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Enrollment Periods

Enrollment Periods

Enrolling is easier than you think. Once you’ve taken the steps to sign up for Medicare Parts A & B (also known as Original Medicare), you’ll be ready to enroll in additional coverage. You can do this during the Initial Enrollment Period. For Part C Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans, the Initial Enrollment Period spans a 7-month window. It begins 3 months prior to your 65th birthday, includes your birth month, and ends 3 months after you turn 65. For Medicare Supplement plans, you can enroll any time after turning 65; however, you have a 6-month window after turning 65 to enroll in a plan with automatic acceptance. After six months, underwriting may be required to qualify for a plan. This means that unless you have a Medigap protection that guarantees enrollment in a Medicare Supplement plan, you could be denied coverage if you’re not in good health.

The full Social Security retirement age varies based on the year you were born (age 66 for those born 1943 to 1954), but you're eligible for Medicare at age 65. You do not have to be retired to enroll. If you'll have employer-provided health coverage at age 65, contact your benefits administrator (typically part of your human resources department) to find out how Medicare will work with your current coverage.

 
  • Initial enrollment period
    • Your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) is unique to your birthday. You have a 7-month window to sign up for Medicare. If you sign up before your birth month, your coverage will start on the first day of the month you turn 65.
  • Special enrollment period
    • If you don't sign up for Part B when you're first eligible, you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) when your (or your spouse's) coverage ends. You'll have an 8-month window to sign up.
    • You may join a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C), Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan, and/or a prescription drug plan (Part D) up to two full months after the end of your coverage, if you are eligible.
  • General enrollment period
    • If you don’t enroll during your IEP (or a Special Enrollment Period), you can enroll in Part A, Part B, or both during the General Enrollment Period (GEP), which happens January through March each year. Be careful though, as coverage won't start until July 1, and you can be charged a 10% penalty for late enrollment. You may also choose to join a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C), a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan, and/or a prescription drug plan (Part D) April through June the same year.

This application is not a guarantee that you will receive coverage. Upon approval of your application, you will receive an approval letter and a contract. You can become a Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska (Premera) Medicare supplement member if you:
Reside in Alaska,
Currently have both Medicare Part A and Part B, and

Don't receive Medicaid assistance other than payment of your Medicare Part B premium.
You do not need more than one Medicare supplement plan. If you currently have a Medicare supplement plan or Medicare Advantage plan (including a Medicare HMO or PPO), you cannot be enrolled unless you intend to replace your current coverage. Please complete a replacement form. If you purchase this contract, you may want to evaluate your existing health coverage and decide if you need multiple coverages.

You may be eligible for benefits under Medicaid and may not need a Medicare supplement plan. Medicaid is a public aid program for people with low income. It is not the same as Medicare.

If, after purchasing this plan, you become entitled to Medicaid, the benefits and subscription charges under your Medicare Supplement contract can be suspended, if requested, during your entitlement to benefits under Medicaid for 24 months. You must request this suspension within 90 days of being eligible for Medicaid. If you are no longer entitled to Medicaid, your suspended Medicare supplement plan (or, if that is no longer available, a substantially equivalent plan) will be re-instituted if requested within 90 days of losing Medicaid eligibility.

Counseling services may be available in your state to provide advice concerning your purchase of Medicare supplement coverage and concerning medical assistance through the state Medicaid program, including benefits as a "Qualified Medicare Beneficiary" (QMB) or a "Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary" (SLMB).

Except that you must provide information on diseases and disorders for which you have symptoms, please do not provide any information on any part of this application about genetic testing or genetic information, including any decision by an insurance company that is based on a genetic test or genetic information.

Plan A 021202 (06-2010); 021198 (06-2010); Plan N 021203 (06-01-2010); 021199 (06-01-2010); Plan F 021204 (06-2010); 021200 (06-2010); High Deductible Plan F 021205 (06-2010); 021201 (06-2010); Plan G 042196 (01-2018); 042195 (01-2018); High Deductible Plan G 049580 (01-2020); 049581 (01-2020).

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