If a person's Medicaid status changes from QI to SLMB, what can they do regarding plan changes?

When a person's Medicaid status changes from Qualified Individual (QI) to Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), they qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) related to Medicaid changes. The important aspect of this is that during this SEP, beneficiaries are allowed to enroll in, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan or a Part D plan without the standard time restrictions that typically apply to regular enrollment periods.

Using the MCD (Medicaid) SEP means that the individual can make these changes outside of the Open Enrollment Period or the Special Enrollment Periods that come with limitations. Importantly, these changes made during the Medicaid Special Enrollment Period do not count against any limitations some may have on how often they can change plans when not triggered by certain life events or Medicaid status changes.

This provides flexibility to beneficiaries who may need to adjust their coverage based on their changing Medicaid status, allowing them to ensure their Medicare coverage aligns with their financial and healthcare needs.