Today,
we want you to know about other ways CMS is ensuring
beneficiaries have access to the critical healthcare coverage
they need in the wake of COVID-19. Specifically, CMS is offering “equitable
relief” in the form of extra time for certain eligible beneficiaries to enroll in premium-Part
A, Part B or, or refuse automatic Part B enrollment.
Also,
eligible
beneficiaries would not be subject to a late enrollment penalty for the period between
the original enrollment period and the enrollment during this
extension of the Part A and Part B enrollment period. Please note
these additional actions are separate and distinct from the SEP
we described recently for Medicare Advantage and Prescription
Drug Plan elections.
Therefore,
under the new Medicare Part A and Part B Enrollment Equitable
Relief, beneficiaries
are eligible for equitable relief due to the COVID-19
pandemic-related national emergency if they were unable to make
their Part A or Part B enrollment choice in a timely manner due
to delays and problems with access to the Social Security
Administration (SSA) to file an application or enrollment
election,
as a result of the unexpected closure of field offices due to COVID-19.
Additional
time to use an Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), General
Enrollment Period (GEP), or a Special Enrollment Period
(SEP)--such as the SEP for when a beneficiary’s enrollment in
employer coverage based on current employment ends--in order to
file an application for Part B or premium-Part A or refuse Part
B. This
equitable relief will last from March 17, 2020 through June 17,
2020.
Beneficiaries
who wish to take advantage of this should contact SSA to apply
for or enroll in Medicare. To apply for both Parts A and B, go
online to https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare/. Enrollees who already
have Part A and are enrolling in Part B cannot enroll online.
More information on the steps required to enroll in Part B is
available here.
Lastly,
eligible beneficiaries
who wish to take advantage of the equitable relief must file
their enrollment request by June 17, 2020.
What
actions should brokers take?
Please
guide your eligible clients who may be affected and eligible for
this special relief.
