Dates and What You Can Do

Medicare open enrollment period takes place from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 every year for coverage that takes effect the following Jan. 1.

During the open enrollment period, beneficiaries may make changes to their coverage, including:

• Switching from one Medicare Part D (prescription drug) plan to another
• Enrolling in a Medicare Part D plan after not doing so when first eligible, although a late enrollment penalty may apply
• Switching from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage, or vice versa
• Switching to another Medicare Advantage plan with or without drug coverage

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in September that it expected “weighted average” Medicare Advantage premiums to fall more than 16% for 2027 and average prescription drug premiums in Medicare Advantage drop by 38%. The average premium for stand-alone, conventional Part D prescription drug plans was expected to rise by less than $1 per month.

If you want to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, you must meet some basic criteria:

• You must be enrolled in Medicare Part A and B.
• You must live in the plan’s service area.

If you’re already enrolled in a Medicare Part D prescription plan or a Medicare Advantage plan, and you don’t want to make changes to your coverage for the coming year, you don’t need to do anything. If your plan is being discontinued and isn’t eligible for renewal, you will receive notification from your carrier that you must change plans.

Medicare and Tricare

If you have Tricare and want to keep it, you generally must enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B when you first become eligible.

Related: Medicare Part D and Tricare

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