North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey announced Friday (October 4) that Medicare beneficiaries impacted by Hurricane Helene have been granted an extended Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to sign up for Medicare health and prescription drug coverage.
This extended period gives beneficiaries extra time to make changes to their Medicare coverage due to the unforeseen circumstances that accompany a natural disaster.
The regular 2025 Medicare Open Enrollment period runs Oct. 15 – Dec.7 with coverage to take effect Jan. 1, 2025. This SEP allows anyone who missed an election period to make changes for the duration of the disaster plus an additional two months following the declared end date of the disaster. Coverage will begin a month after an enrollment is completed.
The SEP is in effect for the 25 North Carolina counties declared disaster areas as a result of Hurricane Helene: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey.
The extension applies to two sets of residents: Those who live in the disaster zones as well as others outside the 25 counties who assist or are assisted by the storm victims. For more details go to Special Enrollment Period for Medicare recipients affected by Helene’s damage | NC DOI
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