When can you change Medicare plans?

Medicare works on set windows. Here is when each one opens, what you can do in it, and what happens if you miss it.

Medicare runs on a calendar

Most of the year, you cannot simply switch Medicare plans. You can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or drug plan only at certain times, called enrollment periods: one when you first become eligible, one every fall, one early each year for people already in Medicare Advantage, and special periods when your life changes. Knowing which window you are in tells you what you are allowed to change. If you'd like someone to check the dates for you, that's what we do.

The four regular windows

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When you turn 65: Initial Enrollment Period

Seven months: the three months before the month you turn 65, that month, and the three months after. You can sign up for Parts A and B and join a plan. A Medicare Advantage plan needs both Part A and Part B; a drug plan needs either one.

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Every fall: Open Enrollment, October 15 to December 7

Medicare.gov calls this the Open Enrollment Period; many people know it as the Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or drug plan, or move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Changes start January 1, and the plan must get your request by December 7.

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January 1 to March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment

Only for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan. You can switch to another Advantage plan, or leave for Original Medicare and also join a separate drug plan. If you joined Medicare Advantage when you were first eligible, you can make the same kind of change within your first three months with Part A and Part B.

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January 1 to March 31: General Enrollment Period

This one is for Part A and Part B themselves, for people who missed their first window and have no special one. Coverage starts the month after you sign up, and a monthly late enrollment penalty may apply.

Special Enrollment Periods

Some changes in your life open a window outside the regular dates. Medicare.gov lists moving, losing other coverage, getting Medicaid and getting Extra Help among them. How long a special window lasts, and what you can change in it, depends on the reason; we can check yours.

A few examples. If you move out of your plan's service area, your window starts when you move and lasts two full months after. If you leave coverage from an employer or union, you have two full months after the month it ends to join a plan. If you have Medicaid or get Extra Help, you can change your coverage once a calendar month.

If your plan's contract with Medicare is not renewed, you can choose a new plan in the fall window, and you also have a special window from December 8 to the last day of February. If you don't join another Medicare Advantage plan before yours ends, you go back to Original Medicare.

Read your plan's notice each year

Your plan sends an Annual Notice of Change each September. It tells you what is changing next year in the plan's coverage and costs. Read it before the fall window opens, because a plan that fit you last year may not fit the same way now.

Medigap has its own timing

Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policies follow different rules. You get a six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period that starts the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older. During it, a company cannot refuse to sell you a policy it offers or use your health history to turn you down. We explain that in Medicare Advantage vs Medigap. If drug coverage is part of your decision, see what Medicare Part D covers.

Common questions

When do changes I make in the fall start?

January 1, as long as the plan gets your request by December 7.

Can I change plans more than once a year?

For most people, only in the windows above. If you have Medicaid or get Extra Help, you can change your coverage once a calendar month. Outside the fall window and the January to March window for Medicare Advantage, you need a Special Enrollment Period.

My plan is ending. What should I do?

Check which window applies to you. If its contract with Medicare is not renewed, you can pick a new plan in the fall window or in the special window from December 8 to the last day of February. If you don't join another Medicare Advantage plan before yours ends, you go back to Original Medicare, so look at drug coverage too.

I'm still working at 65. Do I have to sign up?

It depends on your coverage. If you or your spouse are still working and have health insurance from that job, you may be able to wait to sign up without a late enrollment penalty. Once the job or the coverage ends, you have an 8-month Special Enrollment Period to sign up. Ask the employer's benefits office first, and we can walk through it with you.

Where do I find what my plan is changing next year?

In the Annual Notice of Change your plan sends each September.

Does it cost anything to talk with you?

No. Our help is free to you. Agents are paid by the insurance company you choose, and the price of a plan is the same whether you enroll through us or on your own.

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Sources (7)

Medicare.gov: Joining a plan
Medicare.gov: Special Enrollment Periods
Medicare.gov: When does Medicare coverage start?
Medicare.gov: Working past 65
Medicare.gov: Mailings about costs
Medicare.gov: Get ready to buy Medigap
Health insurance (NAIC consumer guide)

Last reviewed October 2026. Medicare rules and dates can change; Medicare.gov has the official details.