Medicare is offering relief from penalties for certain Medicare beneficiaries who enrolled in Medicare Part A and had coverage through the individual marketplace. For a short time, these individuals will be able to enroll in Medicare Part B without paying a penalty for late enrollment.

Individuals who do not enroll in Medicare Part B when they first become eligible pay a stiff penalty. For each year that they put off enrolling, their monthly premium increases by 10 percent -- permanently. Some people with marketplace plans – that is, plans purchased by individuals or families, not through employers -- did not enroll in Medicare Part B when they were first eligible. Purchasing a marketplace plan with financial assistance from the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) can be cheaper than enrolling in Medicare Part B. However, Medicare recipients are not eligible for marketplace financial assistance plans. And because marketplace plans are not considered equivalent coverage to Medicare Part B, signing up late for Part B will result in a late enrollment penalty.

Although the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent notice to individuals who had both marketplace plans and Medicare, it may have been too late. Therefore, CMS is allowing individuals who enrolled in Medicare Part A and had coverage through a marketplace plan to enroll in Medicare Part B without a penalty. It is also allowing individuals who dropped marketplace coverage and are paying a late enrollment penalty for Medicare Part B to reduce their penalty. To be eligible for the relief, the individual must:

• Have an initial Medicare enrollment period that began April 1, 2013 or later; or
• Have been notified of a retroactive premium-free Medicare Part A award on October 1, 2013 or later.

This offer is available for only a short time. To be eligible for the relief, individuals must request it by September 30, 2017. Individuals who are eligible should contact Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or visit their local Social Security office and request to take advantage of the "equitable relief."