Excellus BCBS Medicare Broker News - Vol. 4 No. 1

AEP May Be Over, But Members Can Still Enroll In An Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Medicare Plan

5-Star Special Enrollment Period (SEP)

Excellus BCBS 2022 Medicare HMO plans were awarded 5 stars out of a possible 5-star rating. For 2022 plans, the Medicare 5-Star SEP runs from December 8, 2021 to November 30, 2022, which gives members almost an entire year to make the switch from a lower-rated plan to one of Excellus' 5-star HMO plans.

If a member enrolled in a plan that is rated as fewer than five stars during AEP, they may utilize this SEP one time during the plan year to disenroll from their current plan and enroll in a 5-star Medicare plan, such as an Excellus BCBS Medicare HMO plan. The enrollment would become effective the first of the month after the enrollment request is received.

If there are other enrollment period options available to the member, those should be used first and the 5-Star SEP after.

• Example 1: If a member would like to enroll in an Excellus BCBS Medicare HMO plan this month (January 2022), they should use their OEP election first because the time frame of that enrollment period is limited.
• Example 2: If a member would like to switch to an Excellus Medicare HMO plan after March 31 (when the OEP is over) and the beneficiary is not eligible for any other SEPs, then the 5-star SEP should be used.

Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP)

The Medicare OEP is currently underway and runs from January 1 to March 31.

The OEP applies to:

• Beneficiaries who are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan as of January 1. These enrollees can use the OEP to enroll in another MA plan or disenroll from their MA plan to return to Original Medicare.
• Dual-eligible and Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) beneficiaries who, in general, may make changes once per calendar quarter.
• The OEP gives beneficiaries who are currently enrolled in a MA plan some options.

Read more on who can switch plans and the stipulations around enrollment.

OEP Details (PDF)‍