End or Change Membership

You may end your membership in our plan only during certain times of the year, known as enrollment periods. All members have the opportunity to leave the plan during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 to December 7 of each year). Anyone enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan (except an MSA plan) can switch plans or return to Original Medicare (and join a stand-alone Medicare Prescription Drug Plan) and during the Open Enrollment Period (January 1 to March 31 of each year). Generally, you can’t make changes at other times except in certain situations, such as if you move out of your plan’s service area, want to join a plan in your area with a 5-star rating, or qualify for (or lose) Extra Help paying for prescription drug costs.

If you have any questions or would like more information on when you can end your membership:

  • You can call Member Services. The phone number is found at the bottom of this page.
  • You can find the information in the “Medicare & You” handbook.
    • Everyone with Medicare receives a copy of “Medicare & You” each fall. Those new to Medicare receive it within a month after first signing up.
    • You can also download a copy from the Medicare website. Or you can order a printed copy by calling Medicare at the number below.
  • You can contact Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.

How Do You End Your Membership in Our Plan?

Usually, to end your membership in our plan, you simply enroll in another Medicare plan during one of the enrollment periods. However, if you want to switch from our plan to Original Medicare without a Medicare prescription drug plan, you must ask to be disenrolled from our plan. There are two ways you can ask to be disenrolled:

  • You can make a request in writing to us. Send your request to CareSource, P.O. Box 1294, Dayton, OH 45401-1294. Or contact Member Services. The phone number is found at the bottom of this page.
  • Or you can contact Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.

Note: If you disenroll from Medicare prescription drug coverage and go without creditable prescription drug coverage, you may need to pay a late enrollment penalty if you join a Medicare drug plan later. (“Creditable” coverage means the coverage is expected to pay, on average, at least as much as Medicare’s standard prescription drug coverage.) See your Evidence of Coverage (Chapter 6, section 10) for more information about the late enrollment penalty. To locate this document and more, visit our Plan Documents page.

If you leave CareSource, it may take time before your membership ends and your new Medicare coverage goes into effect. During this time, you must continue to get your medical care and prescription drugs through our plan.

  • You should continue to use our network pharmacies to get your prescriptions filled until your membership in our plan ends. Usually, your prescription drugs are only covered if they are filled at a network pharmacy.
  • If you are hospitalized on the day your membership ends, your hospital stay will usually be covered by our plan until you are discharged (even if you are discharged after your new health coverage begins).

When Must We End Your Membership in the Plan?

CareSource must end your membership in the plan if any of the following happen:

  • If you do not stay continuously enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B.
  • If you move out of our service area.

For a complete list of situations where we must end your membership in the plan, see your Evidence of Coverage (Chapter 10). To locate this document and more, visit our Plan Documents page.

If you have questions or would like more information on when we can end your membership, you can call Member Services. The phone number is found at the bottom of this page.

If you feel you are being asked to leave our plan because of a health-related reason, you should call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048. You may call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Member Services: 1-833-230-2020 (TTY: 711). We are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from October 1 through March 31 we are open the same hours, seven days a week.