Medicare enrollment periods
Like most Medicare options, enrollment in a Medicare Advantage plan is limited to specific times of the year. Following are the most common times when a person with Medicare may be allowed to join one of our plans.
November 15 – December 31: This is called the Medicare Annual Election Period. During this time, anyone with Medicare is allowed to make changes to their coverage. If a Medicare beneficiary makes a change to his or her coverage during this period, the change will take effect on January 1.
January 1 – March 31: This is called the Medicare Open Enrollment Period. During this time, many people with Medicare are allowed to make a one-time change to their existing coverage, with certain restrictions. Please contact us if your friend or loved one is interested in joining one of our plans during this period so we can explain more about the Open Enrollment Period.
April 1 – November 14: During this time, people with Medicare are allowed to make changes to their existing coverage only if they are entitled to a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or if they are new to the Medicare program. Please contact us if your friend or loved one is interested in joining one of our plans during this period so we can explain more about Special Enrollment Periods.
If your friend or loved one is new to Medicare and wants to join an ESSENCE plan, he or she is allowed to apply for coverage three months before, the month of, or three months after he or she becomes eligible for Part B coverage. Medicare calls this the Initial Election Period.
We hope you feel more informed about the Medicare program and the Medicare Advantage health plans offered by ESSENCE Healthcare. In the next (and final) section, we’ll provide you more detailed information about the specific plans available to your friend or loved one. In order to ensure that we offer a plan in their area, we will need you to provide the zip code of your friend or loved one’s primary residence on the next page.
Click Here to request a free information kit about our Medicare Advantage plans
Click Here to find a free upcoming informational meeting in your area