New open enrollment rules protect Medicare beneficiaries who may lose their health coverage. Under certain circumstances, you have 63 days to purchase Medicare supplement insurance, no health questions asked. Details for each situation are described below. If you have specific questions about your particular situation, please contact:

• Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas (SHICK) at
  1-800-860-5260
• The Consumer Assistance Division of the Kansas Insurance
  Department at 1-800-432-2484

If you lose your Medicare HMO coverage…

If you lose you coverage for one of the reasons below, you will be eligible to return to Original Medicare and purchase a Medicare supplement policy (Plan A, B, C or F) from any company selling these policies in Kansas.

• the HMO terminates or stops providing care in your area.
• you move outside the HMO service area.
• you leave the plan because it failed to meet its required obligations to you.

If you move to an HMO…

If you decided to try an HMO plan or Medicare SELECT policy, drop your supplement policy, and then decided you don’t like it, you may return to your original Medicare Supplement policy if you meet these requirements:

• This must be the first time that you enrolled in an HMO plan or Medicare SELECT plan.
• You must decide to leave the plan within one year after joining.
• You must apply for the Medicare Supplement policy within sixty-three (63) days after leaving the other plan.
  

If you meet these requirements, you can return to your original Medicare supplement policy, if it is still offered, or choose from policies A, B, C or F.

If you lose employer group health plan benefits…

Under certain circumstances, if you are enrolled as an employee under a group health plan and the plan terminates your health benefits, you have the right to purchase a Medicare Supplement policy (Plans A, B, C or F) from any insurance company selling these policies in Kansas. If you apply within sixty-three (63) days from losing coverage, the company would have to issue you the policy, even if you have a health problem.

If you lose Medicare Supplement coverage…

If you lose you Medicare Supplement coverage for one of the reasons shown below, you will be eligible to purchase another Medicare Supplement policy. (Plans A, B, C or F) from any insurance company selling these policies in Kansas. If you apply within sixty-three (63) days from losing coverage, the company would have to issue you the policy.

• Insurance company is insolvent or bankrupt
• Involuntary termination of coverage or enrollment
• Company substantially violates material provision of the policy
• Representative of the company materially misrepresents policy provisions in marketing the policy.

If you lose your Medicaid…

If you lose health benefits under Title XIX of the Social Security Act (Medicaid), you are guaranteed any Medicare supplement offered by any issuer providing you apply within 63 days of losing the Title XIX eligibility.

Who to call for more information…

You may call your local SHICK Coordinator, the State SHICK Hotline (1-800-860-5260) or the Kansas Insurance Department (1-800-432-2484) if you have questions regarding the new Guarantee Issue for Medicare Supplement Law or other Medicare issues.