Medicare Advantage Enrollment/Disenrollment

Initial Enrollment Period (IEP)
Your initial enrollment period is when you are first eligible to enroll in Medicare plans.  Your initial enrollment period begins three months before your 65^th birthday, includes the month of your 65^th birthday, and includes the three months after your 65^th birthday. People under the age of 65 may qualify due to a disability.

Annual Enrollment Period (AEP)
The annual enrollment period begins October 15^th and ends December 7^th of every year.  During the annual enrollment period, you can change Medicare Advantage plans or disenroll from a Medicare Advantage plan.

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (OEP)
Enrollment Period occurs between Jan. 1 and March 31, a person can leave a Medicare Supplement plan and enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan alongside traditional Medicare.

Special Enrollment Period (SEP)
You can enroll in a prescription drug plan if you qualify for an SEP. You may qualify for an SEP if you have certain life events or if you are eligible for Extra Help with your prescription costs. Click here to learn more about when SEP applies.

How you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan

If you have decided to enroll in Farm Bureau Advantage HMO, here’s how you can enroll.

• You can call us at 1-833-999-0103 (TTY 711) to enroll over the phone with one of our knowledgeable agents or to have an enrollment packet mailed to you. 
• Our hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, 7 days a week October 1 – March 31 during which time our automated phone system may answer your call on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. April 1 – September 30 our hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday – Friday. Our automated phone system may answer your call on weekends and federal holidays.

Medicare Enrollment Resources

1. Use Medicare's Plan Finder tool to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan. Just visit www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/questions/home.aspx.
2. Call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
3. Call Tennessee's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) at 1-877-801-0044 or https://www.tn.gov/disability-and-aging/disability-aging-programs/tn-ship.html

With Medicare's Plan Finder you can do a General Search or a Personalized Search. Only your ZIP code is required for a General Search. For the Personalized Search, you will need your Medicare number, Part A and Part B effective dates, date of birth, ZIP code and the name of your pharmacy.

Disenrollment Rights & Responsibilities

You may disenroll from a Medicare Advantage plan only during certain times of the year.  All members have the opportunity to leave the plan during the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP), which is October 15 to December 7 each year.  Your disenrollment will be effective on January 1 of the following year. In certain situations, you may be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period and be able to leave the plan outside of the AEP. 
Usually, to disenroll from our plan, you simply enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan during an enrollment period.  You can also do one of the following: 

• Mail or fax a signed written notice to us telling us you want to disenroll.
• Call Member Services and ask them to send you a disenrollment notice. You will have to complete, sign and send the notice back to us.

Your Rights & Responsibilities

• If you are leaving our plan, you must continue to get your medical services and prescription drugs through our plan until your membership ends.
• If you disenroll from Medicare Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage and go without creditable prescription drug coverage, you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty if you join a Medicare prescription drug plan later.
• You should continue to use our network physicians and network pharmacies until your membership in our plan ends.
• We are not allowed to ask you to leave our plan for any reason related to your health.  If you feel that you are being asked to leave our plan because of a health-related reason, you should call Medicare at 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.
• You have the right to make a complaint about our decision to end your membership in our plan.

Our Rights & Responsibilities
If we disenroll you from our plan, we must tell you our reasons in writing. We will notify you of the date your coverage ends.

There are certain situations where we are required to disenroll you from our plan. We have the right to disenroll you for the following reasons:

• If you do not stay continuously enrolled in Medicare Part A or Part B (or both).
• If you move out of our service area or are away for more than 12 months.
• If you become incarcerated (go to prison).
• If you lie about or withhold information about other insurance you have that provides prescription drug coverage.
• If you intentionally give us incorrect information when you are enrolling in our plan and that information affects your eligibility for our plan. (We cannot make you leave our plan for this reason unless we get permission from Medicare first.)
• If you continuously behave in a way that is disruptive and makes it difficult for us to provide care for you and other members of our plan. (We cannot make you leave our plan for this reason unless we get permission from Medicare first.)
• If you let someone else use your membership card to get prescription drugs. (We cannot make you leave our plan for this reason unless we get permission from Medicare first.)
• If you are required to pay the extra Part D amount because of your income and you do not pay it, Medicare will disenroll you from our plan and you will lose prescription drug coverage.