Medicare Open Enrollment Dates

Medicare open enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7 every year, according to Medicare.gov. In that window people can join, drop or switch a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare drug plan. Changes made then start on January 1 of the next year.

Published October 30, 2026.

When does Medicare open enrollment start

This year the window opened October 15 and closes December 7, 2026. The plans it covers begin January 1, 2027. The Medicare.gov home page invites people to find and compare 2027 health and drug plans during it. For a change to count, the plan must get the request by December 7.

Open enrollment is only one of several Medicare windows, and each has its own dates. Medicare.gov lays them out like this:

Enrollment period	Dates	What it covers
Open Enrollment	October 15 to December 7 each year	Join, drop or switch a Medicare Advantage plan, with or without drug coverage, or add or drop drug coverage. Changes start January 1.
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment	January 1 to March 31	Only for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan. Switch to another Advantage plan, or drop the plan and return to Original Medicare.
Initial Enrollment	7 months: 3 months before the month you turn 65 through 3 months after it	The first chance to sign up for Medicare. Coverage always starts on the first of a month.
General Enrollment	January 1 to March 31 each year	Sign-up for people who missed their first chance. Coverage starts the month after sign-up, and a late penalty may apply.
Special Enrollment	Varies	Certain situations in a person’s life. Each has its own window.

I have read health news for years, and every fall the phrase “open enrollment” gets used for several different things. Marketplace plans, job-based plans and Medicare each run on their own dates. This guide covers Medicare only.

What can you change during Medicare open enrollment

Medicare.gov says Open Enrollment is the time to join, drop or switch Medicare Advantage plans, with or without drug coverage. It is also the time to add or drop drug coverage. In practice that gives people a few moves:

• Move from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or from an Advantage plan back to Original Medicare.
• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
• Join a plan with drug coverage, or drop drug coverage. Medicare.gov says a drop made in this window takes effect January 1 of the following year.
• Switch from one drug plan to another. The new plan sends a letter with the start date. The old drug coverage ends when the new one begins. Medicare.gov says there is no need to cancel the old plan.

Rejoining drug coverage later has a catch. After 63 or more days in a row without other creditable prescription drug coverage, Medicare.gov says, a person has to wait for an enrollment period. A late enrollment penalty may apply.

The Medicare.gov table describes these October changes as Advantage and drug plan moves. Parts A and B, which make up Original Medicare, are joined through the Initial, General and Special Enrollment Periods instead. Medicare.gov says people who get Social Security benefits at least 4 months before they turn 65 are enrolled in Part A and Part B automatically.

Medicare Advantage open enrollment period

Medicare.gov describes a second, smaller window that runs January 1 to March 31. It applies only to people who are already in a Medicare Advantage plan. During it they can switch to another Advantage plan with or without drug coverage. They can also drop the Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare, and then join a separate Medicare drug plan.

Coverage starts the first of the month after the new plan gets the request. This is a window for adjusting a plan already in use. It does not open an Advantage plan to people in Original Medicare. It falls inside the 2027 plan year, after the October to December window has closed.

What happens if you miss Medicare open enrollment

Missing the October window does not close every door. Medicare.gov lists Special Enrollment Periods for certain life events, and each one has its own clock. A few examples from its list:

• Moving outside a plan’s service area: the window starts when you move and lasts 2 full months after.
• Leaving employer or union coverage, including COBRA: 2 full months after the month the coverage ends.
• No longer eligible for Medicaid or for Extra Help: 3 full months from the date eligibility ends or you are notified, whichever is later.
• A plan contract that is not renewed: December 8 through the last day of February.
• A 5-star plan in your area: one use only, between December 8 and November 30 of the following year.

Late enrollment penalties are a separate matter. They attach to signing up late for a part of Medicare, not to skipping a plan change. Medicare.gov says the Part B penalty is an extra 10% for each year a person could have signed up and did not. It is usually charged for as long as the person has that coverage.

The Part D drug penalty is an extra 1% for each month without creditable drug coverage, based on the national base beneficiary premium. It stays for as long as the person has Medicare drug coverage, even after switching plans. For Part A, a person who pays a premium may see it rise 10%, for twice the number of years they did not sign up. A Part B sign-up in the General Enrollment Period can carry that penalty unless the person qualifies for a Special Enrollment Period, per Medicare.gov.

Do I need to do anything during Medicare open enrollment

Open enrollment is a window for changes, and Medicare.gov describes it in terms of what people can do, not what they must do. The Part B premium, Medicare.gov notes, can change each year, and the 2027 plans are listed for comparison now.

People who want to look at their options can start with the Medicare Plan Finder. Medicare.gov also lists free counseling from State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) at shiphelp.org. The 1-800-MEDICARE line, 1-800-633-4227, is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays, and TTY users call 1-877-486-2048. An updated Medicare & You handbook goes out to all Medicare households in late September.

October carries other health dates too. A flu shot is one of them, covered in staying healthy during the fall.

Medicare Part A and Part B costs for 2026

Medicare.gov labels these amounts as what people pay in 2026. They apply to the plan year that ends December 31, 2026, not to the 2027 year the October window covers:

Item	2026 amount
Part B standard monthly premium	$202.90 (higher for some higher-income enrollees)
Part B annual deductible	$283 before Original Medicare starts to pay
Part A deductible	$1,736 for each inpatient hospital benefit period
Part A monthly premium	$0 for most people; $311 or $565 for those who do not qualify for premium-free Part A, depending on work history

The Medicare.gov costs page lists no 2027 amounts yet, and each of these figures can change next year. The Plan Finder already shows 2027 plans by area.

Premiums are one line in a household’s monthly bills. Guides on reducing your monthly bills and saving on insurance cover the rest of that list. Health money elsewhere runs on plan-year clocks as well, as FSA use it or lose it explains.

Frequently asked questions about Medicare open enrollment

Can you change Medicare plans after December 7?

Generally only through another window, per Medicare.gov. People already in a Medicare Advantage plan can make changes from January 1 to March 31. A Special Enrollment Period can apply after certain life events, such as moving out of a plan’s service area or leaving employer coverage.

Is Medicare open enrollment the same as the Initial Enrollment Period?

No. The Initial Enrollment Period is the 7 months around a person’s 65th birthday, the first chance to sign up for Medicare. Open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7 and is for Advantage and drug plan changes, per Medicare.gov.

When do plan changes from open enrollment take effect?

On January 1 of the following year, per Medicare.gov. The plan has to receive the request by December 7. A change in the January to March Advantage window starts the first of the month after the plan gets the request.

Do Parts A and B have an open enrollment period?

Not in the October window. Medicare.gov describes that window as covering Advantage and drug plans. Parts A and B are joined in the Initial, General or Special Enrollment Period. The General period runs January 1 to March 31, and a monthly late penalty may apply to sign-ups then.

How can people get free help comparing Medicare plans?

Medicare.gov lists State Health Insurance Assistance Programs, which give free counseling on picking a plan and understanding costs, found at shiphelp.org. It also lists 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays.

This article is for general information only and is not financial advice. Talk to a licensed financial or tax professional about your own situation.