For several years, the Medicare Advisory Group of NAHU has been working on fixing the delayed effective date that occurs for certain Medicare Beneficiaries who enroll during their last three months of their Initial Enrollment Period, or during the General Election Period (January 1 – March 31). We are excited that our proposed fixes were finally implemented in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The changes begin on line 21 of Page 2168 of the bill. The new rules will begin on January 1, 2023. Initial Enrollment Period: The Current Rules require a delay of 2-3 months for the Part B effective date when someone enrolls in the three months following their 65th birthday. The New Rules will remove that delay and provide the Part B effective date of the first of the month following enrollment. The table below summarizes the Current rules versus the New rules for the Initial Enrollment Period. ![]() The table below provides an Example for someone who is turning 65 on September 15. General Election Period: The General Election Period of January 1 through March 31 is for a Beneficiary who missed their Initial Enrollment Period and does not have credible coverage. These individuals must enroll during the General Election Period of January 1 through March 31, and the effective date is July 1. With the New Rules coming in January 2023, the Beneficiary will get an effective date of the first of the month following enrollment. The table below summarizes the Current rules versus the New rules for the General Election Period. The table below provides an Example for someone who is enrolling during the General Election Period. We are excited that we have had such a positive impact on Medicare Beneficiaries enrolling during these two time periods and reduced their delays in getting their Medicare Part B coverage! We will continue to work in Washington to address our other key initiatives: Medicare COBRA Trap, Observation Status, and more.
4 Comments
10/12/2022 01:54:31 am
I don't usually comment on blogs but I couldn't stop myself from doing so here. Awesome content and an impressive one. Thank you so much.
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1/25/2023 01:48:19 pm
Thanks so much for talking about how enrollment works for people turning 65 around an enrollment period. I have a friend who's grandad is turning 65 this year and wants to enroll. We'll have to look into finding a professional to help us do that so we can ensure his best chances of getting good coverage.
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2/27/2023 11:58:10 am
It really helped when you described how the Medicare enrollment process works, and it's classified into two periods. My uncle needs to enroll in Medicare this year, but he's not sure how to do it or which plan to get, so I think your tips could help him understand more about enrolling in Medicare. Thank you for the insight on the New rules for the Initial Enrollment Period and how your birthday affects your dates.
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11/14/2023 04:00:07 pm
It was informative when you explained that the Medicare general election period is January 1st through March 31st. With that in mind, I would think that it would be a good idea to find an insurance broker at least a month in advance before starting the enrollment process. Working with a broker seems like a good way to make sure you pick out the right insurance policies.
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