CMS Extends Disaster Relief SEP to include COVID-19
In 2018 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established a special enrollment period (SEP) for individuals affected by weather-related emergencies or other disasters. This is available to anyone who resides in an area that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has declared an emergency or a major disaster.
As of March 1, 2020, CMS has extended this SEP to include people affected by COVID-19, allowing eligible individuals nationwide to apply to Medicare Advantage and Part D Prescription Drug plans even if they missed an earlier election period.
To be eligible for this SEP, an applicant must have had another valid election period earlier on in the incident period (that is, on or after March 1, 2020) during which he or she did not enroll in a Medicare Advantage and/or prescription drug plan. We applaud this extension and hope it will be renewed as necessary as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Unfortunately, finding out about and applying for the SEP may be difficult for affected individuals, based on our research. CMS has posted the following information at the top of the CMS page on election periods: "You may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period if you missed your chance to enroll in a Medicare health or drug plan due to COVID-19. For more information, call us at 1-800-MEDICARE." As of the time this writing, 1-800-MEDICARE does not offer an option to inquire about disaster relief or COVID-19 special enrollment periods, and CMS has not made discernible efforts to make this information widely available to individual Medicare participants who might need it.
CMS has informed brokers who enroll individuals in Medicare Advantage and Part D Prescription Drug plans about the SEP. Employers and brokers reading this post could provide a public service by alerting their participants to the SEP. This would allow those who need it to take advantage of it while it's still available.
The SEP will remain in effect through June 30 and can only be used once.
