Deadline for Medicare enrollment extended to Jan. 7 for Guilford and other NC counties

Jan. 02--GREENSBORO -- If you live in Guilford County -- or one of 33 other North Carolina counties -- you've got through Jan 7 to enroll in Medicare this year.

People who want to sign up for Medicare for the year who haven't already done so should call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

This is an extension granted because of the impact of Hurricane Florence this fall.

The original open enrollment period for Medicare insurance and prescription benefits was from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, 2018, with coverage set to start Jan. 1, 2019.

Now, people who live in counties declared disaster zones for Florence, including Guilford County, can sign up through Jan. 7, with coverage to take effect Feb. 1. This special enrollment period is also available to people who rely on a person who lives in one of the disaster zone counties for assistance in signing up for Medicare benefits.

The counties are: Anson, Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Chatham, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Durham, Greene, Guilford, Harnett, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Orange, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Union, Wayne and Wilson.

Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people 65 and older, as well as some younger people with disabilities or permanent kidney failure.

On a separate, but similar note, there is also an "Exceptional Circumstances Special Enrollment Period" still going on for federal Affordable Care Act health insurance because of the December 8-9 snowstorm that hit central and western North Carolina.

People who were unable to enroll for the Affordable Care Act due to power loss, inability to travel or inability to get help from an ACA Navigator because of the storm may apply for a special waiver to sign up now.

A North Carolina Department of Insurance spokesman said in an email that people impacted by the storm may be eligible for the Exceptional Circumstances Special Enrollment Period within 60 days of that "qualifying event."

"Please note that enrollees must first complete an application on the HealthCare.gov website," he wrote. "Even though they will receive a rejection notice because their application was completed after the Dec. 15, 2018, deadline, their enrollment information will be in the federal healthcare database. After receiving the rejection notice, applicants should contact the marketplace call center at 800-318-2596 (TTY: 855-889-4325)."

Federal caseworkers, he said, will determine whether each individual qualifies for the special enrollment opportunity on a case-by-case basis.

Contact Jessie Pounds at 336-373-7002 and follow @JessiePounds on Twitter.

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