Plans that earn the highest rating of five stars not only get the highest bonuses, they also gain an additional reward: They can market to and enroll new members throughout the year.

What The Five-Star Enrollment Period Means To Your Clients
Placing more emphasis on five-star plans—the CMS created a new Medicare special enrollment period in 2012 for plans that earn a quality rating of five stars.

Your clients who have Medicare can switch to a plan with a five-star quality rating if a plan is available in their area, and they don’t have to wait until Medicare’s annual open enrollment period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7) to do so.

They can switch to a five-star plan at any time from Dec. 8 through Nov. 30. But they can only use the special enrollment period one time during the year. If they make the switch to a five-star plan, they must remain in the plan through the plan year unless they qualify for a different special enrollment period.

Your clients who already have Medicare Advantage can switch to a Medicare Advantage plan with a five-star rating if one is available in their area.

Clients who use Original Medicare can also switch to a five-star Medicare Advantage plan. Your clients can also join a Medicare Cost plan, available in certain areas, with a five-star rating.

Part D plans also are included in the five-star special enrollment period. (However, bonus payments don’t apply to Part D prescription drug plans.)

This means that your clients who get their drug coverage through a Part D plan also could use the special enrollment period to enroll in a five-star Part D plan if there is a five-star plan in their area.

Five-Star Caveats And Considerations
There are some additional considerations that mean this process is not as simple as it may seem and could require a Medicare specialist’s insight before making these choices.

One caveat: If your client moves from a Medicare Advantage plan that has drug coverage to one that does not, she may have to wait until the next annual enrollment period to get drug coverage. She also may have to pay a late-enrollment penalty. An exception exists for people who enroll in a five-star private fee-for-service (PFFS) plan or five-star cost plan—they are permitted to enroll in coordinating Part D coverage.