Medicare Enrollment Protection Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Medicare Enrollment Protection Act fixes a gap for people who rely on COBRA after losing employer coverage. Beginning with COBRA continuation coverage that starts on or after January 1, 2026, a Medicare-eligible person enrolled in COBRA would receive a one-time Part B special enrollment period covering each COBRA month plus the three months after COBRA ends. Coverage would start the month after enrollment, and COBRA months would not count toward the Part B late-enrollment penalty. The bill also amends ERISA, the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code so COBRA coverage cannot reduce or terminate benefits merely because the person is eligible for, but not enrolled in, Part B.
Who Benefits and How
COBRA continuation enrollees benefit because they gain a Medicare Part B enrollment path without waiting for the general enrollment period. Older workers leaving employer coverage benefit because COBRA months can protect them from Part B late-enrollment penalties. Families paying COBRA premiums benefit because coverage cannot be reduced solely due to Part B eligibility before actual Part B enrollment. State continuation-coverage enrollees benefit because similar state COBRA laws are included in the definition of continuation coverage.
Who Bears the Burden and How
CMS Medicare enrollment staff must administer a new one-time special enrollment period and penalty exclusion. COBRA plan administrators must stop using Part B eligibility alone as a basis to reduce or terminate continuation benefits. Employer health plan sponsors must revise COBRA notices, coordination rules, and claims administration. Medicare Part B financing bears earlier or penalty-free enrollment for some beneficiaries who stayed on COBRA.
Key Provisions
- Creates a one-time Medicare Part B special enrollment period during COBRA coverage and for three months afterward.
- Excludes documented COBRA months from the Part B late-enrollment penalty calculation.
- Requires Part B coverage to begin the first day of the month after enrollment under the new special period.
- Prohibits COBRA plans from reducing or terminating benefits solely because an unenrolled person is eligible for Part B.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Creates a Medicare Part B special enrollment period for people moving from COBRA continuation coverage and prevents COBRA plans from cutting benefits solely because an enrollee is eligible for Medicare Part B.
Key Policy Areas
Health Care, Medicare, Employer Benefits
Primary Purpose
Creates a Medicare Part B special enrollment period for people moving from COBRA continuation coverage and prevents COBRA plans from cutting benefits solely because an enrollee is eligible for Medicare Part B.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- COBRA continuation enrollees
- Older workers leaving employer coverage
- State continuation-coverage enrollees
- Families paying COBRA premiums
Identified Costs
- CMS Medicare enrollment staff
- COBRA plan administrators
- Employer health plan sponsors
- Medicare Part B financing
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Smucker (for himself, Mr. Bilirakis, Mrs. Houchin, Mr. Thompson …
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in …
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
COBRA continuation enrollees, COBRA plan administrators
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology