Every fall, people with Medicare get a window to look at their coverage again and decide whether it still fits the year ahead.
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That window is called Medicare Open Enrollment, and it runs from October 15 to December 7.
Any change you make during those weeks takes effect on January 1.
Miss it and you usually keep the same plan for another full year.
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That holds even if your medicines, your doctors or the plan's costs have changed.
This guide explains what the period is for, what you can and cannot change, and the other enrollment windows that people often confuse with it.
It is written for beneficiaries and for the family members who help them with the paperwork.
One note before we start: obeneficiado is an independent information site.
We are not Medicare, we are not a government agency and we do not sell insurance.
What Open Enrollment is for
Medicare coverage is not frozen in place.
The private companies that offer Medicare Advantage plans and Part D drug plans can change their premiums, deductibles, copayments,
provider networks and the list of drugs they cover from one year to the next.
Open Enrollment exists so you can react to those changes before they start costing you money.
It is also the moment to react to changes in your own life: a new diagnosis, a new prescription,
a move to another county, or a doctor who stopped accepting your plan.
The official description of the period, with the full list of what is allowed, is on Medicare.gov, the federal government's site for the program.
What you can change between October 15 and December 7
- Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan
- Switch from a Medicare Advantage plan back to Original Medicare
- Move from one Medicare Advantage plan to another
- Join a Medicare drug plan (Part D), or move from one drug plan to another
- Drop your drug coverage completely
You can make more than one change during the period.
The last choice you make before December 7 is the one that counts.
If you join a new plan, you are usually disenrolled from the old one automatically when the new coverage starts.
You do not need to cancel it yourself first.
What Open Enrollment does not cover
Medicare Supplement Insurance, also called Medigap, follows different rules.
Open Enrollment does not give you a guaranteed right to buy a Medigap policy.
The best time to buy Medigap is your Medigap Open Enrollment Period: the six months that begin in the month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B.
During those months, insurers generally cannot refuse to sell you a policy or charge you more because of your health.
After that, in most states, a company can review your medical history before selling you a policy.
That is why moving from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare deserves extra care: the supplement you want may not be available on the same terms.
Start with the Annual Notice of Change
If you are in a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan,
your plan must send you an Annual Notice of Change, usually called the ANOC, by September 30.
It lists what will be different next year: the premium, the deductible, copays, the pharmacies in the network,
and the drugs added to or removed from the plan's list of covered drugs, known as the formulary.
Read it with your current prescriptions next to you.
A drug that moved to a higher cost tier can change your yearly spending more than any premium increase.
The other enrollment windows people mix up
Open Enrollment is only one of several windows.
Each one has a different purpose, and using the wrong one is a common reason people end up without the coverage they expected.
| Window | When | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Enrollment Period | 7 months around your 65th birthday: the 3 months before, the birthday month and the 3 months after | First sign-up for Part A and Part B, and for Medicare Advantage or a drug plan |
| Open Enrollment | October 15 to December 7 | Change health or drug coverage for January 1 |
| Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment | January 1 to March 31 | Only for people already in Medicare Advantage: switch to another Advantage plan or go back to Original Medicare, one time |
| General Enrollment Period | January 1 to March 31 | Sign up for Part A or Part B if you missed your first chance; coverage starts the month after you sign up |
| Special Enrollment Periods | When certain life events happen | Changes after a move, the loss of employer coverage and other qualifying events |
The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period is narrower than the fall window.
It allows one change, and it does not let you move from Original Medicare into a Medicare Advantage plan.
Signing up late for Part B outside these windows can also cost money for life: the Part B premium can go up 10 percent for each full 12-month period you could have had Part B and did not,
unless you had qualifying coverage such as an employer plan.
The rules for Part B sign-up are explained by the Social Security Administration, which handles enrollment.
A five-step checklist before December 7
- Write down every prescription you take, with the dose and how often you take it.
- List the doctors, hospitals and pharmacies you want to keep using.
- Read your Annual Notice of Change and mark anything that got more expensive.
- Compare plans on the official Medicare Plan Finder, entering your drugs and your pharmacy.
- Compare the estimated total yearly cost, not only the monthly premium.
The fifth step is where most people find savings.
A plan with a zero premium can cost more over twelve months if your medicines sit on expensive tiers or your pharmacy is outside the plan's preferred network.
Watch out for pressure and fake urgency
During the fall, ads, mailers and phone calls about Medicare multiply.
Medicare will not call you out of the blue to sell you a plan,
and you should never give your Medicare number to someone who contacted you unexpectedly.
If someone pressures you to decide on the phone, hang up and compare on your own.
You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for free, unbiased counseling.
If you do nothing
If you are happy with your plan and it is still offered next year, you do not need to do anything.
Your coverage usually continues automatically.
If your plan is leaving Medicare or leaving your area, you will receive a notice explaining your options,
along with a Special Enrollment Period to pick new coverage.
Doing nothing is a decision too.
It is fine when the plan still fits, and expensive when it quietly stopped fitting.
Sources and Further Reading
- Medicare.gov — the official program site, with the enrollment periods and what each one allows.
- Medicare Plan Finder — the official tool to compare health and drug plans available in your ZIP code.
- Social Security Administration — Medicare — signing up for Part A and Part B and the late enrollment rules.
- SHIP National Technical Assistance Center — how to find free, local Medicare counseling in every state.
obeneficiado is an independent information site.
It is not affiliated with Medicare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or any government agency,
and it does not sell or recommend specific insurance plans.
Rules and amounts can change; always confirm the current details on Medicare.gov.