Money & Medicare · Open Enrollment
Medicare Open Enrollment 2026: Dates, Changes for 2027 and How to Decide
By OakMan Guide Editorial Team Updated 9 min read
The short answer
Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7, 2026, and anything you change starts on January 1, 2027. You can switch Medicare Advantage plans, change your drug plan, or move between Original Medicare and Advantage. If you like your coverage, you do not have to do anything. If you want to compare, use Medicare.gov before the deadline.
We're not Medicare agents or financial advisers, and this is not insurance advice. Your plan, your doctors and your medicines are your own, so check them on Medicare.gov before you decide.
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Every fall the same envelope shows up: your plan's notice of what will change next year. Most of us put it in a drawer. This is the one stretch of the year when you can do something about it, and the deadline is a little over five weeks away.
When is Medicare Open Enrollment in 2026?
From October 15 to December 7. Medicare.gov says this is the time each year when you can make changes to your coverage, that the changes take effect on January 1 of next year, and that the plan must get your enrollment request by December 7. This year that means Monday, December 7, and new coverage on January 1, 2027.
The Medicare & You 2027 handbook also marks October 1, 2026 on the calendar as the day to start comparing your current health or drug coverage with the options for 2027, before Open Enrollment starts. If you are reading this in early November, you have not missed anything.
Who is Open Enrollment for?
For people who already have Medicare. If you are about to turn 65, a different clock applies. Medicare.gov calls it the Initial Enrollment Period: it generally lasts 7 months, starting 3 months before you turn 65 and ending 3 months after the month you turn 65. People can be eligible earlier with a disability, End-Stage Renal Disease or ALS.
To join a Medicare health or drug plan you generally need Part A and/or Part B, to live in the plan's service area and to meet the citizenship or residency rules on that page. Keep your Medicare Number and your coverage start dates handy; both are on your Medicare card.
What can I change during Open Enrollment?
It depends on the coverage you have now. Medicare.gov lists three kinds of change:
- Change your Medicare Advantage Plan: join, drop or switch to another Advantage Plan, with or without drug coverage (or add or drop drug coverage).
- Change your drug plan: join, drop or switch to another Medicare drug plan if you are in Original Medicare.
- Change how you get coverage: switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan, or from an Advantage Plan back to Original Medicare.
One more line from Medicare.gov is worth knowing before you leave Advantage: if you switch to Original Medicare, you may need to join a separate drug plan and may want to add Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap), and there are limits on when you can add it. More on that below.
What if I do nothing?
Then you keep what you have. The CMS guide "Your Yearly Medicare Review" (September 2026) says that if you have looked at your options and are happy with your coverage, you do not need to do anything, and your coverage will continue automatically. If your plan changed its costs or benefits for 2027, those changes start on January 1 too.
That is why the notice from your plan matters. The handbook says a Medicare Advantage plan sends an "Annual Notice of Change" with any changes in coverage and costs for January, by September 30, and an "Evidence of Coverage" with the details of what the plan covers and what you pay, by October 15. If you did not get them, the handbook says to contact your plan.
How do I compare plans?
Start with Medicare.gov/plan-compare. The CMS review guide says you can use it to compare plans side by side, get estimates of your total out-of-pocket costs, see quality and customer service ratings from current members, get cost information for your preferred pharmacies and the medicines you take, and search for your doctors to see if they are in the network of the plans you are considering.
CMS puts the goal in four simple points. You may find plans that:
- cost less;
- cover your prescription drugs;
- include the providers you want, like your doctor or pharmacy;
- offer extra benefits that matter to you.
Before you open the site, make a short list: your doctors, your pharmacy and every medicine you take, with the dose. If one of them is a prostate medicine, our guide to BPH medicines explains what they are, and the plan comparison will tell you whether your plan covers them and what you pay. The same list helps at your next visit; our checkups guide has the questions to take along.
What is the difference between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage?
The Medicare & You handbook has an at-a-glance comparison. We boiled it down to six lines:
| Original Medicare (Parts A and B) | Medicare Advantage (Part C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors and hospitals | Any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare | Usually a network of doctors; some plans cover out-of-network care at a higher cost |
| Everyday costs | Usually 20% of the approved amount for Part B services after the deductible; a monthly Part B premium | Different copays and coinsurance; a monthly Part B premium plus sometimes a plan premium, which can be $0 |
| Yearly limit on what you pay | None, unless you add Medigap or have other coverage | Every plan has a yearly limit on covered services |
| Drug coverage | Add a separate Part D drug plan | Most plans include it |
| Medigap | You can buy it | You cannot buy it to cover your costs |
| Extras like vision, hearing, dental | Not covered by Original Medicare | Most plans offer some |
Neither column is the better one for everybody. Original Medicare gives you the widest choice of doctors; Advantage plans tend to bundle drug coverage and extras and cap what you pay in a year. Which one fits is a question about your doctors, your medicines and how much you want to know your costs in advance. Our Medicare vs Medicare Advantage guide goes through the differences one by one.
What about Medigap if I switch?
Medigap is the extra insurance you can buy from a private company to help pay your share of costs in Original Medicare, such as the 20% coinsurance. Two things from the official pages are worth knowing before you change anything.
First, the CMS review guide says that if you have Medigap and join an Advantage Plan, you might decide to drop Medigap, and that you may not be able to get the same policy back later, depending on your state's enrollment rules. Second, the handbook says the best time to buy a Medigap policy is the 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, which begins the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older. After it, you may not be able to buy a policy, or it may cost more, unless you have special rights. Some states have additional periods.
So the order matters: find out what your state allows before you drop Medigap, not after. The free counselors in the last section are the right people to ask.
