Changing Your Plan and Disenrollment

Changing Plan Types

The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is the time each year, chosen by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), when you can enroll in a plan or switch to a new one. It runs from October 15 through December 7. If you enroll during this time, your coverage begins on January 1.

And during the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) from January 1 to March 31, you can switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another or join a stand-alone prescription drug plan.

Unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP), these are the only times of year you can make changes. Contact us if you have questions.

Rights and Responsibilities Upon Disenrollment

If you decide to disenroll from your health plan, you're ending your membership. Disenrollment can be voluntary (your choice) or involuntary (not your choice). For more information on enrollment or disenrollment, see your Evidence of Coverage.

If you decide you want to leave your plan, you can do this for any reason. However, there are limits to when you can leave, how often you can make changes, and what type of plan you can join after you leave. Call us for more information.

The health plan may disenroll you for these reasons:

• If you move permanently out of the plan’s service area and do not voluntarily disenroll, or if you live outside the plan’s service area for more than 6 months out of a year
• If your entitlement to Medicare Part A or Medicare Part B ends
• If you supply fraudulent information or make any misrepresentations on your enrollment request form that materially affect your eligibility to enroll in the plan
• If your behavior is disruptive, unruly, abusive, or uncooperative to the extent that your membership in your plan seriously impairs our ability to arrange covered services for you or other individuals enrolled in the plan
• If you knowingly permit abuse or misuse of your member ID card
• If you fail to pay plan premiums, copayments, coinsurance, or other payments required by the plan
• If the contract between the plan and CMS, which certifies Medicare Advantage plans, is terminated