Enrollment process

(b) Enrollment form or CMS-approved enrollment mechanism. The enrollment form or CMS-approved enrollment mechanism must comply with CMS instructions regarding content and format and must have been approved by CMS as described in § 423.2262.

(1) The enrollment must be completed by the individual and include an acknowledgement by the beneficiary for disclosure and exchange of necessary information between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (or its designees) and the PDP sponsor. Individuals who assist beneficiaries in completing the enrollment, including authorized representatives, must indicate they have provided assistance and their relationship to the beneficiary.

(2) Part D eligible individuals enrolling or enrolled in a Part D plan must provide information regarding reimbursement for Part D costs through other insurance, group health plan or other third-party payment arrangement, and consent to the release of the information provided by the individual on other insurance, group health plan or other third-party payment arrangements, as well as any other information on reimbursement of Part D costs collected or obtained from other sources, in a form and manner approved by CMS.

(c) Timely process an individual's enrollment request. A PDP sponsor must timely process an individual's enrollment request in accordance with CMS enrollment guidelines and enroll Part D eligible individuals who are eligible to enroll in its plan under § 423.30(a) and who elect to enroll or are enrolled in the plan during the periods specified in § 423.38.

(d) Notice requirement. The PDP sponsor must provide the individual with prompt notice of acceptance or denial of the individual's enrollment request, in a format and manner specified by CMS.

(e) Maintenance of enrollment. An individual who is enrolled in a PDP remains enrolled in that PDP until one of the following occurs:

(i) The individual successfully enrolls in another PDP or MA-PD plan;

(ii) The individual voluntarily disenrolls from the PDP;

(iii) The individual is involuntary disenrolled from the PDP in accordance with § 423.44(b)(2);

(iv) The PDP is discontinued within the area in which the individual resides; or

(iv) The individual is enrolled after the initial enrollment, in accordance with § 423.34(c).

(f) Enrollees of cost-based HMOs or CMPs and PACE. Individuals enrolled in a cost-based HMO or CMP plan (as defined in part 417 of this chapter) or PACE (as defined in § 460.6 of this chapter) that offers prescription drug coverage under this part as of December 31, 2005, remain enrolled in that plan as of January 1, 2006, and receive Part D benefits offered by that plan until one of the conditions in § 423.32(e) are met.

(g) Passive enrollment by CMS. In situations involving either immediate terminations as provided in § 423.509(a)(5) or § 422.510(a)(5) of this chapter, or other situations in which CMS determines that remaining enrolled in a plan poses potential harm to plan members, CMS may implement passive enrollment procedures.

(1) Passive enrollment procedures. Individuals will be considered to have enrolled in the plan selected by CMS unless individuals—

(i) Decline the plan selected by CMS, in a form and manner determined by CMS; or

(ii) Request enrollment in another plan.

(2) Beneficiary notification. The organization that receives the enrollment must provide notification that describes the costs and benefits of the new plan and the process for accessing care under the plan and the beneficiary's ability to decline the enrollment or choose another plan. Such notification must be provided to all potential enrollees prior to the enrollment effective date (or as soon as possible after the effective date if prior notice is not practical), in a form and manner determined by CMS.

(3) Special election period. All individuals will be provided with a special enrollment period, as described in § 423.38(c)(8)(ii).

(h) Notification of reinstatement based on beneficiary cancellation of new enrollment. When an individual is disenrolled from a Part D plan due to the election of a new plan, the Part D plan sponsor must reinstate the individual's enrollment in that plan if the individual cancels the election in the new plan within timeframes established by CMS. The Part D plan sponsor offering the plan from which the individual was disenrolled must send the member notification of the reinstatement within 10 calendar days of receiving confirmation of the individual's reinstatement.

(i) Exception for employer group health plans. (1) In cases when a PDP sponsor has both a Medicare contract and a contract with an employer, and in which the PDP sponsor arranges for the employer to process election forms for Part D eligible group members who wish to enroll under the Medicare contract, the effective date of the election may be retroactive. Consistent with § 423.343(a), payment adjustments based on a retroactive effective date may be made for up to a 90-day period.

(2) In order to obtain the effective date described in paragraph (i)(1) of this section, the beneficiary must certify that, at the time of enrollment in the PDP, he or she received the disclosure statement specified in § 423.128.

(3) Upon receipt of the election from the employer, the PDP sponsor must submit the enrollment to CMS within timeframes specified by CMS.

(j) Authorized representatives. As used in this subpart, an authorized representative is an individual who is the legal representative or otherwise legally able to act on behalf of an enrollee, as the law of the State in which the beneficiary resides may allow, in order to execute an enrollment or disenrollment request.

(1) The authorized representative would constitute the “beneficiary” or the “enrollee” for the purpose of making an election.

(2) Authorized representatives may include court-appointed legal guardians, persons having durable power of attorney for health care decisions, or individuals authorized to make health care decisions under state surrogate consent laws, provided they have the authority to act for the beneficiary in this capacity.

(k) Enrollments requiring prior CMS approval—(1) CMS approval. Special Election Periods specified in paragraph (k)(2) of this section require CMS approval before an individual can use the SEP to make an enrollment election. CMS approval is provided for Part D enrollments either through the use of a CMS-operated election mechanism or through the individual's receipt of a notice which explains eligibility for the SEP and election instructions. Part D plans may not transmit enrollment elections to CMS using the specified SEPs without prior CMS approval.

(2) Special election periods. All of the following SEPs require CMS approval prior to use:

(i) SEP for individuals who were not adequately informed of a loss of creditable prescription drug coverage, § 423.38(c)(2).

(ii) SEP for contract violation, § 423.38(c)(8).

(iii) SEP for individuals who disenroll in connection with CMS sanction, § 423.38(c)(12).

(iv) SEP for other exceptional circumstances, § 423.38(c)(36).