HMO Guide for Seniors - Office of the Patient Advocate - State of ...

10 Joining or Leaving a Medicare HMO
T
here are many rules about joining, changing, or leaving
a Medicare HMO. Before you change, check with your
current plan or call HICAP. Keep using your old plan until
your new plan tells you that your new coverage has started.
Enrollment Periods
There are several times when you can join or change your
Medicare HMO. You can also return to Original Medicare
and buy a Part D drug plan. These times include:
Ron had to
change Medicare
HMOs while
he was getting
chemotherapy.
He talked with
his doctor to
make sure that
no treatments
were missed.
Initial Enrollment Period: this is when you can first enroll
in Medicare and join a Medicare HMO. It is a 7-month
period, starting 3 months before the month of your 65th
birthday and ending 3 months after.
Annual Election Period: each year between November 15
and December 31.
Open Enrollment Period: each year between January 1 and
March 31. There are limits to the changes you can make to
your Part D drug coverage during this period.
Special Enrollment Periods: if your employee or retiree
coverage ends, if you have Medi-Cal, if your HMO closes,
if you move out of your HMO’s service area, if you move
into or out of a nursing home, and in some other cases.
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