If you’ve signed up for Medicare Advantage and are having second thoughts, here’s some good news:
The Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (MADP) begins January 1, 2014. Medicare Advantage (MA) members are allowed to make one change during this period January 1, 2014 to February 14, 2014 with an effective date of disenrollment after January 1, 2014.
The effective date of disenrollment would be the first of the month after the MA organization receives a completed disenrollment request. (In other wordes, if you disenroll January 3, the disenrollment would be effective February 1).
You’ll need to save a copy of the dis-enrollment notice that your Medicare Advantage provider has to send you. Then you’ll have to request disenrollment in writing (save this letter too!).
Under some circumstances you’ll then be able to enroll in a Medicare supplement plan (we can help with this!) without having to go through any kind of medical underwriting. (This is called “guarantee issue” – meaning they can’t decline your application to enroll in a Medicare supplement plan).
MA members may apply for a guaranteed issue if they:
- Joined an MA plan when they first enrolled in Medicare at age 65 and then leave the plan within the first 12 months of joining;
- Terminated a Medicare supplement policy to enroll in an MA plan for the first time, then leave the plan within 12 months of enrolling (refer to Guide to Health Insurance for People With Medicare, page 23 for details); or
- Are enrolled in an MA plan leaving the service area or Medicare program altogether.