Changing Plans Outside the AEP

Now that the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is over, you might have questions about how members can change plans during the rest of the year.

Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period

From January 1 to February 14, during the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period, members can leave their Medicare Advantage plan and switch back to Original Medicare.

If they switch back to Original Medicare at this time, they’ll also have until February 14 to join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) to add drug coverage. That coverage will start the first day of the month after the Part D plan gets your enrollment.

They cannot:

• Join a Medicare Advantage plan from Original Medicare
• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another
• Switch from one PDP to another
• Join, switch, or drop a Medicare Medical Savings Account Plan

Remember, members who qualify for Extra Help (LIS) might have other options.

Special Enrollment Periods

Outside the AEP, Medicare beneficiaries can only enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan or PDP after a special event with a Special Enrollment Period (SEP).

To enroll during an SEP, we must receive an Attestation of Eligibility form, which must include the date of the qualifying event, with the application. CMS requires us to get that date, so applications won’t be processed until it’s confirmed.

Remember that members affected by the non-renewal of their plan, such as the non-renewal of the Health Alliance Medicare PPO, have an SEP through February 28, 2017 to choose a new plan.

You can find enrollment forms and attestation forms on HealthAllianceMedicare.org or on Your Health Alliance for brokers in the Forms & Resources.

Learn more about the types of SEPs, when coverage will start, and other enrollment periods on the Understand Medicare section of our website.