Your Medicare Part D prescription drug plan (PDP) or Medicare Advantage plan (MA, MAPD, or SNP) coverage can be cancelled because of changes to the Medicare plan or because of something that you have done (or not done).

Here are a few reasons why you may find that your Medicare plan was cancelled (or you were disenrolled from the Medicare plan):

1.  The insurance company chooses to discontinue the Medicare plan and will not offer the plan next year.

Each year a Medicare plan has the option to cancel their Medicare contract and discontinue their Medicare plan (sometimes known as a Service Area Reduction or SAR).  Members of the discontinued plan may be "crosswalked" to another plan offered by the same company, or if no other Medicare plan is available, the plan Members will simply be without coverage the next year unless they actively enroll into another Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan.

What to do:  Plan Members of a discontinued plan will also have access to a SAR Special Enrollment Period that allows them to join a Medicare plan if they miss the annual Open Enrollment Period.  The SAR Special Enrollment Period begins on December 8th and continues through the last day of February.

2.  Medicare has cancelled the plan's contract - and you did not join another plan.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS or Medicare) has the right to terminate a Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan's contract - and you will need to join another Medicare plan.

What to do:  You will be granted a Special Enrollment Period to join a Medicare outside of the annual Open Enrollment Period.

3.  You have not paid your plan premiums and being involuntarily disenrolled from your plan.

If you have not paid your monthly Medicare plan premiums, your plan will make several attempts to notify you of the non-payment and, if necessary, your plan can disenroll you from the plan.

What to do:  If you have not paid your monthly premiums, call your Medicare plan's Member Services department (using the toll-free number on your plan's Member ID card) and make arrangements with the plan to pay your back premiums.  If you pay your back premiums within the "grace period", you should be reinstated in your plan.  If the grace period has passed, you will need to show "good cause" as to why your premiums were not paid in order to be reinstated in your Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan.  Again, the toll-free number for your plan’s Member Services department is on your Member ID card.

4.  You are a higher-earning Medicare beneficiary and are subject to IRMAA and have been involuntarily disenrolled from your plan for not paying your monthly IRMAA payments.

As with the situation of non-paid premiums, if you have not paid your monthly IRMAA, your plan will make several attempts to notify you of the non-payment and can disenroll you from the plan.

What to do:  If you have not paid your IRMAA, call your Medicare plan's Member Services department (using the toll-free number on your plan's Member ID card) and make arrangements with the plan to pay your back IRMAA payments.  If you pay your back premiums within the "grace period", you should be reinstated in your plan, otherwise, you will need to show "good cause" as to why your IRMAA was not paid in order to be reinstated in your Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan.

5.  You have moved out of your plan's Service Area and were disenrolled when the plan learned of your move.

As a requirement to joining a Medicare plan, you must live in the plan's Service Area.  A Service Area for Medicare Part D plans is a state or multi-state region.  A Service Area for a Medicare Advantage plan is one or more ZIP codes, counties, or partial county.  If you move permanently out of your plan's Service Area, the plan can cancel your plan enrollment since you no longer meet the plan's residency requirements.

What to do:  If you have moved out of your plan’s Service Area, you will be provided a Special Enrollment Period to join a Medicare plan in the area where you now live.  To use this Special Enrollment Period and join another Medicare plan, please call a Medicare representative at 1-800-633-4227 (24 hours a day / 7 days a week).

6.  You were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan (SNP) and no longer have the plan's "Special Need".

A Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan (SNP) is designed for people who suffer a specific chronic condition (such as diabetes) or have specific requirements such as financial need (Dual Eligible for Medicare/Medicaid) or they live in a Long-Term Care (LTC) facility.  If you no longer meet the plan's "Special Need", you can be disenrolled from the SNP.  For example, if you are enrolled in a SNP specifically designed for Long-Term Care (LTC) facility members, and you move out of the LTC facility, your SNP can disenroll you from the plan since you no longer meet the specific plan requirements.

What to do:  If you no longer meet the SNP's requirements and are disenrolled from the SNP, you will be provided a Special Enrollment Period to join any Medicare plan that is available in your area.  To use this Special Enrollment Period and join another Medicare plan, please call a Medicare representative at 1-800-633-4227 (24 hours a day / 7 days a week).

7.  Because of your disruptive behavior, your Medicare plan has involuntarily disenrolled you from the plan.

In such a situation, you will not be automatically granted a Special Enrollment Period to join another Medicare plan - and you will need to join a Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan again during the annual Open Enrollment Period (AEP) that starts October 7 and continues through December 7.