

 $195.30

Highest Quoted Rate

 $245.39

 $245.39

Difference

 $50.08

 $50.08

Percent Difference

20%

20%

State

MI

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $147.52

 $147.52

Highest Quoted Rate

 $200.60

 $200.12

Difference

 $53.08

 $52.60

Percent Difference

26%

26%

State

MO

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $182.00

 $174.45

Highest Quoted Rate

 $212.35

 $204.26

Difference

 $30.35

 $29.81

Percent Difference

14%

15%

State

MS

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $141.85

 $123.35

Highest Quoted Rate

 $181.14

 $180.69

Difference

 $39.28

 $57.33

Percent Difference

22%

32%

State

MT

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $128.42

 $128.42

Highest Quoted Rate

 $158.98

 $158.98

Difference

 $30.56

 $30.56

Percent Difference

19%

19%

State

NC

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $136.29

 $131.99

Highest Quoted Rate

 $176.77

 $176.34

Difference

 $40.48

 $44.35

Percent Difference

23%

25%

State

ND

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $147.96

 $136.15

Highest Quoted Rate

 $156.57

 $147.57

Difference

 $8.61

 $11.42

Percent Difference

6%

8%

State

NE

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $137.53

 $119.59

Highest Quoted Rate

 $156.56

 $156.14

Difference

 $19.03

 $36.55

Percent Difference

12%

23%

State

NH

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $182.68

 $166.07

Highest Quoted Rate

 $205.87

 $179.02

Difference

 $23.19

 $12.95

Percent Difference

11%

7%

State

NJ

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $172.20

 $172.20

Highest Quoted Rate

 $208.47

 $207.95

Difference

 $36.27

 $35.75

Percent Difference

17%

17%

State

 NM

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $127.33

 $110.72

Highest Quoted Rate

 $170.61

 $152.97

Difference

 $43.28

 $42.25

Percent Difference

25%

28%

State

NV

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $167.72

 $145.85

Highest Quoted Rate

 $225.12

 $209.08

Difference

 $57.40

 $63.23

Percent Difference

25%

30%

State

NY

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $220.75

 $220.75

Highest Quoted Rate

 $340.18

 $340.18

Difference

 $119.44

 $119.44

Percent Difference

35%

35%

State

OH

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $138.53

 $138.53

Highest Quoted Rate

 $174.66

 $167.64

Difference

 $36.13

 $29.11

Percent Difference

21%

17%

State

OK 

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $128.09

 $116.66

Highest Quoted Rate

 $187.13

 $186.67

Difference

 $59.03

 $70.01

Percent Difference

32%

38%

State

OR

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $132.75

 $132.75

Highest Quoted Rate

 $213.00

 $213.00

Difference

 $80.25

 $80.25

Percent Difference

38%

38%

State

PA

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $157.92

 $148.45

Highest Quoted Rate

 $226.19

 $225.62

Difference

 $68.27

 $77.17

Percent Difference

30%

34%

State

RI

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $156.40

 $152.24

Highest Quoted Rate

 $175.08

 $156.01

Difference

 $18.68

 $3.77

Percent Difference

11%

2%

State

SC

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $143.38

 $124.68

Highest Quoted Rate

 $169.67

 $162.67

Difference

 $26.29

 $37.99

Percent Difference

15%

23%

State

SD

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $146.89

 $127.73

Highest Quoted Rate

 $151.32

 $150.92

Difference

 $4.43

 $23.19

Percent Difference

3%

15%

State

TN

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $150.39

 $140.55

Highest Quoted Rate

 $180.05

 $179.61

Difference

 $29.66

 $39.06

Percent Difference

16%

22%

State

TX

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $147.67

 $137.71

Highest Quoted Rate

 $197.84

 $188.72

Difference

 $50.17

 $51.01

Percent Difference

25%

27%

State

UT 

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $131.00

 $131.00

Highest Quoted Rate

 $163.43

 $163.01

Difference

 $32.43

 $32.01

Percent Difference

20%

20%

State

VA

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $126.90

 $110.35

Highest Quoted Rate

 $195.33

 $186.00

Difference

 $68.43

 $75.65

Percent Difference

35%

41%

State

VT 

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $192.94

 $192.94

Highest Quoted Rate

 $207.24

 $207.24

Difference

 $14.30

 $14.30

Percent Difference

7%

7%

State

WA

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $201.69

 $201.69

Highest Quoted Rate

 $241.56

 $241.56

Difference

 $39.87

 $39.87

Percent Difference

17%

17%

State

WV 

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $146.33

 $127.24

Highest Quoted Rate

 $180.10

 $179.64

Difference

 $33.77

 $52.39

Percent Difference

19%

29%

State

WY

Lowest Quoted Rate

 $134.01

 $116.53

Highest Quoted Rate

 $157.30

 $156.92

Difference

 $23.29

 $40.38

Percent Difference

15%

26%

Average Price Difference

21.2%

*This table does not include Hawaii.

 

Notes:

1 Data from a January 13, 2014 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, Medigap Reform: Setting the Context for Understanding Recent Proposals (http://kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/medigap-reform-setting-the-context/)

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