On January 3, 2007, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) Notice addressed to "All Part D Plans Sponsors and Medicare Advantage Organizations".
The CMS document set forth:
"The purpose of this memorandum is to alert you to the establishment of an additional, limited special enrollment period at the beginning of 2007 for certain Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) enrollees.
CMS has established an SEP for individuals in a small number of PDPs who received their Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) information from their 2006 plan after November 15, 2006. The SEP will provide affected individuals with one enrollment opportunity from January 1, 2007 through February 14, 2007. This period is intended to ensure that affected beneficiaries have sufficient time to evaluate their existing plan’s changes for 2007 and make an informed choice about their coverage. An enrollment request made using this SEP will take effect on the first day of the month after the enrollment election is made.
Affected individuals will receive a letter from their 2006 plan describing the SEP. This letter has a special code in the top right-hand corner, so that beneficiaries can easily reference the letter when contacting plans or 1-800-Medicare for assistance. This code is: SEP-A06. Beneficiaries contacting you about potential enrollment in your plan products may provide you with this code number verbally or by providing a copy of the letter they received. CMS has alerted our 1-800-Medicare call center staff about the establishment of the SEP and we also shared this information with State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) and other partners.
Thank you for your cooperation in helping affected individuals to enroll in the plan of
their choice without difficulty."
From:
Anthony Culotta, Director
Medicare Enrollment and Appeals Group
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
7500 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850