Medicare Open Enrollment

You can change your Medicare coverage once a year.  Current beneficiaries can change their Medicare coverage choices once a year during Medicare Open Enrollment. It starts on October 15 and ends on December 7 every year. Medicare Open Enrollment is sometimes called the Annual Enrollment Period, or AEP.

During Medicare Open Enrollment, you can switch between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, change your Medicare Advantage or prescription drug plan and more.

What you can do during Medicare Open Enrollment?

Medicare Open Enrollment is similar to open enrollment for health care insurance you may have had through an employer.  Each year, you get to explore all your Medicare choices to make sure that you have the right coverage for you going forward.  If what you already have is working for you, then great.  You can relax and let Medicare Open Enrollment pass by.  However, if your health status or life circumstances have changed, then you may need to change your Medicare coverage, too.

It’s a good idea to review your current coverage in the weeks leading up to Medicare Open Enrollment. Then you can be ready to take action as needed to ensure that you have the coverage you need for the coming year.
Here’s what you can do during Medicare Open Enrollment.

• Change from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan.
• Change from a Medicare Advantage plan back to Original Medicare.
• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to a different Medicare Advantage plan.
• Switch from a Medicare Advantage plan that doesn’t offer drug coverage to one that does.
• Switch from a Medicare Advantage plan that offers drug coverage to one that doesn’t.
• Join a Medicare prescription drug plan.Switch from one Medicare prescription drug plan to a different Medicare prescription drug plan.
• Drop your Medicare prescription drug coverage completely. 

You may be charged a premium penalty if you want to get this coverage again later and you do not havecreditable coverage  for prescription drugs at the time.