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Published April 7, 2020
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Are you at least 65 years old and eligible to sign up for Medicare Part B but previously delayed enrollment while you continued to work because you still had employer-based insurance?
Whether or not you lost your group coverage due to COVID-19, you may qualify for a Medicare Special Enrollment Period (SEP) if you meet the following conditions:
If you are unsure about whether you qualify for a Medicare Special Enrollment Period, or if you qualify and want to compare Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) and/or Medicare Part D prescription drug plans in your area, you can speak with a licensed insurance agent for help.
A licensed insurance agent can answer any questions you have and help you compare benefits, costs, coverage and other details of Medicare plans that may be available in your area.
Find Medicare plans in your area
Compare PlansOr call TTY Users: 711 to speak with a licensed insurance agent. We accept calls 24/7!
Medicare has scheduled periods throughout the year in which you can enroll or make changes to your coverage.
A Special Enrollment Period takes place outside of the annual Medicare enrollment periods, and they may be granted to people during any time of the year, depending on the specific circumstances.
One of the ways you may qualify for a Medicare Special Enrollment Period is if you lose your employer-provided health insurance through no fault of your own.
If you lost your job during the COVID-19 pandemic (and thus your employer health insurance as well), you may be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period that will allow you to sign up for Medicare Part B without having to pay the late enrollment penalty.
You don’t typically have to pay a Part B late enrollment penalty if you enroll in Medicare during an SEP.
Local Social Security Administration (SSA) offices are closed to guests as of the week of March 16, in an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The offices are closed until further notice.
This means that if you’re ready to enroll in Medicare, you can learn how to enroll online. You may also contact Social Security by phone to learn more about Medicare enrollment during COVID-19 by calling 1-800-772-1213. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can call the SSA at TTY 1-800-325-0778.
If you didn’t enroll in Medicare Part B when you first became eligible, you may face a late enrollment penalty if and when you decide to enroll. The late enrollment penalty is 10% of the Part B premium for each 12-month period that you were eligible to enroll but did not.
The late enrollment penalty remains in place for as long as you are enrolled in Part B.
There are a number of ways to qualify for a Medicare Advantage Special Enrollment Period or a Medicare Part D Special Enrollment Period.
One of the situations that may qualify you for one of these types of Special Enrollment Periods is if you lose drug coverage (such as through an employer plan) through no fault of your own that was equal to or better than that offered by Medicare, or your drug coverage is reduced to a level that is below that of Medicare’s.
If you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period because of losing employer or union (including COBRA) coverage, you may be able to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan up to 2 full months after the month your previous coverage ended.
If you’re unsure about whether you qualify for a Medicare Special Enrollment Period, you can call to speak with a licensed insurance agent for help.
You can also compare Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D drug plans online, right from the comfort of your home.
Find Medicare plans in your area
Compare PlansOr call TTY Users: 711 to speak with a licensed insurance agent. We accept calls 24/7!
Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.
Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.
Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.
A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.
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