Medicare enrollment to open
What to know if you need to sign up for or adjust your plan
Anyone enrolled in original Medicare, Medicare Advantage or a Part D drug plan will be able to adjust their coverage when the main Medicare enrollment period opens on Oct. 15.
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The main Medicare open enrollment period begins next month. Anyone enrolled in original
Medicare, Medicare Advantage or a Part D drug plan will be able to adjust their coverage. Because Medicare offers two main paths — original Medicare (Parts A and B) or Medicare Advantage (Part C) — you should shop around during open enrollment to find the option that best fits your needs and lifestyle.
Medicare beneficiaries who already have Part A and Part B can use this election period to enroll in, change or disenroll from a Part D plan or join a Medicare Advantage plan. Medicare Advantage plan participants can switch Advantage plans or return to original Medicare.
When is it?
Medicare open enrollment, also known as the annual election period, runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. During this period, you can switch from original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or vice versa. You also can choose a new Advantage or new Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Coverage will begin in 2027.
If you decide you want to keep your current plans, you don't have to do anything, as they will be automatically renewed.
Second chance
Medicare Advantage plan enrollees have a second window of opportunity to change their minds after the primary open enrollment period ends. If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan and, for any reason, you don't like it, you can disenroll during the MAOEP that runs from Jan. 1 through March 31. This only applies to people already enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans who want to make a change.
You can disenroll from a Medicare Advantage plan and return to original Medicare, with or without a Part D drug plan, or switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another Medicare Advantage plan. If you decide to switch to original Medicare, consider purchasing a Medigap policy.
General enrollment
The general enrollment period that runs from Jan. 1 through March 31 is for eligible beneficiaries who didn't sign up for Medicare when they turned 65 and don't qualify for a special enrollment period.
If you missed your initial enrollment period, this is when you can sign up for Parts A and B. Unfortunately, you likely will have to pay a Part B premium penalty.
If you have to pay for Part A, and you sign up for Part B during the GEP, you can also join a Medicare Part D drug plan. You'll have two months after signing up for Part B to join a drug plan. Your drug coverage will start the month after the plan receives your request to join.
When you enroll in the GEP, your coverage begins on the first of the month after you enroll. For example, if you enroll in January, your coverage begins Feb. 1.
Special period
After your IEP passes, you might have a chance to sign up for Medicare during a special enrollment period.
If you experience a qualifying life event, you may be able to enroll or change a selection without having to pay a late enrollment penalty.
You might also qualify for a SEP if you miss your open enrollment period after joining Medicare and want to change your selections.
The Medicare site offers a Q&A on how to qualify for the special enrollment period to give you a general explanation of qualifying circumstances.
Qualifying life events:
■ You change where you live
■ You lose your coverage
■ You have a chance to get other coverage
■ Your plan changes its contract with Medicare
Exceptional conditions
You might be eligible if you miss an enrollment period because of certain exceptional circumstances, such as being affected by a natural disaster or an emergency, incarceration, employer or health plan error, losing Medicaid coverage or other circumstances outside your control that Medicare determines to be exceptional.
If you miss an enrollment period due to an exceptional condition, you'll have two months to join a Medicare Advantage plan (with or without Part D drug coverage) or a Medicare Part D drug plan. Your coverage will start the first day of the month after the Medicare Advantage or Part D Plan receives your request to join.
If you don't sign up for Part B when you're first eligible, you might have to pay a late enrollment penalty for as long as you have Part B. Your monthly Part B premium might go up 10% for each full 12 months in the period that you could have had Part B, but didn't sign up.
If you're allowed to sign up for Part B during a SEP, you usually don't pay a late enrollment penalty.
Choosing a plan
Medicare provides a tool at medicare.gov to help you compare the costs of different Medigap, Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans. It will tell you the out-of-pocket maximum and what your specific medications would cost under different Medicare Advantage plans. It also can provide price ranges for Medigap plans available in your area.
You can call Medicare at 1-800633-4227 for assistance. State Health Insurance Assistance Programs also provide unbiased, personalized counseling.
