GTL Advantage Plus Elite: What Medicare Agents Should Know About This Hospital Indemnity Plan
Guest post by Aaron Hildenbrand.
Guarantee Trust Life's Advantage Plus Elite is a limited-benefit hospital indemnity policy. It pays scheduled cash benefits when covered hospital and related events happen. It is not a Medicare Supplement, and it is not a substitute for major medical coverage.
Medicare Advantage members still face inpatient copays, observation cost sharing, and an annual maximum out-of-pocket that can run into the thousands. Agents who understand how one hospital indemnity design is built can map a daily cash benefit to a real Evidence of Coverage instead of selling a vague "hospital gap" story.
This article covers what GTL publishes about Advantage Plus Elite, how the base plan and riders work, and what to verify by state before you quote. Every product fact below comes from GTL's public brochure and product page, linked in each section.
What Advantage Plus Elite is
Advantage Plus Elite is underwritten by Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company (GTL), Glenview, Illinois. GTL's Advantage Plus Elite brochure (Rev. 8/25, form GAD22.1-24) describes it as a Limited Benefit Policy, Form Series G2150, with optional riders under form series including RG21ASB, RG21CA, RG15CLS, RG15CLSR, RG15DV, RG21LSH, RG21OPS, RG21OPT, RG21SNF, RG21SNF-EP, RG24GPO, and RG24W.
GTL released Advantage Plus in 2005 to help cover Medicare Advantage out-of-pocket expenses. Advantage Plus Elite is the current product in that line.
The brochure is clear on the limits:
It is not a Medicare Supplement and does not fully supplement federal Medicare.
It is a supplement to health insurance, not a substitute for major medical coverage.
GTL directs readers to review the Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare.
The CMS fact sheet on short-term and fixed indemnity coverage (March 28, 2024) makes the same federal point: fixed indemnity is income-style cash when a health event happens, not comprehensive coverage.
How the base benefits are built
The core mechanic is a daily cash benefit for hospital confinement of 24 hours as observation or confinement. Base plan choices:
1-Day Benefit Period: up to $2,500
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 15 Days: up to $990 per day
Benefits restore fully, unlimited times, after 60 days with no hospital confinement.
Three other base items matter in appointments:
Short Duration Hospital Stay. Hospitalized and discharged between 6 and 24 hours (observation or confinement) pays the chosen daily benefit. For a 1-Day Benefit Period, that is 25% of the chosen daily benefit. Not available in South Dakota.
Mental Health. $175 per day, up to seven days, for mental or nervous disorder confinement. Paid in lieu of the hospital confinement benefit for sickness or injury, not in addition.
Emergency Room. $150 for an ER, emergency care, or urgent care visit due to accident or injury. Hospital admission is not required.
The brochure's hospital definition excludes hospice, SNFs, nursing homes, extended care, convalescent and rehab facilities, rest homes, homes for the aged, psychiatric facilities for mental or nervous disorders, and alcohol or substance counseling or recovery facilities. Confirm the filed definition in your state packet.
Benefits are paid directly to the insured, or to an assigned designee. The policy is guaranteed renewable for life if premiums are paid on time. Premiums may change only on a class basis for all policies of this type in the state.
Optional riders (additional premium)
Riders cost extra and vary by state. From the brochure:
Skilled Nursing Facility. Option 1: $100-$300/day for days 1-50 after 3 consecutive hospital days, within 30 days of hospitalization. Option 2: days 21-100 under the same conditions. Both restore after 60 days with no hospital or SNF confinement. Option 1 not in Minnesota. Option 2 not in Maryland.
Ambulance. $50-$400 per ground or air ride to or from a hospital. Once per day, up to 4 times per year, lifetime max 12 trips. No hospital confinement required.
Outpatient Therapy. $50/day for outpatient PT/OT/speech, max 15 or 30 days per calendar year. Chiropractic $50/day up to 5 days/year for injury due to accident.
Cancer Lump Sum. $2,500 / $5,000 / $7,500 / $10,000 / $15,000 / $20,000. Cancer in situ pays 25%. Basal or squamous cell pays $500. Most states have a 30-day waiting period (none in Maryland). Not available in Minnesota, Rhode Island, or Virginia. A recurrence rider is also described in the brochure.
Critical Accident after ER. Accidental death, hip or skull fracture, and other scheduled amounts. Most states have a 30-day waiting period.
Outpatient Surgical. $250 / $500 / $750 / $1,000 for a procedure in an ASC or outpatient hospital. Max 2 times per calendar year.
Lump Sum Hospital. $250 / $500 / $750 once per period of hospital confinement. Restores after 60 days. Not available with a 1-day benefit period.
Dental/Vision. Annual benefits up to $400 / $800 / $1,200 after the first year, including $200 for glasses or contacts. Three-month waiting period. Not available in Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Tennessee, or Virginia.
Guaranteed Purchase Option plus Wellness. Increase the hospital confinement benefit by 10% of the original amount up to 5 times prior to age 85, at issue-age rates, with no pre-existing limitation on the increase and no additional underwriting. Wellness: $100 for an annual physical.
Confirm every rider amount and carve-out in the current outline of coverage for your client's state.
Pre-existing conditions, exclusions, and issue ages
The brochure will not pay for a Pre-Existing Condition unless the loss begins more than six months after the Effective Date. In North Carolina, there is no pre-existing limitation. General exclusions include self-inflicted injury, war, felony, workers' compensation, cosmetic elective procedures, and intoxication. Read the full list in the state materials you sell.
