Equitable Relief for Medicare Enrollment and Disenrollment
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: May 3, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is providing equitable relief to individuals who could not submit premium Part A or Part B enrollment or disenrollment requests timely due to challenges contacting us by phone. This relief applies to the 2022 General Enrollment Period, Initial Enrollment Period, and Special Enrollment Period.
If you were unable to enroll or disenroll in Medicare because you could not reach us by phone after January 1, 2022, you will be granted additional time, through December 30, 2022.
For more information, call 1-800-772-1213 or use our Office Locator to find the number for a local office.
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Tags: General Information, Medicare
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Darlynda Bogle, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Darlynda Bogle, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
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Kamal H.
I’m reaching 65 in two weeks , I applied for Medicare for both Part A & B , in Fact I’m still working and I have my private medical insurance so I don’t need Part B in the current time , I called SSA on 1-800-772-1213 and after waiting for long time , I was able to hold a lady who was kind enough to understand the issue and the error I did of requesting Part B , she send CMS -1763 to refuse part B before starting billing me for that service next month . I still need assistance regarding filling that for especially I don’t have my Medicare number sent to me as of yet , I just got a notice of award approving my application . my local SSA office is at Towson ,MD 21204 and that office is only accepting walk in by appointments . for days I tried to reach that office on 866-614-4758 to schedule an appointment with no luck . I need urgent assistance please so I can meet someone to help solving this error to avoid billing me for a service I’m not going to use .
A.C.
Hi, Kamal. We are sorry to hear about your experience. If this is a time sensitive issue, you may wish to visit your local Social Security office. Most local offices have resumed in-person service for people without an appointment. Customers who walk in without appointments may encounter delays. Visit How to Get Help from Social Security to learn more, including what to know if you need to visit an office. We hope this helps.
Lauren C.
I have been waiting for an answer regarding an equitable relief request that was submitted on my behalf by a SHIP counselor on June 4, 2021. I have contacted my local SS office several times without getting any answers, the last time being December 23. They called me back the following week saying the decision was now with the “Payment Center,” and I should expect to receive an answer from there. I have received nothing and do not know who to contact next. I have now been waiting for more than a year. What should I do?
A.C.
Hi, Lauren. We are sorry to hear that. For your security, we do not have access to private information in this venue.We encourage you to continue to work with your local Social Security office. You can ask to speak to a manager on your next call or visit. You can also submit feedback by visiting our Contact Social Security page. Once there, select the “Email Us” link. This will take you to the “Email A Question to our Support Team” form where you can complete and submit a compliment, complaint, or suggestion.We hope this is resolved soon.
Sri K.
I enrolled for Medicare in 4 months ago and I got a letter recently that I will received my Medicare card in 2 weeks. Meanwhile, I got a job with creditable health coverage. I need to disenroll from Medicare (A&B) so that I do not have to pay duplicate premiums. I tried my Fremont local office but the hold times have been very long. Do I have to wait for the Medicare ID to be able to submit Form CMS-1763?
A.C.
Hi, Sri. Thanks for visiting our blog. To terminate your enrollment, we will help you submit a signed request for termination or Form CMS-1763. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires, when possible, a personal interview be conducted with everyone who wishes to terminate entitlement. Therefore, we do not offer form CMS-1763 online. You can call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Keep in mind most local offices have resumed in-person service for people without an appointment. Customers who walk in without appointments may encounter delays. Visit How to Get Help from Social Security to learn more, including what to know if you need to visit an office. We hope this helps.
Kevin
Hi Ann,
I found the form on-line. It is optional if you go to your local SS office.
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/CMS-Forms/CMSForms/
Downloads/CMS1763.pdf
Maggie C.
I have an urgent complicated situation I cannot find a clear answer to. I have been on social security disability Medicare A since 2010. I was covered by my husbands (more than 100 employee) employee healthcare plan so didn’t need B. Sometime early on I added Medicare B since I had a complicated medical situation in case it might help with medical costs. In 2012 we sold our home which counted as income and raised my Medicare B premium by a lot. I had never actually used medicare B so I disenrolled. Then, in Feb 2021 my husband retired. It was the middle of covid. Getting anything official done at that time was a nightmare. I was afraid of medicare and covid complications so decided to stay with the private group plan offered by my husbands employer that they would subsidize. I didn’t know there was a 6 month special enrollment period for me for part B until about a week after the period had ended. I wrote letters of explanation to social security stating that I missed it because of covid but they ruled that I could not sign up until 2021 general enrollment period and coverage would start July 1 2022 which I did. I will have a late penalty for my monthly B premium which is fine with me. I signed up for a medigap plan to start July 1 as well. Until then I am still on my husbands employment subsidized insurance. I have just read that medigap plans can deny coverage for preixisting conditions for 6 months if you missed your initial enrollment period. This is terrifying. I was diagnosed with cancer last week and begin intensive chemo treatments (which are administered as inpatient for 5 days with 2 weeks in between for 3-6 cycles) starting this coming Tuesday. Plus I still have my condition that put me on disability in the first place. WILL MY MEDIGAP COVER ME? Can/should I keep my husbands retirement insurance in case they don’t? Is that even allowed? Would an advantage plan be better in this case? Can I even switch it o advantage once I already signed up for medigap. I am sorry this is so long. Please help me!!!
