Having trouble understanding when you can enroll in a Medicare plan or what changes you can make to your current Medicare coverage and when? Below we outline the most common Medicare enrollment periods, including what changes you can make and when.
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Enrollment Period
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What You Can Do
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When You Can Act
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Initial Enrollment Period Based on Age
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- Join Medicare Parts A and B
- Join a Medicare Advantage plan (if you’re eligible)
- Join a Medicare Part D plan
- Join a Medigap plan
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If joining Medicare, three months before, the month of and three months after your 65th birthday
(seven months total)
If enrolling in a Medigap plan, it’s the month you turn 65 and you have Medicare Part B, and five months after (six months total)
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Initial Enrollment Period Due to Disability
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- Join Medicare Parts A and B
- Join a Medicare Advantage plan (if you’re eligible)
- Join a Medicare Part D plan
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24 months from the qualifying date of your disability, which is established during the SSDI process
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Annual Enrollment Period
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- Switch Medicare plans (such as moving from one Medicare Advantage plan to another or one Part D plan to another)
- Go back to traditional Medicare from a Medicare Advantage plan
- Join a Medicare plan for the first time
- Leave the Medicare program
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Nov. 15 – Dec. 31 every year (enrollment changes take effect Jan. 1)
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General Open Enrollment Period
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- Switch from a “like to a like” plan, such as a Medicare Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage to traditional Medicare with a Part D plan
- Join Medicare Part B if you didn’t join when you were first eligible
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Jan. 1 – Mar. 31 every year
(enrollment effective on July 1 of same year)
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Special Enrollment Periods
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- Switch from one plan to another (applicable when moving out of a plan’s service area, becoming eligible for low-income subsidy and moving to an institution)
- Join a Medicare plan for the first time
- Join Medicare Part B for the first time (applicable only when losing group health coverage)
- Join a Medigap plan for the first time (applicable only when losing group health coverage)
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Varies, depending upon the circumstances. For Medicare plans:
- Losing group coverage (the month of and seven months after you lose your coverage)
- Moving out of a plan’s service area
- Becoming eligible for the low-income subsidy
- Being institutionalized
For Medigap plans:
- 63 days after the date your coverage ends, the date you receive notice that your coverage is ending or the date on a claim denial (if that is the only way you know your coverage has ended)
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Getting Help
Whether enrolling for the first time or switching to a new plan, the
Allsup Medicare Advisor® service makes it easy to navigate the complex process of selecting the right Medicare coverage to meet your needs. An
Allsup Medicare Advisor expert is ready to help you make the Medicare choice that’s best for you.
In the event you’re not certain exactly how some of these enrollment periods work, here are a few examples (click on each for details):