This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded the time-limited equitable relief opportunity to people who are enrolled in Marketplace plans but could have enrolled in Medicare Part B during their Special Enrollment Period (SEP), which was available to them after they lost their or a spouse’s job-based insurance.

Time-limited equitable relief lifts the burden of lifetime late enrollment penalties and gaps in health coverage for people with Marketplace plans who mistakenly missed signing up for Medicare.

Last October, CMS announced a yearlong extension of time-limited equitable relief, through September 30, 2018, a critical exception for certain Marketplace enrollees who delayed or declined Medicare enrollment.

CMS’ decision to expand equitable relief will help even more people hampered by costly penalties and those going without needed health care. Medicare Rights applauds CMS for doing right by people new to Medicare, and we look forward to working with our agency partners, State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs), local Social Security Offices, and others to help people access this critical relief.

For more information on time-limited equitable relief and how to apply, see Medicare Rights’ online resource, Medicare Interactive, and:

• Read the Fact Sheet updated by CMS
• Call the Medicare Rights Center’s free national helpline at 1-800-333-4114
• Call the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) at 1-877-839-2675 or visit the shiptacenter.org
• Contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213, or go to socialsecurity.gov, or visit your local Social Security office