The Complete Medicare Open Enrollment Guide
Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7. Here is exactly what you can change, what happens if you do nothing, and the three documents to read before you decide.
What Open Enrollment actually is
Medicare's Annual Open Enrollment Period runs from October 15 to December 7 every year. Any change you make during this window takes effect on January 1 of the following year.
This is the one period when almost anyone with Medicare can make changes without needing a qualifying reason.
What you can change
- Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan
- Switch from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare
- Change from one Medicare Advantage plan to another
- Join, drop or switch a Part D prescription drug plan
What Open Enrollment does not cover
Open Enrollment does not give you a guaranteed right to buy a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy. Medigap has its own six-month open enrollment window tied to when your Part B starts. Outside that window, most states allow carriers to use medical underwriting.
This distinction catches a lot of people out. If you are considering moving from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare plus a Medigap plan, confirm that you can actually qualify for the Medigap policy before you drop your Advantage plan.
The document you must not ignore
Every September, your current plan sends an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). It lists exactly what is changing for next year: premiums, deductibles, copays, the drug formulary, and the provider network.
Read three things in it:
- Your medications. Has any drug you take moved to a higher tier, or been dropped from the formulary entirely?
- Your doctors. Is every provider you rely on still in network for next year?
- Your total cost. Not just the premium, but the deductible and copays for the care you actually use.
What happens if you do nothing
Your current plan generally renews automatically with next year's terms. That is fine if nothing important changed. It is expensive if your medication moved tiers or your cardiologist left the network.
Doing nothing is a decision, not a default.
A simple checklist
- Locate your ANOC and read the three items above
- Write down every medication, dose and pharmacy
- List the doctors and hospitals you will not give up
- Compare plans on total annual cost, not monthly premium
- Confirm any Medigap eligibility before dropping Advantage coverage
- Make your change before December 7
Want this checked against your own situation?
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