The 48-hour waiting period went into effect September 30 and applies to all 2024 Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan selling activities.

Exceptions to the 48-Hour Rule

CMS has identified two exceptions to the 48-hour rule:

1. SOAs that are completed during the last four days of a valid election period (AEP, ICEP, IEP, SEP, MA OEP, etc.) for the beneficiary.
2. Unscheduled in person meetings (walk-ins) initiated by the beneficiary, including inbound calls.

Guidelines for the 48-Hour Rule Application

Please take a few moments to review the guidelines for determining whether the 48-hour SOA applies and common scenarios providing more detail on determining the correct course of action:

Common Scenarios

A beneficiary calls you to inquire about a plan:

• You conduct a telephonic presentation and enrollment, the 48-hour rule does not apply.
• You schedule an in-home appointment, the 48-hour rule does apply.

A beneficiary approaches your informal event and wants information about the plan:

• You meet with them in the moment, at the event, the 48-hour rule does notapply.
• You schedule an in-home appointment with them, the 48-hour rule does apply.

A beneficiary approaches you at the end of your formal event and wants information about the plan:

• You meet with them in the moment, at the event site, the 48-hour rule does notapply.
• You schedule an in-home appointment with them, the 48-hour rule does apply.

You call a beneficiary from a lead provided by the plan (e.g. cross-sell lead), a Consent to Contact (C2C) card, or are returning a voicemail message:

• You conduct a telephonic presentation and enrollment, the 48-hour rule does not apply.
• You schedule an in-person appointment, the 48-hour rule does apply.

As a general rule, agents should not arrive at a beneficiary’s home to conduct a presentation without a Scope of Appointment having been captured at least 48 hours in advance.

Please reach out to your local Sales Leader should you have any questions about the 48-Hour SOA rule.

As always, thank you for your continued partnership!