Your Chance for Change: Understanding Special Enrollment Periods

 

Discover how you can qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) which includes national emergenices and the Coronavirus COVID-19.

David Minaya
September 21, 2021

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life can be full of twists and turns, whether it’s moving to a new city, changing jobs (if you’re still working), or, sadly, dealing with a new and potentially disabling medical condition. Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about the prospects of changing your insurance coverage thanks to Special Enrollment Periods.

Special Enrollment Periods – or SEPs – are special circumstances or life events during which you can make changes to your Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare prescription drug coverage plan. Please note that these periods are separate from Medicare’s Annual Election Period (AEP), which typically takes place between October 15 and December 7 of each year, and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, which only applies to beneficiaries of MA plans and takes place between January 1 and March 31 of each year.

Your Special Enrollment Period

Special Enrollment Periods generally include the following:

\
Changing where you live
\
Losing your current coverage
\
You gain access to other types of coverage (such as one offered by an employer or union)
\
Plan changes its contract with Medicare
\
You develop a special, medical or financial-related need
\
Choosing the wrong plan choice due to inaccurate or misleading information

New SEP for 2023:

\
Natural disasters or emergency
\
Incarceration
\
Loss of Medicaid coverage

You can find a complete, detailed list of these and other Special Enrollment Periods at Medicare.gov . Your licensed Senior Healthcare Direct agent can help you navigate these Special Enrollment Periods, as the rules about when and what type of changes you can make may be different for each circumstance.

Don’t Let “Circumstances” Get You Down

While beneficiaries are typically limited in when and how often they can join, change or leave an MA or prescription drug plan, knowing if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period can help alleviate the stress of life’s twists and turns. Call Senior Healthcare Direct today at 1-833-463-3262, TTY 711 for answers to all your questions about Medicare and Special Enrollment Periods.

Share This Page:

 

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: The above is meant to be strictly educational and not intended to provide medical advice or solicit the sales of an insurance product or service of any kind.

YM04152204