GTL's published GI and underwriting age windows do not all match:
Brochure: guaranteed issue for ages 64½ up to age 75 in most states, plus simplified underwriting with instant approval.
Product page: easy to apply and no underwriting questions for most aged 64½ up to 80.
State disclosure tables on that page: GI windows vary widely, including 64½ to 65½ in some states and 64½ to 70 in others.
I do not treat any single GI age range as absolute. Confirm the current state disclosure table before you tell a client they are GI.
Mapping the cash benefit to an MA client's EOC
Hospital indemnity pays cash on a covered trigger. It does not erase Medicare Advantage cost sharing, and it is not Medigap.
For calendar year 2026, KFF's summary of CMS rules states that Medicare Advantage plans may not charge more than $9,250 out of pocket for in-network Part A and Part B services. Plans can set a lower MOOP. That federal maximum is framing, not a reason to size a daily benefit to $9,250.
Map the daily benefit to the client's actual inpatient and observation cost sharing in the Evidence of Coverage. If the plan charges $300 per inpatient day for days 1 through 6, a $300 daily indemnity benefit for six days is a mechanical match. It is still cash to the insured, not a bill payment to the hospital.
GTL's product page uses a hypothetical ("Meet Sheila") to show that math: a 65-year-old with a $300 per day inpatient MA copay for days 1 through 6, a 6-day stay ($1,800 in MA copays), and a GTL daily benefit of $300 for up to 6 days ($1,800 cash), restoring after 60 days without hospital confinement. That is GTL's hypothetical, not a client story. Explain the mechanic, then pull the real EOC.
GTL's FAQ also states: no mandatory requirement to own other health insurance; GTL does not coordinate benefits with other carriers; benefits may be used in all 50 states; benefits are paid to the policyholder unless assigned; the average claim is processed within 10 business days once required documentation is received; and coverage offers a lifetime guarantee of renewability if premiums are paid.
On rates, GTL says it cannot guarantee fixed premium rates, and states that in the 19 years since inception, policyholders have never experienced a rate increase or a benefit reduction. Cite that as a carrier statement. Do not turn it into your personal guarantee.
What it does not do
Say these limits early:
Not a Medicare Supplement and not a Medigap replacement.
Not major medical coverage and not a replacement for Medicare Advantage or Original Medicare.
Does not coordinate with other carriers' benefits.
A daily cash benefit is not the same as paying the hospital bill.
Facility definitions, waiting periods, pre-existing rules, and rider menus change by state.
The Medicare.gov Medigap pages are useful when a client needs Original Medicare cost-sharing help instead of cash indemnity. Different product. Different rules.
Keep compliance clean: complete a Scope of Appointment that covers every product you plan to discuss, including hospital indemnity; keep Medicare plan discussion and ancillary discussion clearly separated in your notes; never present fixed indemnity as a Medicare plan, a government benefit, or a CMS-endorsed product.
What to verify before you quote
State availability and your appointment.
Form Series G2150 and the rider forms listed above.
Base benefit period and daily amount from the current state schedule.
Short Stay, mental health, and ER rules, including South Dakota's Short Stay exclusion.
Riders and state carve-outs (SNF, Cancer, Dental/Vision, and others above).
Pre-existing limitation (six months in most states; none in North Carolina per the brochure).
GI and underwriting window for that state from the current disclosure table.
The client's MA Evidence of Coverage for inpatient, observation, ER, ambulance, SNF, and outpatient surgery cost sharing.
Required notices for fixed indemnity and limited-benefit coverage in your state.
If a detail is not in the current carrier packet, treat it as unverified.
Short FAQ
Is Advantage Plus Elite a Medicare Supplement?
No. GTL states it is not a Medicare Supplement and does not fully supplement federal Medicare.
Does it replace Medicare Advantage cost sharing?
No. It pays scheduled cash the insured may use toward cost sharing or other expenses. It does not erase MA copays or replace the plan.
Who gets the check?
Benefits are paid directly to the insured, or to an assigned designee.
Do benefits restore?
Yes. Base hospital confinement benefits restore fully, unlimited times, after 60 days with no hospital confinement.
Are premiums guaranteed never to increase?
No. GTL cannot guarantee fixed rates. It also states that, in the 19 years since inception, policyholders have never experienced a rate increase or benefit reduction. Premiums may change on a class basis for all policies of this type in the state.
What ages are guaranteed issue?
It depends on the state. Brochure, product page, and state disclosure tables publish different windows. Confirm before you present.
The Bottom Line
Advantage Plus Elite is a cash hospital indemnity design built to sit beside Medicare Advantage and other major health plans. The daily benefit, Short Stay trigger, ER amount, and optional riders are measurable. Match a verified schedule to a real Evidence of Coverage, a real budget, and a client who understands the limits.
Know the form. Know the state carve-outs. Map the cash to the EOC. Keep HIP inside a proper scope.
If you want help building a compliant ancillary conversation alongside your Medicare book, book a call with Brock.
Product details are from Guarantee Trust Life's Advantage Plus Elite brochure (GAD22.1-24, Rev. 8/25), the public hospital indemnity product page at gtlic.com, CMS and KFF materials linked above, reviewed October 14, 2026. Benefits, availability, issue ages and terms vary by state. Always confirm in current carrier materials.
