Mysteries of Medicare
Mysteries of Medicare: Special Enrollment Period for Five-Star Medicare Plans for 2022
This newsletter is intended to explain a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) that is available to beneficiaries eligible for Medicare. This special enrollment must be for a plan in your service area that has been awarded a rating of five stars. Medicare beneficiaries who wish to make this change can be enrolled currently in a stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan (PDP), Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) Plan, a Medicare Advantage (MA) Plan with no drug coverage, or, not in any plan at all. This special enrollment opportunity can be used once between December 8, 2021, and November 30, 2022. Enrollment changes are effective the first day of the month following the month you submit your enrollment request.
There are risks involved in making one of these changes, however. The key is that you understand the benefits of the plan that you currently have, and the benefits of the five-star plan that you may be considering. It is possible to lose your prescription drug coverage if you unintentionally join a five-star Medicare Advantage Plan that does not include prescription drug coverage. In this case, you would have to wait until the next Open Enrollment Period to join a drug plan (starting October 15, with new plan effective January 1, 2023), and you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty. For additional information and guidance through any changes, contact a PA MEDI (Pennsylvania Medicare Education, Decision and Insight) counselor in Chester County, through the Department of Aging; or, call 1-800-MEDICARE. Star ratings for all Medicare plans are available on www.medicare.gov Plan Finder. PA MEDI counselors can also help you find these five-star plans in your service area. You can find more detailed information on this topic on our website - www.chesco.org/477/PA-Medicare-Education under “Medicare Newsletters”.
To contact PA MEDI counselors, please call our general Help Line 610-344-5004, Option 2, and leave a message with your contact information. One of the counselors will return your call within one business day. PA MEDI counselors also provide free, confidential, unbiased assistance with most other Medicare situations, including enrollment in Medicare Parts A and B, at any time throughout the year.