Notice for Individuals Affected by Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, Landslides, Mudslides and Tornadoes

CMS will provide a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for individuals in Washington, Mississippi, California, Alabama, Nebraska, and Iowa affected by severe storms, flooding, straight-line winds, and tornadoes who need to enroll in, dis-enroll from or switch Medicare health or prescription drug plans and have missed another enrollment period (i.e., either aging in or a SEP). This opportunity will be available in areas for which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has declared an emergency or major disaster and FEMA has determined they are eligible for Public or Individual assistance. It is available at the start of the incident period and runs for 4 full months.

Who qualifies for this Special Enrollment Period

This applies to individuals who:

  • Reside, or resided at the start of the incident period, in an area/county for which FEMA has declared an emergency or major disaster.
  • Had another enrollment period at the time of the incident period (such as aging in or a SEP); and
  • Did not enroll or make a change during that other enrollment period.

In addition, the SEP is available to those individuals who don’t live in the affected areas but rely on help making healthcare decisions from friends or family members who live in the affected areas. Please note: Affected counties can change on a regular basis. Below is the list of eligible counties as of the date of this communication.

Washington – Incident Period Began on December 10, 2018 (SEP End Date – April 30, 2019)
Clallam, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, Mason, Pacific, Snohomish, Whatcom.

Mississippi – Incident Period Began on December 27, 2018 (SEP End Date – April 30, 2019)
Clarke, Covington, Forrest, Greene, Jasper, Jones, Marion, Newton, Noxubee, Perry, Wayne.

California – Incident Period Began on February 14, 2019 (SEP End Date – June 30, 2019)
Cahuilla Indian Reservation, La Jolla Indian Reservation.

Alabama – Incident Period Began on March 3, 2019 (SEP End Date – July 31, 2019)
Lee.

Nebraska – Incident Period Began on March 9, 2019 (SEP End Date – July 31, 2019)
Adams, Antelope, Blaine, Boone, Box Butte, Boyd, Brown, Buffalo, Burt, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Cherry, Colfax, Cuming, Custer, Dakota, Dixon, Dodge, Douglas, Fillmore, Frontier, Furnas, Gage, Garfield, Gosper, Greeley, Hall, Harlan, Holt, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Keya Paha, Knox, Lancaster, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, Madison, Merrick, Morrill, Nance, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Omaha Indian Reservation, Otoe, Pawnee, Pierce, Platte, Ponca (TDSA), Richardson, Rock, Sac and Fox Indian Reservation (Also KS), Saline, Santee Indian Reservation, Sarpy, Saunders, Scotts Bluff, Seward, Sherman, Stanton, Thayer, Thurston, Valley, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler, Winnebago Indian Reservation, York.

Iowa – Incident Period Began on March 12, 2019 (SEP End Date – July 31, 2019)
Adair, Allamakee, Audubon, Boone, Bremer, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dallas, Decatur, Dickinson, Emmet, Fayette, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Iowa, Jasper, Kossuth, Lyon, Madison, Mahaska, Marshall, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, O’Brien, Osceola, Page, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Polk, Pottawattamie, Sac, Shelby, Sioux, Tama, Union, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Woodbury, Wright.

How do I enroll during this Special Enrollment Program?

We at Senior65.com can help you navigate plans and apply for a plan during special enrollment. The best part is that we charge you nothing for our services! Give us a call at 1-800-930-7956 when you’re ready to enroll.