Medicare Disenrollment
We understand that your health care needs may change. Learn about Medicare disenrollment, key Medicare disenrollment periods and what disenrollment means for your coverage.
What is Medicare Disenrollment?
Medicare Disenrollment means ending or canceling your membership in a Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D plan.
Disenrollment can be voluntary (your own choice) or involuntary (not your own choice).
Typically, you would disenroll from your current Medicare plan if you wished to enroll in another Medicare plan. If you disenroll from your Medicare plan without enrolling in another one, you risk a late enrollment penalty the next time you sign up for a Medicare plan.
When can I disenroll from a Medicare plan?
Medicare disenrollment (and enrollment) is limited to certain periods, including:
|
Enrollment period
|
Dates
|
Impact
|
|---|---|---|
Annual Enrollment Period | October 15-December 7 | Changes made during this time would take effect on January 1. Your current Medicare plan would end on December 31. |
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period | January 1-March 31 | You must be enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan to request disenrollment from your current plan and qualify for enrollment in another Medicare Advantage plan or Part D plan. |
Special Election Period | Anytime, under certain circumstances | Special life circumstances that allow you to make a plan change outside of the normal window. Examples include moving out of your plan’s service area. |
How do I disenroll from my HealthSpring Medicare plan?
You may disenroll one of two ways:
Enroll in another Medicare Advantage or Medicare prescription drug plan during a valid enrollment period. Doing so will automatically disenroll you from your current HealthSpring Medicare plan.
Mail or fax a signed and dated written disenrollment request to the address below.
For Medicare Advantage plans:
HealthSpring Medicare E&E Team
P.O. Box 239
Nashville, TN 37202
Fax: 1-866-785-7444
For Medicare prescription drug plans:
HealthSpring Medicare Prescription Drug Plans
P.O. Box 269005
Weston, FL 33326-9927
Fax: 1-800-735-1469
You may also use the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Disenrollment Form to request disenrollment. Don’t forget to sign and date your request.
Common Questions on Medicare Disenrollment
What Is the Disenrollment Period for HealthSpring Medicare?
You can disenroll from HealthSpring Medicare during the Annual Enrollment Period from October 15 - December 7 or during a Special Enrollment Period. If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, you may also disenroll during the Open Enrollment Period from January 1 - March 31.
Examples of a Special Enrollment Period include:
You have moved outside the HealthSpring service area
You are eligible for Medicare Part A and Part B and you get support from Medicaid
You can get Extra Help with your Medicare prescription drug costs
You start care in a nursing home or long-term care facility
You join the Program of All-inclusive Care for Elderly (PACE)
You meet other special conditions from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
If you leave a HealthSpring health care plan, you may have the choice of joining a different Medicare plan with prescription drug coverage or Medicare Prescription Drug Plan available in your area.
When Does my Medicare Disenrollment Become Effective?
HealthSpring strives to make clear to you when your Medicare disenrollment takes effect:
We’ll send you a letter with your disenrollment date, which is the day you officially leave your HealthSpring plan.
You should keep using your HealthSpring benefits until your current membership ends.
Use your new plan once you are past the disenrollment date .
If you want to talk to someone who can help you decide if Medicare disenrollment is right for you, call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program.
Why Would I Be Asked to Leave my Medicare Plan?
HealthSpring cannot and will not ask you to leave the plan because of your health. No member of any Medicare Advantage or Part D Prescription Drug plan can be asked to leave the plan for any health-related reasons.
If you ever feel that you are being asked to leave a HealthSpring plan because of your health, you should call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048. You may call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We can ask you to leave the plan under certain special conditions. If any of these situations happen, we must end your membership in a HealthSpring plan:
You do not stay continuously enrolled in either Medicare Part A or Part B.
You are enrolled in a PDP plan and you move out of our geographic area or live outside the plan’s service area for more than 12 months at a time.
You are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan and you are away from our service area for more than 6 months.
You do not pay your premiums.
You move out of our service area.
You are incarcerated (go to prison).
You lie about or withhold information about other insurance you have that provides prescription drug coverage.
You intentionally give us incorrect information when you are enrolling in our plan and that information affects your eligibility for our plan.
You get prescription drugs through changed or falsified prescriptions.
Altered or falsified prescriptions are considered a felony in many states. Submission of altered or falsified prescriptions to HealthSpring will result in HealthSpring contacting local law enforcement. HealthSpring will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law and submit an Involuntary Disenrollment request to CMS.
If you have a question or concern regarding a prescribed medication, please address your concerns with the prescribing provider.
You let someone else use your membership card to get prescription drugs or medical care.
If we end your membership because of this reason, Medicare may have your case investigated by the Inspector General.
You are required to pay the extra Part D amount because of your income and do not pay it. Medicare will disenroll you from our plan and you will lose prescription drug coverage.
What if HealthSpring Leaves the Medicare Program or the Area Where I Live?
If we leave the Medicare program or change our service area so that it no longer includes the area where you live, we will:
Give you written notice of the effective date of termination and
Include different ways to get benefits under the Medicare program.
All of the benefits and rules described in the Evidence of Coverage will continue until your membership ends. While you are waiting for your membership to end, you are still a member of the HealthSpring plan and must keep getting your prescription drugs through HealthSpring. You should keep using the HealthSpring network pharmacies to get your prescription drugs filled until your membership in our plan ends. Often your prescription drugs are only covered if they are filled at a network pharmacy.
HealthSpring has contracts with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the government agency that runs the Medicare program. These contracts renew each year. At the end of each year, the contract is reviewed, and HealthSpring or CMS can decide to end it. You will get 90 days advance notice if this happens. It is also possible for our contract to end at some other time, too. If the contract is going to end, we will generally tell you 90 days ahead of time. Your advance notice may be as little as 30 days, or even fewer days, if CMS must end our contract in the middle of the year.
What if I Have a Dispute over HealthSpring Medicare Disenrollment?
If we end your membership in our plan, we must tell you our reasons in writing for ending your membership. We must also explain how you can make a complaint about our decision to end your membership.
Please reference your Evidence of Coverage for more information about this process and your options.
What if I Have Questions on Medicare Disenrollment?
If you have any questions about how or when to disenroll or change your HealthSpring plan, please Contact us for assistance.