During the Medigap open enrollment period in California, an insurer:
Select an option to reveal the answer and the full 3-part explanation — free, no signup.
Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
California law (CIC Section 10192.11) establishes a Medigap open enrollment period: a beneficiary age 65 or older who is enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Part B has a window during which insurers must accept the applicant and may not deny coverage or impose a higher premium because of health status. During open enrollment, medical underwriting is prohibited. After the window closes, insurers generally may underwrite, which is why agents counsel beneficiaries to act during open enrollment. The window protects beneficiaries who act promptly at age 65.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Age over 70 is not a lawful basis to deny a Medigap policy during the open enrollment period. No age ceiling limits Medigap availability during the open enrollment window at all.
- C) Medical underwriting for health status is exactly what the open enrollment period prohibits. Medical underwriting based on health status is suspended during the open enrollment window entirely, by California law.
- D) Former Medicare Advantage enrollees may have their own guaranteed issue rights under Section 10192.12; refusing them outright would not comply with the law. Those beneficiaries have their own statutory protections.
Memory hook
Medigap open enrollment = the health-free pass: no denial, no surcharge for preexisting conditions, no underwriting questions.