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INITIAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD AT AGE 65: Turning 65? A one-time-only seven month period, starting three months before you turn 65, when you can buy any Medigap policy you want that is sold in your state. It starts in the first month that you are covered under Medicare Part B and you are age 65 or older. During this period, you can’t be denied coverage or charged more due to past or present health problems. If you enroll during this time, the insurance company cannot:
ENROLLMENT PERIOD AT AGES YOUNGER THAN 65: In California, if you are younger than 65 years of age and entitled to Medicare because of a disability, you have an Open Enrollment period. This period is for six months after you first sign up for Medicare Part B. (However, this right does NOT apply to people who have permanent kidney failure known as End Stage Renal Disease or ESRD.) If you receive a notice from a government agency that your Medicare benefits began some time ago, then your Open Enrollment period begins on the date of that federal notice. It is a good idea to apply for a Medigap policy early so it will take effect on the same day as your Part B benefits. ANNUAL ELECTION PERIOD (AEP): You can only disenroll or switch plans once per year during the Annual Election Period (AEP) (October 15 - December 7 of each year for benefits that begin the following January). If you want to change your Advantage plan or Part D plan, you can submit an application for a new plan during this period. Your new coverage would begin on January 1. ANNUAL DISENROLLMENT PERIOD (ADP): If you should decide that the MA-PD you have chosen for 2016 is not the plan for you, you can disenroll from that plan during the new Disenrollment Period. The Annual Disenrollment Period (ADP), which is from January 1 to February 14, will allow you to disenroll from a Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare. The ADP does not allow people in an Medicare Advantage plan to switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or people in Original Medicare to join an Medicare Advantage plan. If you want to disenroll from an MA-PD plan and return to Original Medicare during the ADP you will have a special enrollment period (SEP) to join a Part D plan.
EXCEPTIONS:
You joined a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan or Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) when you were first eligible for Medicare at age 65, and within the first year of joining, you decide you want to switch to Original Medicare. You have the Right to buy any Medigap policy that is sold in your state by any insurance company.
You dropped a Medigap policy to join a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan for the first time; you have been in the plan less than a year, and you want to switch back. You have the Right to buy the Medigap policy you had before you joined the MA plan, if the same insurance company you had before still sells it. If your former Medigap policy isn't available, you can buy a Medigap plan A, B, C, F, K, or L that is sold in your state by any insurance company.
CA Insurance Code §10192.11 (h) - If a person already has a Medigap (supplement) insurance, they have 30 days of "open enrollment" following their birthday each year when they may buy a new Medigap policy without medical underwriting or a new waiting period. The new policy must have the same or lesser benefits as the old policy. This rule is only for Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policies. Medicare Advantage plans (HMO & PPO) have different rules that apply to their open enrollment options. DISABLED MEMBERS:Disabled members are allowed to downgrade or move to another Pre-65 Medicare Supplement plan with lesser benefits and a lower cost. Changes will be effective on the current policy paid-to-date. MEDICARE FOREIGN TRAVEL:
Many Medigap plans do provide coverage for foreign travel. Medigap plans C, D, F, G, M & N cover 80 percent of the cost of emergency care abroad during the first two months of a trip with a $250 deductible and up to $50,000 in a lifetime.
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