A Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for Medicare Part B is available while a person is covered by an employer group plan and for a period after that coverage ends. That post-coverage period lasts:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
The employer group SEP allows a beneficiary who delayed Part B enrollment while covered under a group health plan based on current employment to enroll in Part B without penalty during the coverage and for 8 months after the group coverage ends. Because the SEP is penalty-free, eligible beneficiaries who use it avoid the Part B late enrollment penalty that otherwise accrues for each 12-month period of unenrolled coverage. The 8-month window is an exact exam number and must be distinguished from the 7-month Initial Enrollment Period, the 3-month General Enrollment Period, and other Medicare election windows.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Three months is not the SEP length. It is part of the 7-month Initial Enrollment Period structure, which spans the three months before, the birthday month, and three months after.
- C) Six months is not the Part B employer SEP window. The statute provides 8 months after group coverage ends, not 6.
- D) Twelve months exceeds the statutory 8-month post-employment window for the Part B employer group SEP, so coverage would lapse and penalties would accrue after month 8.
Memory hook
Employer SEP = 8 months of runway after your job-based coverage lands.