New Medicare Supplement Guaranteed Issue rights in Minnesota.

Published August 3, 2026 · By Erik Roti, Options.Health

Quick summary: Two Minnesota Medicare Supplement rule changes take effect this month. Starting August 1, 2026, insurers must offer a new annual Guaranteed Issue window during specific enrollment periods — a real opportunity if you’re between 65 and 70 and missed your original enrollment window. Starting August 27, 2026, a separate change tightens underwriting on certain plan switches with your existing carrier. One change opens a door; the other closes one. Here’s what each means.

A new annual Guaranteed Issue window, starting August 1, 2026

Historically, your best shot at getting into a Minnesota Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan without medical underwriting was your initial 6-month enrollment window right after your Medicare Part B effective date. Miss that window, and insurers could generally ask health questions and price — or decline — coverage accordingly.

Starting August 1, 2026, Minnesota Medicare Supplement insurers are required to offer an annual Guaranteed Issue opportunity during these windows:

• Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): October 15 – December 7
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP): January 1 – March 31
• Anytime, for individuals residing in a long-term care facility

This gives people a recurring, once-per-lifetime chance to enroll in or switch Medicare Supplement coverage without being medically underwritten — something that, outside of specific qualifying events, hasn’t generally been available since your original enrollment period.

Who qualifies, and what it costs

To use this annual Guaranteed Issue opportunity, you generally need to meet these conditions:

• You must be age 65 to 70 on the effective date of the new plan
• You must be applying outside your original Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment Period or another existing guaranteed issue right
• This opportunity can only be used once

Insurers may apply a premium adjustment to the standard rate for applicants using this annual Guaranteed Issue window, so it’s worth comparing the guaranteed-issue rate against what you might qualify for through medical underwriting if you’re in good health — the two paths won’t always cost the same.

Which specific plans you can choose from also depends on when you turned 65: if your 65th birthday or Medicare Part A effective date was before January 1, 2020, you can enroll in any Medicare Supplement plan and rider currently offered in Minnesota. If it was on or after January 1, 2020, you can enroll in any current plan except the Extended Basic plan and the Part B Annual Deductible rider.

Documentation requirements

If you’re applying during AEP or MA OEP, no supporting documentation is required — the window itself is your qualifying event. If you’re applying as a long-term care facility resident outside those windows, the facility needs to provide written confirmation of your name, admission date, expected length of stay of 90 days or more, and the facility’s contact information.

A separate change: underwriting on internal plan switches, starting August 27, 2026

The second change moves in the opposite direction. If you already have a Medicare Supplement plan with an effective date of June 1, 2010 or later, and you want to switch to a different Medicare Supplement plan or rider with your same insurer outside of your Open Enrollment Period or a guaranteed issue window, you’ll need to go through underwriting starting August 27, 2026.

In practice: if you have a health condition disclosed on the application, you may not be approved for the new plan or rider you’re trying to move to. Some internal plan changes for this group were previously handled with less scrutiny — that’s tightening up.