WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 16, 2020)—The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) has joined with 75 other groups in sending a letter to Alex Azar, the Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), urging the Department to help people sign up for Medicare coverage amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.
With all Social Security Administration offices closing to the public in March, many newly Medicare-eligible individuals have struggled to sign-up for coverage. Those that are able to sign-up are informed it could take months to process their applications.
The letter also expresses concern for disabled Americans and older adults that find themselves vulnerable in the face of the pandemic. Current law requires a two-year waiting period for the newly disabled to qualify for Medicare coverage. As for older adults, many have unexpectedly lost their jobs recently as a result of the outbreak. With the job loss, many have also lost their employer-sponsored coverage. With the continued exponential growth of new positive coronavirus cases, these individuals are finding themselves vulnerable to the threat of COVID-19, with limited options for health coverage.
As proposed suggestions, the letter calls for:
- Creation of a Medicare special enrollment period (SEP)—Individuals eligible for Medicare that have not been able to sign-up in another period would be able to with coverage to start immediately.
- Enactment of Medicare presumptive eligibility guidance—As appointments for Medicare application are being scheduled months out, individuals who submit an application should be found presumptively eligible with immediate effectuation.
- Suspension of two-year waiting period—This would be targeted towards disabled Americans qualifying for Social Security Disability Insurance, and would allow for immediate coverage.
