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BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE DUAL CARE

Eligibility and Enrollment 

Find out whether you qualify for Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dual Care and how you can enroll. 

Senior couple sitting outside on a bench

Am I Eligible?

Whether you're new to Medicare or thinking about switching plans, here are some important things to consider before choosing Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dual Care.

  • You must qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid.
  • You must be enrolled in Medicaid with the state of New Mexico.
  • To enroll in a Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dual Care Plus (HMO SNP)℠ plan, live in one of these counties: Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Cibola, Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Doña Ana, Eddy, Grant, Guadalupe, Harding, Lea, Lincoln, Los Alamos, Luna, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Quay, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Taos, Torrance, or Valencia.
  • To enroll in a Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dual Care Plus Preferred (PPO SNP)℠ plan, live in one of these counties: Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Cibola, Curry, Doña Ana, Eddy, Grant, Guadalupe, Harding, Lincoln, Los Alamos, Luna, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Quay, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Taos, Torrance or Valencia.

Plan Star Ratings

Every year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) evaluates Medicare plans based on a 5-star rating system. The highest score a plan can receive is 5 stars. More stars mean better performance and quality.

Learn more about star ratings .

Enrollment Periods

Enrollment periods are time frames when you can enroll in a Medicare plan. There are four enrollment periods for Blue Cross Medicare Advantage plans.

Annual Enrollment Period (AEP)

Anyone can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan between October 15 and December 7. If you apply during this time, coverage begins on January 1.

Open Enrollment Period (OEP)

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP) is January 1 through March 31 each year. During OEP:

  • Enrollees (those who are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan) can pick a different Medicare Advantage plan or switch to Original Medicare. You may only make one election, or plan change.
  • New Medicare beneficiaries (those who enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan during the first three months that they were eligible – the three months before turning 65) can make a plan change. In this case the OEP occurs from the month of eligibility to Part A and Part B through the last day of the third month of eligibility.

Initial Enrollment Period (IEP)

When you first become eligible for Medicare, you can join during the 7-month period that starts 3 months before the month you turn 65, includes the month you turn 65 and ends 3 months after the month you turn 65.

Infographic showing the 7-month Medicare enrollment period, starting 3 months before the 65th birthday month and ending 3 months after the 65th birthday month

Special Enrollment Period (SEP)

In most cases, you can stay in the plan for the calendar year when your coverage began. But you may be able to join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage Plan during a Special Enrollment Period. Below is a list of some, but not all the reasons you may need to change during a Special Enrollment Period:

  • Moving outside of the plan's approved service area
  • Entering or leaving a qualified institution, such as a nursing home
  • Qualifying for low-income subsidy assistance (Extra Help)
  • Enrolling in Medicaid
  • Involuntarily losing creditable prescription drug coverage
  • Leaving or losing your employer's health plan

Contact us if any of these situations apply to you.

For more information, refer to the Medicare and You Handbook.

Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dual Care Enrollment

Ready to Enroll?