Central States Indemnity (CSI) Medicare Insurance Review & Complaints: Health Insurance (2023)

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Midwestern insurance company Central States Indemnity (CSI) is based out of Omaha, Nebraska, and is licensed in all states except New York. They are accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and have an A+ rating. They offer several products but focus on Medicare Supplement insurance benefits. Plans can cost $97.08 monthly.

CSI writes a range of specialty insurance protection products, including supplemental health insurance coverage policies. Policies may be underwritten by either of the CSI insurance companies. This CSI Medicare review will look specifically at the available CSI Medicare plans. We’ll cover how to get a CSI Medicare quote and what you can expect from this company.

While affordable CSI Medicare insurance may be available to you, it’s always a good idea to shop around and learn your insurance options. Just enter your ZIP code in the search tool to get online insurance coverage choices quotes for affordable coverage in minutes.

What is Central States Indemnity?

Central States Health & Life Co. of Omaha was founded in 1932 in its namesake city. In 1971 Central States Indemnity was created for the purpose of providing involuntary unemployment insurance and casualty insurance products. The insurer has a subsidiary, Central States Life Insurance, that handles a wide range of life insurance coverage policies as well as underwriting other products in some states. In 1992 the company was acquired by insurance giant Berkshire Hathaway, and it now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary.

The company headquarters is still in Omaha, although they serve customers across the country. Products are sold through independent insurance agents.

Residents of all states with the exception of New York are eligible for CSI Medicare insurance. Open enrollment periods are determined by the government.

What Types of Insurance is Offered?

The CSI website is limited in terms of product information. Although Medicare Supplement is the only product listed or described, there is still very little to detail regarding their policies.

Although CSI is licensed in all states except New York, that does not mean they sell Medicare Supplement in all of those places. They list a dozen states where no coverage is available: AK, CA, CT, DE, HI, MA, MN, MO, NY, RI, VT, and WA.

A list of coverage options is not offered for any state, but we were able to access which policies are offered by running an online quote. For the purpose of this review, we used the company’s headquarters ZIP code in Omaha to obtain quotes, and thus a list of policies available – rates will be discussed in the next section.

According to our quote, policies offered in Nebraska are Plans A, F, G, and N. Plan A is the base plan, and all insurance companies that write Medicare Supplement are required to offer it. This plan pays for all Part A & B coinsurance amounts as well as the first three pints of blood each year.

Plan F is the highest level of coverage of all the policy options, paying all out of pocket costs including deductibles, coinsurance, and even emergency medical during foreign travel. The other two plans land in between in terms of what they cover.

CS Medicare Supplement may include Silver Sneakers, a free fitness membership plan.

Does the Company Offer Competitive Rates?

Regarding Central States Indemnity (CSI) Insurance policy rates, CSI uses a third-party system to offer online quotes for Medicare Supplement. Our rate quote for a 65-year-old non-smoking female in Omaha returned prices for the four options listed above.

Plan A came back at a rate of $153.83 a month and Plan F at $233.42. Plan N was the least expensive option at $128.33 a month. The final rate for Plan G was $163.08 a month.

Because these insurance policy rates are specific to Omaha, and coverage is not available in California where we usually sample, we are unable to compare them in terms of value.

How Are Claims Handled?

CSI offers a toll-free number for Medicare Supplement questions and claims. The status of claims can be found by logging into a member account.

The claims process is like most Medicare Supplement insurers, claims are generally handled directly with providers – in fact, it is quite unusual for us to see a phone number offered for claims. It is likely that this line is generally used when there is a question about how a claim was handled, rather than for the actual filing of claims.

The CSI Medicare Supplement provider portal is used by providers to file claims.

Are the Ratings and Consumer Reviews Positive?

Central States Indemnity has been Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited since 2004, and the company has an A+ rating. There have five complaints from insurance customers on file and no reviews.

There are seven reviews on Google, resulting in a two-star rating overall. Two of the reviews are positive, while the rest are negative and have mixed comments. Three of the complaints mention that they had been charged for a product from CSI without their knowledge on an ongoing basis; one appears to have been through a policy tacked onto a mortgage. The rest cite denial of claims and other problems. Three of the reviews are in regards to Medicare Supplement, with two positive and one negative.

On Pissed Consumer, we found two reviews of the insurance company, both in regards to an “Extra Cash” policy for income replacement. One was glowingly positive, and the other solidly negative, essentially canceling each other out.

CSI Medicare: What’s the Bottom Line?

CSI makes the process of getting policy information a little convoluted, and their website leaves something to be desired in terms of details. They do not have a high complaint volume, however, and there are enough positive reviews to balance the negative. They are worth a rate comparison for those who are seeking Medicare Supplement insurance in one of the states CSI covers.

Before you decide to buy CSI Medicare insurance, compare your options with other insurance companies. Just type your ZIP code into the search tool below for free quotes.