Can I change my Medicare plan right now?
Most of the year the answer is no, and then something happens, a move, a retirement, a letter from the plan, and the answer is yes for exactly two months. Five questions; the result is dated from today.
It depends on the calendar and on what just happened to you. Everyone on Medicare can change Advantage or Part D plans from October 15 to December 7, effective January 1. People already on an Advantage plan get one more switch from January 1 to March 31. Outside those dates you need a Special Enrollment Period: moving, losing employer coverage, a plan leaving your county, a nursing-home stay, or Medicaid and Extra Help, which give a window every month. People new to Medicare have their own seven-month window. Medigap in New York is different: you can buy or switch it in any month, with no health questions. This check asks five questions and shows the windows that apply to you, dated from today.
The calendar is the part of Medicare that people get wrong most often, and the mistake is usually expensive in one of two directions: waiting for October when a window was already open, or assuming a change can be made in June when it can't. This check asks where you are, what you have, what you want to do, and what has changed lately, and shows the windows that apply, with today's date in mind.
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Your browser has scripts turned off, so the interactive version can't run here. The windows are summarized below; send me your situation or call (518) 902-8822 and I'll tell you which one is open.
The windows, in one place
| Window | When | Who | What you can do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Enrollment Period | The month you turn 65, the three months before and the three months after | People new to Medicare | Sign up for Parts A and B; join any Advantage or Part D plan |
| Annual Enrollment Period | October 15 – December 7, effective January 1 | Everyone on Medicare | Join, switch or drop Advantage; move between Original Medicare and Advantage; join, switch or drop Part D |
| Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment | January 1 – March 31, or the first three months of Medicare | People already on an Advantage plan | One switch to another Advantage plan, or back to Original Medicare with Part D |
| General Enrollment Period | January 1 – March 31, coverage starts the month after you sign up | People who missed Part B and have no employer coverage | Sign up for Part B (a late penalty may apply), then two months to join a plan |
| Special Enrollment Periods | Usually two full months after the month of the event | Moved; lost employer, union or COBRA coverage; plan ending; nursing-home stay; Medicaid or Extra Help (monthly) | Join, switch or drop Advantage or Part D outside the calendar |
| 5-star switch | December 8 – November 30, once | Anyone with a 5-star plan sold in their county | One move into that plan |
| Medigap, New York | Any month | Anyone with Parts A and B | Buy or switch a Medigap policy, no health questions, community rate |
Windows and wording from Medicare.gov and the New York Department of Financial Services; sources below. Leaving an Advantage plan for Medigap needs one of the Advantage windows to get out, even though the Medigap policy itself can be bought any month.
What the check does not decide
Which plan. A window is a door; it says nothing about what's on the other side. When the check says a window is open, the work is the comparison: your doctors against each plan's directory, your prescriptions against each formulary, the total yearly cost, and in New York the question of whether Original Medicare with Medigap is the better route. The plan finder narrows that in eight questions; the Annual Enrollment guide walks through the fall review; and I run the comparison at no fee.
- When can I sign up for Medicare? (Medicare.gov) — Initial Enrollment Period, General Enrollment Period, Part B Special Enrollment Period
- When does Medicare coverage start? (Medicare.gov)
- Joining a health or drug plan: enrollment periods (Medicare.gov) — October 15 – December 7; January 1 – March 31; the first three months of Medicare
- Special Enrollment Periods (Medicare.gov) — moving, losing coverage, plan changes, institutions, Medicaid and Extra Help, 5-star plans, the 12-month trial right
- Information for Medicare beneficiaries: Medigap in New York (NY DFS) — any-month guaranteed issue, community rating
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 11 organizations which offer 63 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. Not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government, the Social Security Administration or the federal Medicare program. Insurers named on this page are identified by legal name and home office on the carriers page, as New York Insurance Law §2122(b) requires.
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask before they call.
When is the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period?
October 15 to December 7 every year, for everyone on Medicare. You can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage plan, move between Original Medicare and Advantage, and join, switch or drop a Part D plan. The last change you submit is the one that counts, and it takes effect January 1.
I missed December 7. Can I still switch?
If you're on a Medicare Advantage plan, yes: from January 1 to March 31 you can make one switch to another Advantage plan or go back to Original Medicare with a Part D plan. If you're on Original Medicare, that window doesn't apply; you'd need a Special Enrollment Period, which comes from a life event such as moving, losing employer coverage, or your plan leaving your county.
Do I need an enrollment period to buy Medigap in New York?
No. New York requires Medigap carriers to accept anyone with Parts A and B in any month, with no health questions, at the same community rate for every age. The calendar only matters if you're leaving an Advantage plan to get there: that step needs an Advantage window, and I line the two up so the Medigap policy and a Part D plan start the day the Advantage plan ends.
What counts as a Special Enrollment Period?
A life event that opens a window of its own, whatever the date: moving to an address with different plan choices, losing employer, union or COBRA coverage, your plan ending or leaving your county, moving into or out of a nursing home, and getting or having Medicaid or Extra Help, which gives a monthly window. Most of them last two full months after the month of the event. Medicare.gov keeps the complete list; the check covers the ones that come up in practice.
Where do my answers go?
Nowhere unless you choose. The check runs in your browser and remembers your answers on your own device so a refresh doesn't lose them. Only the "Send my answers" button sends anything, and it sends them to me through the contact form with your name and number.
Ask for a Medicare comparison
Your doctors, your prescriptions and your ZIP code are all I need to start. No fee for plan comparison or enrollment.