A.C.
Hi, Maggie. Thank you for visiting our blog. Unfortunately, your situation is a bit more complex than we can handle in this forum. You may wish to contact your local Medicare SHIP (State Health Insurance Program Coordinator) to discuss your concerns. We hope this helps.
Lily
what address should I mail my CMS-1763 form. Thanks!
A.C.
Hi, Lily. Thanks for your question. You can mail or bring the completed form to your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
Cathy g.
I am trying to help an employee submit for Equitable Relief for applying for Medicare part B and even I can’t get through to SS post coivd without 45 to an hour and then get disconnected or in a loop. Can you assist he missed the enrollment becuase of not being able to reach someone
A.C.
Hi, Cathy. We apologize for the inconvenience. Our move to a more modern telephone system has affected our ability to help you and your employee when calling our offices. Thank you for your patience as we continue to upgrade our telephone system. For other ways to contact us, please visit here. We hope this helps.
June A.
I am attempting to DISENROLL from Medicare Part B which will NOT be at all beneficial for me.
SSA has offered an extended disenrollment period to December 22. In as much, ONLY ENROLLMENT information is stated.
I have been toggling between Medicare and “my Social Security” account online …NO INFORMATION TO DISENROLL.
So far 24 minutes on the phone waiting for an agent….
A.C.
Hi, June. We are sorry to hear about your experience. If you wish to terminate your enrollment, we will help you submit a signed request for termination or Form CMS-1763. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires, when possible, a personal interview be conducted with everyone who wishes to terminate entitlement. Therefore, we do not offer form CMS-1763 online. Again, you can call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday or contact your local office. Wait times to speak to a representative are typically shorter Wednesdays through Fridays or later in the day. If this a time senstive issue, keep in mind most local offices have resumed in-person service for people without an appointment. Customers who walk in without appointments may encounter delays. Visit How to Get Help from Social Security to learn more, including what to know if you need to visit an office. We hope this helps.
Hubbart W.
I am trying to disenroll in the Medicare Program but I am having trouble with getting someone to help me. Could you please send me a form to disenroll in Medicare? I have full medical insurance on my job that I have been working for the last 17 years. I don’t know how I got enrolled. Please cancel the enrollment. Thank you
A.C.
Hi, Hubbart. We are sorry to hear that. If you wish to terminate your enrollment, we will help you submit a signed request for termination or Form CMS-1763. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires, when possible, a personal interview be conducted with everyone who wishes to terminate entitlement. Therefore, we do not offer form CMS-1763 online. Again, you can call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday or contact your local office. Wait times to speak to a representative are typically shorter Wednesdays through Fridays or later in the day. We hope this is resolved soon.
John S.
the agents know nothing or this nor this office. Please train and all have ways to do online. Also have simple videos showing basc of Medicare
Melissa S.
John you can tune into my Facebook live on Sunday’s 7 pm Central Time on the Basics of Medicare. The page is Melissa Slade Life and Health Insurance Agent. I have recordings you can listen to now.
Charlotte M.
You are absolutely right. I have had to tell 3 different agents exactly that and they were not pleased with me correcting them since I was trying to help someone get enrolled. It is idiotic that the people that work there dont even know this and kept trying to tell me I was WRONG.
Felicia S.
I received a letter of notification that I was disenroll from the Medicare Program because of no receipt of non-payment of premiums effective 01/01/2020 and received a Waiver of premiums, co-payment from the American Rescue Act 2020. The issue was corrected for the year 2021.
I know this is a degratory comment that someone made to win a race.
I have been making payments since Medicare approved my healthcare coverage. I hope these issues and adjustments corrected soon in June for persons who received disability under ADA and the cost living increase be adjusted.