Seniors Have Extra Month to Switch Medicare+Choice Plans
CMS announced Dec. 4 that Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans have an additional month to decide whether to leave their HMOs and return to fee-for-service Medicare or purchase certain Medigap policies with no exclusions for pre-existing medical conditions, the Orange County Register reports. CMS will extend the deadline when Medicare beneficiaries must decide whether they will participate in Medicare+Choice next year from Nov. 30 to Dec. 31, but beneficiaries will have until March 4 to purchase a Medigap policy, a supplemental Medicare policy that beneficiaries may use to help pay for services not covered under fee-for-service Medicare. In addition, CMS will allow seniors to purchase Medigap coverage "without regard to medical history" -- a move that "will be welcomed by many Medicare HMO members who face big new copayments and deductibles" in Medicare+Choice, the Register reports (Wolfson, Orange County Register, 12/4). Earlier this year, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson declared December a "Special Election Period," and as a result, Medicare+Choice enrollees have "guaranteed issue rights" to Medigap plans A, B, C or F. "People who are covered by Medicare now have one more month in which to decide whether they want to stay in a Medicare+Choice plan or return to original fee-for-service Medicare," CMS Administrator Tom Scully said, adding, "And because this December is a Special Enrollment Period, they can buy a Medigap policy without worrying about their medical history" (CMS release, 12/4).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