Can I change my plan after December 7?
Sometimes. Anyone in a Medicare Advantage Plan has the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, from January 1 to March 31. The CMS fact sheet says you can make one change a year in it: switch to another Advantage Plan, with or without drug coverage, or drop your Advantage Plan and go back to Original Medicare, in which case you can also join a drug plan. The change starts the first day of the month after the plan gets your request.
The same fact sheet lists what you cannot do in those months: switch from Original Medicare to an Advantage Plan, join a drug plan if you are in Original Medicare, or change from one drug plan to another if you are in Original Medicare. Special Enrollment Periods exist for events such as moving to a new address, losing or changing your coverage, getting Medicaid or getting Extra Help, and the dates vary. In short, December 7 is the day to treat as the deadline.
What should I know about drug coverage?
Two numbers from the 2027 handbook. Your out-of-pocket costs for covered Part D drugs are capped at $2,400 in 2027; once you, or other people or programs on your behalf, such as Extra Help, reach it, you pay $0 for covered drugs for the rest of the year. And if you go 63 days or more in a row without Medicare drug coverage or other creditable prescription drug coverage, you may owe a late enrollment penalty if you sign up later. The handbook calculates it as 1% of the national base beneficiary premium ($38.99 in 2026) for each full month you were eligible and went without, and it is added to your monthly premium.
Medicare.gov adds that you do not need to cancel your old drug plan when you switch: the old coverage ends when the new one begins, and your new plan sends a letter with the start date. If you want to drop drug coverage during Open Enrollment, you can call 1-800-MEDICARE, send the plan a signed written notice or ask the plan to send you a disenrollment form.
Where can I get help, and what should I watch out for?
There is free help. CMS lists 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048), open 24 hours a day including weekends, and your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), which offers health insurance counseling; find your local number at shiphelp.org. If money is tight, the same guide points to Extra Help for drug costs (SSA.gov/extrahelp) and to the Medicare Savings Programs, which can cover Part A and/or Part B premiums for people with limited income and resources. And if you get Social Security, your Part B premium usually comes out of that check, so see how the 2027 Social Security raise and the premium meet.
CMS also gives a warning that fits this time of year: around Open Enrollment you might get a lot of mail from companies offering Medicare products, and Medicare.gov, the Medicare & You handbook and 1-800-MEDICARE are your official sources of unbiased information. If a pitch does not match what those say, trust them. The 2027 handbook also asks you to guard your Medicare card and Medicare Number, and to check your Medicare Summary Notices for services you did not get.
Is there anything new in 2027?
A few things, according to the handbook's "What's new" page. Medicare has extended its telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027, so you can keep getting telehealth wherever you are. Medicare.gov now also accepts ID.me, CLEAR and Login.gov to log into your account, which gives you more ways in than a username and password. If you have not made a Medicare.gov account yet, this is a good month to do it, since you will need it for Plan Finder anyway.
What is the bottom line?
Read the notice from your current plan, make a list of your doctors, pharmacy and medicines, and run them through Plan Finder. If your plan still fits, you are done. If it does not, you have until Monday, December 7. Keep the rest of your year in view too: the men's health guide, the PSA test conversation and the blood pressure and heart piece all depend on a plan that covers the visits and medicines you actually use.
Frequently asked questions
When is Medicare Open Enrollment in 2026?
From October 15 to December 7, 2026. Medicare.gov says the changes you make take effect on January 1 of the next year, which here is January 1, 2027, and that the plan must get your enrollment request by December 7.
What can I change during Medicare Open Enrollment?
Medicare.gov lists three things: join, drop or switch to another Medicare Advantage Plan with or without drug coverage; join, drop or switch to another Medicare drug plan if you are in Original Medicare; and switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan, or the other way around.
Do I have to do anything if I like my coverage?
No. The CMS guide "Your Yearly Medicare Review" says that if you have reviewed your options and are happy with your current coverage, you do not need to do anything, and your coverage will continue automatically. It is still worth reading the notice your plan sends, because costs and benefits can change on January 1.
Can I change my Medicare plan after December 7?
Only in some cases. If you are in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you can make one change between January 1 and March 31, either to another Advantage Plan or back to Original Medicare. Other changes need a Special Enrollment Period, which Medicare.gov ties to events such as moving, losing other coverage, getting Medicaid or getting Extra Help.
Does Open Enrollment apply when I turn 65?
No. When you first become eligible, you have an Initial Enrollment Period. Medicare.gov says it generally lasts 7 months, starting 3 months before you turn 65 and ending 3 months after the month you turn 65. Open Enrollment is for people who already have Medicare.
What happens to my Medigap policy if I join a Medicare Advantage Plan?
Medicare.gov warns that if you join an Advantage Plan you might decide to drop Medigap, and that you may not be able to get the same Medigap policy back later, depending on your state's rules and your situation. Check before you drop it.
Where can I get free help comparing plans?
Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), which CMS says is open 24 hours a day, including weekends, or call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for free health insurance counseling. The SHIP phone numbers are listed at shiphelp.org.
Sources we checked for this article
- Medicare.gov: Open Enrollment (read November 1, 2026)
- Medicare.gov: Joining a plan (read November 1, 2026)
- Medicare.gov: What if I want to switch, drop, or rejoin drug coverage? (read November 1, 2026)
- CMS: Your Yearly Medicare Review (product no. 11220, September 2026)
- CMS: Understanding Medicare Advantage and Medicare Drug Plan Enrollment Periods (product no. 11219, March 2026)
- CMS: Medicare & You 2027, the official U.S. government Medicare handbook (large print edition)
- Medicare.gov: Medicare Plan Finder