Indiana is moving closer to giving its Medicare beneficiaries more flexibility and protection when shopping for Medicare Supplement Insurance, commonly called Medigap. Legislation sponsored by Representative Dant Chesser has cleared the Indiana House of Representatives and is now headed to the Indiana Senate for consideration. If it becomes law, the bill could meaningfully expand the options available to older Hoosiers who want to switch or enroll in Medigap coverage outside of the narrow windows that currently exist under federal and state rules.

To understand why this matters, it helps to know how Medigap enrollment works today. When you first enroll in Medicare Part B — typically at age 65 — you have a six-month open enrollment window during which insurance companies are required by federal law to sell you any Medigap plan they offer in your state, regardless of your health history. They cannot charge you more because of a pre-existing condition during this window. But once that window closes, federal law no longer guarantees you that right. In most states, insurers can use medical underwriting to evaluate your health, deny you coverage entirely, or charge you significantly higher premiums based on conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or a history of cancer. For many seniors who missed their initial window or who want to switch plans later in life, this creates a serious barrier.

Indiana currently does not have a birthday rule — a consumer protection that exists in states like California, Oregon, Nevada, and about ten others — that gives beneficiaries a 30-day window each year around their birthday to switch Medigap plans without medical underwriting. States with birthday rules include California, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Oregon. Indiana beneficiaries have not had access to that kind of annual protection, meaning that once their initial enrollment window closes, switching plans can be difficult or impossible if they have developed health conditions. The Dant Chesser legislation appears aimed at addressing exactly this gap.

The practical stakes are significant. Medigap plans in Indiana, as in all states, are standardized by the federal government into lettered plan types — Plan G, Plan N, and Plan F (for those eligible before January 1, 2020) are among the most popular. In 2025, a 65-year-old non-smoker in Indiana might pay anywhere from roughly $100 to $200 or more per month for a Plan G policy, depending on the insurer and the rating method used. Plan G covers the Medicare Part A deductible (which is $1,676 in 2025), the Part B coinsurance, skilled nursing facility coinsurance, and foreign travel emergency care, among other benefits. Plan N is typically less expensive but requires copayments of up to $20 for office visits and up to $50 for emergency room visits that don't result in inpatient admission. The ability to shop between insurers offering these standardized plans — without fear of being denied — can translate into hundreds of dollars in annual savings for beneficiaries who are healthy enough to qualify but currently locked out of switching.

For Indiana beneficiaries who are currently enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans and considering a switch to Original Medicare plus a Medigap policy, the stakes are even higher. Medicare Advantage enrollment has grown substantially in Indiana, as it has nationally, with roughly half of all Medicare beneficiaries now enrolled in Advantage plans. But Advantage plans change their networks, formularies, and cost-sharing structures every year during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 through December 7). A beneficiary who drops a Medicare Advantage plan to return to Original Medicare outside of a guaranteed-issue window may find that no Medigap insurer in Indiana will accept them — or that the premiums are prohibitively high — because of their health history. Legislation that creates new protected enrollment windows could make that transition far more feasible.

The bill's movement to the Indiana Senate means it still has steps to clear before becoming law. Senate committees will review the legislation, potentially amend it, and vote on it before it could reach the governor's desk. The specific mechanisms of the bill — whether it creates a birthday rule, an annual open enrollment period, or some other protected window — will matter enormously to how much protection beneficiaries actually receive in practice. A 30-day birthday window, for example, gives beneficiaries one annual opportunity to switch to a plan with equal or lesser benefits without underwriting. A broader open enrollment period would offer more flexibility but may face more resistance from insurers concerned about adverse selection.

Indiana beneficiaries who want to stay informed about this legislation should monitor updates from the Indiana Department of Insurance, which regulates Medigap policies in the state. The department's website at www.in.gov/idoi provides information on licensed insurers, consumer complaint resources, and policy guidance. Beneficiaries can also contact the Indiana State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), known locally as the Indiana SHIP, which provides free, unbiased counseling on Medicare options. SHIP counselors can help you compare Medigap plans currently available in your area, explain what your current plan covers, and walk you through what new enrollment rights might mean for your specific situation if the Dant Chesser bill becomes law.

While the bill is pending, there are still actions Indiana beneficiaries can take right now. If you are within your initial six-month Medigap open enrollment window — meaning you recently enrolled in Medicare Part B — you have guaranteed-issue rights today and should use them to compare plans carefully. If you are already past that window and enrolled in a Medigap plan, you are generally locked in unless you can pass medical underwriting to switch. If you are enrolled in Medicare Advantage and approaching the Open Enrollment Period (January 1 through March 31 each year), you can switch to a different Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare, though Medigap underwriting would still apply in Indiana under current law. Keeping a close eye on the Dant Chesser bill's progress through the Indiana Senate could determine whether your options expand significantly in the months ahead.