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May 19th, 2020

Life has changed from what we knew it to be just a few months ago. I thought I would go through some of the information that has come out in regards to COVID-19 and how it relates to Medicare so that you and your clients are fully informed.

One of the best resources is Medicare.gov. You will find a wealth of information about COVID-19 and what effect it has had on Medicare.

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Rick Roberts

Health Marketing Manager
800.541.6705

Coronavirus Disease 2019 Tests

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers a test to see if you have coronavirus (officially called coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19). 

You pay nothing for this test.

Coronavirus disease 2019 Antibody Test

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers a COVID-19 antibody (or “serology”) test. 

You pay nothing for this test.

What's What & Things To Know

This FDA-authorized test helps see if you’ve developed an immune response and may not be at immediate risk of COVID-19 reinfection. Medicare covers these tests at home, and Medicare also covers COVID-19 tests.

Medicare covers preventive tests and screenings to help prevent, find, or manage a medical problem.

CMS has officially announced and SEP is available for individuals affected by COVID-19 
This SEP is available nationwide to residents of all states, tribes, territories, and the District of Columbia. The SEP can be used until June 30, 2020 under the following circumstances. 

Who Qualifies For this Special Enrollment Period

A SEP exists for individuals affected by a major disaster who were unable to, and did not make an election during another valid election period.  This includes both enrollment and disenrollment elections.  Individuals will be considered “affected” and eligible for this SEP if they:

          Reside, or resided at the start of the incident period, in an area for which FEMA has declared an emergency or a major disaster and has designated affected counties as eligible to apply for individual or public level assistance; and

          Had another valid election period at the time of the incident period; and

          Did not make an election during that other valid election period.

In addition, the SEP is available to those individuals who don’t live in the affected areas but rely on help making healthcare decisions from friends or family members who live in the affected areas.               

Nationwide Covid-19 SEP  
Start Date March 1, 2020 |
End Date – June 30, 2020 

What Does All This Mean For Agents

If an individual wants to enroll and believes they may qualify for this SEP, agents should:

          Confirm that they had another election period available during the time of the incident period.

          Once eligibility has been verified, use election code SEP DST on the application. 

Enrollments made pursuant to this SEP are effective the first of the month following the receipt of the enrollment request. For enrollment requests where more than one enrollment effective date is possible, agents will need to determine the applicant’s desired effective date. 

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Coming Soon

For our agents that will be gearing up for the 2021 Medicare selling season, I will be putting on some intro to AHIP webinars in June. These webinars are targeted towards agents and advisors that have not taken the exam. We will provide you with information about the exam and what you can expect if you choose to take it. Please check out our Agent Events page to see all of our webinars and other events coming up.

Producers XL is here to help you through this time with important information that may affect your clients.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.

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