Medicare enrollment simplification

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. 

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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.