On Tuesday, May 5, 2020,
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that a Special Election Period (SEP) is available for individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that meet the terms of the SEP
. This SEP allows eligible individuals to enroll in, disenroll from, or switch plans. All states, tribes, territories, and the District of Columbia (D.C.) are covered by this SEP beginning March 1, 2020,
and ending June 30, 2020.
Who’s eligible?
According to the CMS announcement, the SEP is open to all individuals who meet these three prerequisites:
- Reside, or resided at the start of the incident period, in an area for which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has declared an emergency or a major disaster and has designated affected counties, including all states and the District of Columbia, as eligible to apply for individual or public level assistance;
- Had another valid election period at the time of the incident period [Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP) or other special opportunity]; and
- Did not enroll or make a change during that other enrollment period.
What actions should brokers take?
If your customer wants to enroll due to this SEP, confirm your customer meets all three prerequisites listed above. If you confirm the prerequisites have been met, use SEP code DST on the application.
Please keep in mind that, as with other emergency/disaster-related SEPs, this SEP should not be used as a means for obtaining new business. Instead, brokers must understand the prerequisites for this SEP and are encouraged to assist when a customer contacts them directly.
