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5/6/2020
Hi Valued Agent,
CMS has announced that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) is available nationwide to all U.S. residents. We wanted to share what you need to know about enrolling prospects during this SEP, plus give you tips and resources to help with virtual prospecting.
What you need to know about the COVID-19 SEP
This SEP began March 1 and will run through June 30. To qualify, your clients must meet the following criteria:
- Lives, or lived at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in an area that FEMA declared a Major Disaster and designated as eligible to apply for individual- or public-level assistance
- Had another valid election period during this period
- Didn’t make an election during their other valid election period
The SEP is also available to those who don’t live in the affected areas, but rely on the help of friends or family members who live in the affected areas to make healthcare decisions.
How to enroll clients during the COVID-19 SEP
If you have a client who thinks they qualify for this SEP and wants to enroll in a Medicare plan, follow these steps.
- Confirm that they had another election period available during the pandemic
- Once you’ve verified their eligibility, proceed with the application and select these two election codes:
- Election period enrollee was eligible for and not able to use due to the major disaster. Provide dates when applicable (ex: change in residence).
- FEMA – “I was affected by a weather-related emergency or major disaster (as declared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)). One of the other statements here applied to me, but I was unable to make my enrollment because of the natural disaster.” (Brokers)
SEP enrollments are effective the first of the month following the receipt of the enrollment request. If this election isn’t appropriate, our agent support will reach out to you and the member will receive a request for information (RFI) to determine if another enrollment period is available.
Due to COVID-19, all SEP appointments and enrollments must be completed over the phone. As a reminder, SEP should not be used as a marketing tool to generate new enrollments. It’s only for those affected by COVID-19. If you have any questions, give us a call at 1-877-764-9446. |
