Annual Enrollment Period
The annual enrollment period (AEP) for Medicare runs from November 1 through December 31 of each year for coverage effective January 1. During this time, you may enroll in or disenroll from a Medicare Advantage plan.
Open Enrollment Period
During the open enrollment period (OEP), which runs from January 1 – March 31 of each year, you have one opportunity to switch to a different plan, but you can’t add or drop prescription drug coverage. The chart below shows the types of changes that you can make during the OEP.
|
If current coverage is
|
Can use OEP to get
|
Cannot use OEP to get
|
|
Medicare Advantage with
prescription drug
coverage (MA-PD)
|
MA-PD or
Original Medicare + PDP
|
MA-only or
Original Medicare only
|
|
Medicare Advantage with no prescription drug
coverage (MA-only)
|
MA-only or
Original Medicare only
|
MA-PD or
Original Medicare + PDP
|
|
Original Medicare and a
prescription drug plan (PDP)
|
MA-PD |
MA-only or
A different PDP to use with Original Medicare
|
|
Original Medicare only
|
MA-only |
MAPD or
Original Medicare + PDP
|
You can enroll in one of our plans outside of the times discussed in the 1st two paragraphs above if one of the following applies:
- You are turning 65.
- You are newly eligible for Medicare.
- You qualify for a Special Election Period. Some examples: you are moving outside of the service area your current plan covers or you are no longer eligible for employer coverage.
- You qualify for a low-income subsidy.
- You are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.
- You reside in or are moving into or out of an institution such as a skilled nursing facility or long-term care facility.
There are a few other circumstances under which you can enroll or disenroll outside of the times discussed above. For more information, you can call Member Services at 1-800-927-6048, 7 days a week from 8am-8pm ET. TTY/TDD users can call 1-800-225-7784. On weekends and holidays during these times, you may have access to an interactive voice response (IVR) system. If you leave a message, a Member Services Representative will call you back the next business day. Or, you can call 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY/TDD users can call 1-800-486-2048.
To enroll in one of Optima’s Medicare Plans, you have four easy options:
- You can download an application (new link to app) from our website, complete, sign and date it, and then mail it to:
Optima Medicare
4417 Corporation Lane
Virginia Beach, VA 23462-3162
- Call Member Services at 1-800-927-6048, 7 days a week from 8am-8pm, to request an application package. TTY/TDD users can call 1-800-225-7784.
- Call Member Services at 1-800-927-6048. Ask to speak to a licensed insurance agent who can explain the details about our Medicare plans to you. If a licensed agent is not available Monday - Friday from 8am to 5pm, you can leave a message for a return call. TTY/TDD users can call 1-800-225-7784.
- If you want to enroll in one of our plans that offers both comprehensive medical and prescription drug coverage, Optima Medicare Preferred Plus or Optima Medicare Value Plus, you can also go to Medicare’s website, www.medicare.gov, and enroll on-line.
View Disclaimers for our Optima Medicare plans.
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