Good Morning Ms. Toni:
The first week, my wife and I had moved to Houston, I had a wonderful surprise in my front yard and there was your Medicare column discussing different Medicare option for someone who has cancer.
I am 70 years old and go to MD Anderson for colon cancer. I recently found out that MD Anderson does not accept the Medicare Advantage plan I have recently enrolled in.
I did not realize I could have chosen a Medicare Supplement instead of a Medicare Advantage plan. My Part B began in December after losing my job and company benefits. I understand from your article, I have a 6-month Medicare Supplement open enrollment guarantee issue period.
I need help disenrolling from this Medicare Advantage plan which started April 1st and go back to Medicare with a Medicare supplement. Time is ticking and I need to do this fast!!
Can I qualify for guaranteed issue? Thanks, Sam Jones from Friendswood, TX
Hi there, Sam:
What a great compliment!! I know how overwhelming it can be to understand the rules of Medicare, especially when you are stressed due to an illness.
Below is how I help clients who contact me and want to disenroll from their Medicare Advantage plan and back to Original Medicare. There is a specific time limit to do this and you have contacted me at the right time. Confusing…don’t I know!!
1) Call Medicare at 1/800-MEDICARE (633-4227) and explain how you did not understand the Medicare Advantage plan you picked and want to disenroll. Since your plan began April 1st and it is your first time in a Medicare Advantage plan, you have a small window of time to disenroll from your Medicare Advantage plan. This special time is called Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period or MADP,
** Medicare only allows you to go back to Original Medicare only or Original Medicare with a Stand-alone Medicare Part D Prescription drug plan. Medicare does not allow people to enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan until Medicare Open Enrollment which is October 15th thru December 7th of each year.
2) Ask the Medicare customer service rep how you can disenroll from the Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare with a Stand-alone Medicare Part D Prescription drug plan.
**The trick to disenrolling from a Medicare Advantage Plan is to enroll in a Stand-alone Part D plan and automatically you are disenrolled from your Advantage plan and back to Original Medicare. This will be effective on the 1st of the next month.
3) Give the Medicare customer service rep all of your current prescription drugs to see which Medicare Part D Prescription drug plan fits your needs best and can control your cost.
4) Enroll in that certain Medicare Part D Prescription drug plan and you are back on Original Medicare and have been disenrolled from the Medicare Advantage plan.
Now that you are back on “Original Medicare”, you can search for the Medicare Supplement that fits your needs.
Receiving Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment (Guaranteed Issue): Because you enrolled in Part B in December and are within your 6-month Medicare open enrollment period which ends on May 31, 2014, you can receive guaranteed issue. Medicare’s definition for guarantee issue is your acceptance in any Medicare Supplement plan is guaranteed during your Medicare supplement open enrollment period which lasts for 6 months beginning the first day of the month in which you are either age 65 or older and have just enrolled in Medicare Part B.
Wait past 6 months from enrolling in Part B and you must qualify with Medical underwriting. You got a “little blessing” when you read my article and learned you have other Medicare options to choose from.
Many of my readers and healthcare professionals are making Medicare information folders from the articles. Email Toni at www.tonisays.com/ask-toniand tell Toni how the articles have helped you.
Toni King, author of the new Medicare Survival Guide®, which is a simple guide that puts Medicare in people terms, is on sales at www.tonisays.com. Schedule a “Confused about Medicare workshop by email at www.tonisays.com/ask-toni.
