MN071 The Special Election Period Medicare Secretly Wont Tell You About

Medicare Nation

Hey Medicare Nation!

Over 17.5 Million of you are on a Medicare Advantage plan. And many of you have been, or know of a situation where your doctor has left the “network” and you are told by your Medicare Advantage Plan Carrier that you must find a new doctor. You tell your Medicare Advantage Plan carrier that you would like to change plans to keep your doctor, and they will tell you something that goes like this….”I’m sorry, you are unable to change plans mid-year. You will have to wait until the Annual Enrollment Period occurs to change plans, unless you have a special election. So….you’ll need to change doctors at this time.”

Sound familiar?

Well…..on today’s show, I’m going to discuss a “special election (SEP),” called – “Significant Network Change,” that many, many Insurance Agents don’t even know about.

Revisions were made to the Medicare Managed Care Manual, which went into effect on April 22, 2016.

The Significant Network Change Special Election Period, as written in the Medicare Managed Care Manual is listed as:

“Pursuant to 42 CFR § 422.62(b)(4), enrollees who meet the exceptional conditions of being substantially affected by a significant no-cause provider network termination may be afforded a special election period (SEP). If CMS determines that an MAO’s network change is significant with substantial enrollee impact, then a “significant network change SEP” may be warranted. CMS will use a variety of criteria for making this determination, such as:

(1) the number of enrollees affected;

(2) the size of the service area affected;

(3) the timing of the termination;

(4) whether adequate and timely notice is provided to enrollees,

(5) and any other information that may be relevant to the particular circumstance(s).

The Medicare Advantage Organization will be required to notify eligible enrollees of the significant network change SEP if the SEP is granted by CMS. SEPs will not be granted when MAOs make changes to their network that are effective on January 1 of the following contract year, as long as affected enrollees are notified of the changes prior to the AEP.

According to the rules, if a Medicare Insurance Carrier makes a “significant change” to one of their Medicare Advantage plan’s networks, that plan’s beneficiaries could possibly be granted a Special Election Period. This provider network change SEP allows beneficiaries “three months” to switch to traditional Medicare, with or without a stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan, or switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan, with or without Part D coverage. Whether or not beneficiaries qualify for this SEP is entirely up to CMS.

CMS states in the Medicare Managed Care Manual that they may grant a provider network change SEP to beneficiaries based on some of the following factors:

• The amount of beneficiaries affected
• Whether or not beneficiaries received adequate and timely advance notice of the provider terminations
• The size of the plan’s service area
• The time of the year that the plan made changes to its provider network

So…..if you have lost your primary care doctor, due to a non-cause termination in your Medicare Advantage Network, and it has caused you a “significant change” to your healthcare due to your doctor’s termination from the network, call Medicare and fight for this SEP!

If Medicare denies your request for a SEP and you honestly feel you qualify under one or more of the criteria stated……. Call me and hire me to contact Medicare on your behalf!

I have listed other Special Enrollment instances when you can make changes to your Medicare Advantage Plan outside of the Annual Enrollment Period.

For a complete list, go to www.Medicare.gov

TRADITIONAL MEDICARE SPECIAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD

Here’s quick guide to when you can make changes to your Medicare Advantage Plan:

You can make your initial selection of a Medicare Advantage Plan when you enroll in Medicare at age 65.

1. During the Annual Enrollment Period which is between October 15th through Dec 7th every year.
2. You can dis-enroll from a Medicare Advantage Plan between January 1- Feb 14th, but you would have to go back on to Original Medicare because you cannot switch to another Medicare Advantage Plan at this time.
3. You may have a “Special Election” that qualifies you to change your plan.

The Special Election Period that qualifies you to change your Medicare Advantage Plan, is what we want to focus on today. There are certain circumstances which allow you to qualify for this option.

If You Move

1. If you move and your new residence is not in your plan service area. You would need to notify Medicare as soon as possible, because you have the rest of the current month you are moving and the following 2 full months as the Special Election Period.
2. If you move to a new address and your plan is still in your service area, but by moving you now have new options available to you that you didn’t previously have, then you would have a Special Election Period to change to one of the new option plans.
3. Snowbirds that live in 2 locations, have to determine which of those residences is your primary residence. Where you vote and where you pay taxes are going to determine which is your primary residence.
4. If you move out of the country for a period of time and now you are coming back to live in the US, that will trigger a Special Election Period.
5. If you are moving into a long term care facility or a Skilled Nursing Facility with round the clock skilled nursing care, you would have a Special Election Period when you move into the facility, while you are residing in the facility and when you move out of the facility.

Losing Coverage:

1. If you leave your Employer's Insurance Plan, or union through retirement, turning 65, etc.
2. If you had an involuntary loss of drug coverage that was as good or better than Medicare drug coverage(credible coverage), that triggers a SEP. Or if you have had drug coverage through a Medicare Cost Plan and you leave the Cost Plan.
3. If you leave a PACE (Program All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) Program.
4. If you had Medicaid and lost eligibility because of income requirements.

When there are plan changes with Medicare Contracts:

1. If your Medicare Advantage Plan was sanctioned by CMS, then you would be able to contact Medicare directly to request a Special Election Period to choose another Medicare Advantage Plan.
2. If Medicare terminated a contract with your Medicare Advantage Plan, that will trigger a Special Election Period and CMS will notify you.

Special Circumstances

1. You qualify as a Medicare & Medicaid recipient, you may change Medicare Advantage Plans as often as you'd like!
2. If you qualify for LIS (Limited Income Sources) you may get extra help with prescription drug coverage and a Special Election Period to enroll in a different Medicare Advantage Plan.
3. During your Initial Enrollment Period for Medicare, you may have enrolled in a Medigap plan, and decided to change to a Medicare Advantage Plan during your first enrollment year. If you decide you want to change back to a Medicare Supplement Plan during your first year of coverage, you qualify.
4. SNP Plan - for chronic conditions (Diabetes, Heart Disease, COP) - may change your current Medicare Advantage Plan to enroll in a SNP plan, or you may no longer qualify for a SNP, so you can choose another Medicare Advantage Plan.
5. f an error was made by a federal employee when you signed up for Medicare, and you can prove it, you may be granted an SEP.
6. If you have a Medicare Supplement - a Medigap plan, you can change plans whenever you want because there is no SEP for Medicare Supplement Plans.

Precautions:

If you have a chronic illness, cancer, cardiovascular disease or other medical conditions, a Medicare Supplement (MediGap) plan does not have to enroll you after your first year of enrollment. You need to be careful and make sure you are going to be able to get coverage when you change plans. The Medicare Supplement carrier may not take you due to pre-existing conditions and once you drop your Medicare Advantage Plan, you may be "locked out" and not able to re-enroll until the next open enrollment period..Medicare Supplement Carriers can discriminate due to pre-existing conditions!

The price of Medicare Supplement plans do change as you age, and where you live. Keep that in mind.

Need more information on "Special Enrollment Periods?"

See the entire list at www.Medicare.gov

Do you have questions or feedback? I’d love to hear it!

I may answer one of your questions on the air!

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Find out more information about Medicare on Diane Daniel’s website!

www.CallSamm.com