Is there a standardized process for disenrolling Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees?
There is a standardized process for MA disenrollment. Medicare beneficiaries who are currently enrolled in MA plans may only disenroll from that plan during certain periods: the Annual Enrollment (or Election) Period (AEP) from November 15 through December 31; in certain situations during the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) from January 1 through March 31; and any applicable Special Enrollment Period (SEP). There are a few ways for a Medicare beneficiary to disenroll from an MA plan: • By enrolling in another plan • By sending or faxing a signed written notice to the MA organization • By requesting disenrollment online to the MA organization (if the MA organization offers this option) • By calling 1-800-MEDICARE CMS’s disenrollment policy guidance states that “if a member verbally requests disenrollment from the MA plan, the MA organization must instruct the member to make the request in one of the ways described above. […]The disenrollment request must be dated when it is initially recei
