Founded in 1996, Senior Services of Illinois, Inc. (SSI), is an independent, authorized senior general agent (SGA) for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL). SSI is one of four exclusive SGAs in the state of Illinois and serves as BCBSIL’s field agents. Currently, SSI has a roster of over 15,000 clients.

Senior Services of Illinois, Inc. (SSI) is a fully functioning insurance firm that has been providing exemplary customer service and insurance solution options for individuals with specific needs. SSI offers expertise in multiple insurance products such as; Individual Health, Medicare Supplemental Insurance, Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans, Life, Long-Term Care, Annuities and Dental.

Senior Services of Illinois, Inc. has over 20 dedicated license insurance specialists and administrative staff that are qualified to answer your questions and guide you toward your finding the most appropriate options for you and your loved ones.

Individual Health insurance is a policy option that an individual or family can apply for should group coverage through an employer not be an option.

The overall concept of coverage and benefits are relatively the same, however, individuals offered group coverage through an employer or union are guaranteed accepted regardless of health history and pre-existing conditions and not subjected to underwriting. Individual health policies subject an applicant to underwriting and health history and pre-existing conditions are taken into consideration and can affect the applicant’s eligibility or insurability.

Pre-existing conditions are those health conditions which were diagnosed or treated by a Provider during the 12 months prior to the coverage effective date, or for which symptoms existed which would cause an ordinary prudent person to seek diagnosis or treatment. Examples of pre-existing conditions would be diabetes, cancer, stroke, heart attacks, renal failure.

Yes. However, in many cases the severity of the condition can make an individual uninsurable and have them declined. Some pre-existing conditions might not be as severe and can have an Exclusion Rider attached to the corresponding condition and policy.

An exclusion rider is attached to a policy based on a certain pre-existing condition that an applicant may have. The rider excludes any coverage for a period of time for the corresponding condition. Some riders carry lifetime or permanent exclusion and some carry a 3-5 year waiting period before any coverage would be applied to that condition.

A deductible is the amount that a policy holder agrees to pay prior to any insurance starting. The deductible is not part of the maximum out-of-pocket expense limit, per se, because deductibles carry many different amounts, granted a policy holder is paying this amount first out-of-pocket. The maximum out-of-pocket limit is the coinsurance limitation set by the insurance carrier for that particular policy. A policy choice of 100% coverage carries no coinsurance or maximum out-of-pocket expense because it is agreed upon that after deductible is met the insurance pays 100% of all eligible expenses thereafter.

No. Based on the Affordable Care Act signed into legislation in March of 2010 by President Obama, any child under the age of 19 is not subject to underwriting nor can be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

Premiums increase with an applicant’s age, but are also subject to increases or “rate ups” based on an applicant’s height and weight proportions and being a smoker.

A waiting period is a set time a policy holder must wait before benefits start. An example is maternity. Maternity has a 365-day waiting period, meaning that should a policy holder become pregnant prior to the maternity waiting period fulfillment, no benefit will be covered from the time of pregnancy until the 365-day period has been satisfied.

Yes. You can cancel your policy at any time without the worry of a contract or being subject to any cancellation fees.

Sort of. There are 11 Medicare Supplemental Insurance Plan options, each with varying degrees of coverage. The Plans are standardized by the federal government, so one plan is the same for everyone. The Plan F coverage is the same with Insurance Carrier A as it is with Insurance Carrier B.

No. The premiums for the plans are set by the individual insurance carriers that provide them.

Typically, the Medicare Supplemental Insurance Plans covers your out-of-pocket expenses that Medicare leaves you responsible for after it has paid its portion of expenses. Your out-of-pocket expenses are in the form deductibles, per diem hospital and skilled nursing care room charges, co-insurance and assignment charges.

You can enroll in a Medicare Supplemental Insurance Plan if you are eligible for Medicare eligible and enrolled in Part B of Medicare. If you aren’t enrolled in Part B of Medicare or you have secondary insurance through a group or union, then you wouldn’t qualify for a Medicare Supplemental Insurance Plan.

Yes. However, once outside of your Initial or Special Enrollment Period you are no longer guaranteed accepted and you are subjected to underwriting. Some insurance carriers like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois allow a beneficiary to change his or her plan at any time throughout the year without being subjected to underwriting.

No. Enrollment in a Medicare Supplemental Insurance plan is optional. Unlike Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, there aren’t penalties assessed for not enrolling. However, a beneficiary runs the risk of being subjected to underwriting and not qualifying for a plan if he or she enrolls outside of a guaranteed issue period.

Yes. Medicare is the primary insurance for Medicare Beneficiaries. the doctor and the hospital (as long as they accept Medicare) bills Medicare first and then Medicare delivers the beneficiary’s responsible charges to the coordinated Supplemental Insurance Plan carrier, who then pay those portions to the doctors and hospitals.

You are responsible for all the costs approved by Medicare after it pays its portions.

No. You are responsible for all charges or procedures not approved by Medicare. If Medicare approves a charge or procedure, then the Medicare Supplemental Insurance plan covers your responsible charges depending on which plan a beneficiary is enrolled in. Different plans offer different coverages. Please see our Article Library for a a complete list of plans and plan coverages.

Yes. Since Medicare doesn’t cover foreign travel, the Medicare Supplemental Insurance plans have emergency foreign travel coverage built in. Once you fulfill a $250 deductible, you are then responsible for 20% of all covered charges up to a lifetime maximum benefit of $50,000.

Medicare Part D is a federal program put in place to help Medicare beneficiaries with the costs of their prescription drugs.  It was launched in January of 2006 as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003.

Gap Coverage, or “donut hole”, is the difference of the initial coverage limit and the catastrophic coverage threshold.  Once an individual meets his or her initial coverage limit that year, he or she is then in gap coverage and then is responsible for the True-Out-Of-Pocket (TROOP) costs.  Due to the Medicare Modernization Act of 2008, once in gap coverage as of 2011, an individual is responsible for 50% of retail costs of Preferred Brand and Brand medication and pharmaceutical companies are responsible for up to 50%.

Yes.  If a Medicare beneficiary doesn’t sign up for a Part D prescription drug plan within his or her Initial or Special Enrollment periods, Medicare will assess a 1% compounded penalty for each month that a beneficiary doesn’t enroll.

No.  The only time you can change your Part D prescription drug plan is during the Annual Enrollment Period that runs from October 15th – December 7th.

No. You would contact an insurance carrier such as us that is contracted with Medicare Part D and provides Part D Prescription Drug plans.

During the three enrollment periods, depending on individual circumstance.  Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), Special Enrollment Period (SEP) and Annual Enrollment Period (AEP).

Enrolling in a Part D prescription drug plan is optional.  However, compounded penalties will be assessed for the months that you do not enroll when you decide to enroll.  See Question 3.

Plan premiums vary and are set by insurance carriers that offer Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.

Depends. VA prescription coverage/premiums varies much like a traditional Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Compare the VA coverage versus a traditional Part D prescription drug plan. You may join a Medicare drug plan, but if you do, you can’t use both types of coverage for the same prescription at the same time. For more information, call the VA at 1 800 827 1000, or visit www.va.gov.

Yes. You may qualify for Extra Help, also known as the low-income subsidy (LIS), from Medicare to pay for prescriptions if your yearly income and resources are below the following limits (for 2011):

1. Single Person – Income less than $16,335 and resources less than $12,640
2. Married person living with a spouse and no other dependants – Income less than $22,065 and resources less than $25,260