Congressman Kurt Schrader (D-OR) today introduced a bill to protect seniors from experiencing gaps in their healthcare coverage under Medicare. Schrader’s legislation, H.R.4473 the Seniors Medicare Protection Act of 2010, was inspired by Lake Oswego resident Bill Bregar who, through no fault of his own, missed a key deadline to sign up for Medicare and as a result was not able to access health coverage.

“When Bill told me his story last summer I knew we had to do something,” said Schrader. “And unfortunately this is not an isolated case. Many seniors are going without coverage because of problems transitioning into Medicare and are unable to pick up temporary coverage because of their age. This legislation will provide relief and peace of mind to people like Bill Bregar across this country.”

Many seniors have problems enrolling in Medicare Part B, and experience a gap in healthcare coverage at a time when they need it most. The Seniors Medicare Protection Act of 2010 would eliminate this gap in coverage by providing eligible seniors with coverage in the event that they did not enroll during the appropriate enrollment periods.

Bill Bregar’s story:
Mr. Bregar of Lake Oswego, a former software engineer, accepted a voluntary retirement package from his employer in June 2007. Mr. Bregar and his wife were able to remain on his former firm’s health insurance plan, via COBRA, for two years. He was told by a Social Security representative that he would be able to switch to Medicare when this coverage expired in May of last year.

But when Mr. Bregar tried to enroll in Medicare Part B in May, he was told he was out of luck. Because he had missed the eight-month deadline in which to sign up for Medicare Part B, which expired in early 2008, he was relegated to Medicare's general enrollment period from Jan. 1 to March 31. And, when their Medicare benefits finally would be set to kick in next July, the Bregars would also be subject to a 10% late-enrollment penalty.

Bregar showed up at one of Congressman Schrader’s Congress on Your Corner meetings last year and spoke to the Congressman about his problem. Schrader helped Bregar get granted “equitable relief," a legal protection that allows for immediate enrollment in Medicare Part B without penalty.  Schrader then worked with Bregar to draft and introduce the Seniors Medicare Protection Act of 2010.
 
What the bill does:
H.R. 4473 provides a safety net for seniors should they experience difficulty transitioning into Medicare Part B. The bill would create a 24 month extended special enrollment period that every person would be eligible for immediately after the currently established special enrollment period has ended. A person who signs up during the extended enrollment period, created through this legislation, would be entitled to immediate coverage in the following month after they have enrolled in the program.