Anyone know if other Medigap Insurance do mid-year increases like UHC?

IN GENERAL - not specific to any plan:  It depends on the reason that your premiums are rising- for inflationary reasons, it is usually once a year but if you are getting a declining discount, that might be done at a different time like on your coverage anniversary.  OR if the company uses attained age as a rating method, then as the beneficiary gets older, the premiums rise - usually around their birthday.

The Federal government does not get involved in the pricing of Medigap plans - they only design the coverage parameters for each of the letter identifying plans.  Your state government (usually the dept of insurance or finance) can regulate Medigap plans and make them more lenient as to who can purchase one (like those who are on Medicare because of a disability and are younger than 65) or make it easier for a beneficiary to change or switch plans.  Both of these reasons can make specific plans much more expensive.  Some states review any increase in premium increase or at least ask the insurer to state their reasoning. OR if you have a community rated plan (which I think most AARP-UHC supplemental plans are) then the price you pay is the same for everybody - younger and older/ well and sick are just figured in with everybody to come up with the premium.

Medigap coverage is NOT medical insurance - it is more financial protection insurance since our Medicare program does not set an annual or lifetime out of pocket limit - so a Medigap plan protects a beneficiary’s financial exposure to Medicare covered expenses under Part A and Part B.

Since in recent years, insurers have been exposed to the conditions brought about by the Covid Pandemic, which is still ongoing with conditions of long-covid. and with new approved therapies for expensive treatments and monitoring for diseases like Alzheimers which is being covered by Part B - to name just a few - then you can look for Medigap premiums to rise with more utilization of traditional Medicare.

Remember Covid care was covered by the government during the Pandemic but now not so - Medicare utilization was also way down during the Pandemic - people just did not go to the doctor if it wasn’t absolutely necessary - mot so now, we are back to booking doc appointments - lots of specialist too because traditional Medicare has no rules on a required referral to a specialist.

Having a Medigap is not required for traditional Medicare - it may be required for your financial concern but many people do not have a Medigap plan - half of those on Medicare use a Medicare Advantage plan.  Or they may have other coverage to pick up some or all of their part of their traditional Medicare out of pocket cost - like MediCAID or military/veteran coverage or something else.

Just remember that every beneficiary in the same Medigap pool with you will continue to get older and with that perhaps sicker - so they may use their Medicare benefit more and more as the years gos by - and with that . . . . . higher Medigap premiums.  No way around it.  

It is what it is - Would you rather have traditional Medicare establish an annual out of pocket limit so we could do away with Medigap plans or at least modify them.    I read some study from a university a while back and it said this figure would be about $8500 a year currently.

I am a nobody - not an agent, just a beneficiary like you.  I’ve just been around Medicare for a very long time - take what you want and leave the rest.