If Garcia qualifies for a Special Election Period, what can he generally do?

If Garcia qualifies for a Special Election Period (SEP), he is generally allowed to change his Medicare Advantage coverage once. The Special Election Periods are designed to give beneficiaries the opportunity to make changes to their coverage that they may not have been able to do during the regular enrollment periods due to specific qualifying events, such as moving, losing other coverage, or experiencing changes in eligibility for other programs.

During an SEP, beneficiaries can take advantage of the flexibility to switch plans, select a different Medicare Advantage plan, or even go back to Original Medicare if that better suits their needs. It is essential for beneficiaries like Garcia to understand that while they can generally make this change, the options available may depend on individual circumstances and the specifics of the SEP they qualify for.

The options of enrolling in multiple plans simultaneously, keeping the existing plan unchanged, or switching to Medicaid coverage do not align with the typical provisions of an SEP. Enrolling in multiple plans at once would create conflicts in coverage, maintaining an existing plan without modification does not utilize the benefits of the SEP, and switching to Medicaid typically follows its own procedures, outside the scope of Medicare Advantage changes.