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Skip JacksonAggressive Senior Solutions

Medicare enrollment periods and dates

Medicare has set times when you can sign up or make changes. Here's every window, who it's for, and when your coverage starts.

The yearly calendar at a glance

These windows repeat every year. Missing one can mean waiting months or paying a late penalty.

Annual Enrollment October 15 to December 7, for everyone with Medicare

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment January 1 to March 31, if you're in a Medicare Advantage plan

General Enrollment January 1 to March 31, if you missed signing up for Part A or Part B

Turning 65? Your Initial Enrollment Period is 7 months long: it starts 3 months before the month you turn 65 and ends 3 months after. Some life events, like moving or losing other coverage, open a Special Enrollment Period. See every enrollment period in the table below

Every enrollment period

Medicare enrollment periods, what you can do, and when coverage starts
Period When What you can do Coverage starts
Initial Enrollment Period 7 months around your 65th birthday month Sign up for Part A and Part B. Join a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Your birthday month if you sign up early. Otherwise, the month after you sign up.
Annual Enrollment Period October 15 to December 7 Join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Return to Original Medicare. January 1
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment January 1 to March 31 If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan, make one change: switch plans, or go back to Original Medicare and join a Part D plan. The first day of the month after the plan gets your request
General Enrollment Period January 1 to March 31 Sign up for Part A or Part B if you missed your first chance and don't qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. The first day of the month after you sign up
Special Enrollment Periods Depends on the life event Sign up or make changes outside the usual windows. Depends on the situation
Medigap Open Enrollment Period 6 months, starting the first month you're 65 or older and have Part B Buy any Medicare Supplement plan sold in Georgia that you're eligible for, without health questions. Set by the plan you choose

Initial Enrollment Period

Your first chance to sign up is a 7-month window. It includes the 3 months before the month you turn 65, your birthday month, and the 3 months after. If you sign up before your birthday month, coverage starts on the first day of your birthday month. See my turning 65 guide.

Annual Enrollment Period

From October 15 to December 7 each year, anyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D drug plan, or return to Original Medicare. Changes start January 1.

Plans can change their costs, benefits, drug lists, and networks each year. Your plan sends an Annual Notice of Change each fall. It's a good time to check that your plan still fits. I review my clients' plans before this window opens.

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period

From January 1 to March 31, if you're in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can make one change. You can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan, or drop your plan and go back to Original Medicare. If you go back, you can also join a Part D plan.

If you're new to Medicare and join a Medicare Advantage plan, you can also make one change in your first 3 months of having Medicare.

This period isn't for switching from one Part D plan to another if you have Original Medicare.

General Enrollment Period

If you didn't sign up for Part A or Part B when you were first eligible, and you don't qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, you can sign up from January 1 to March 31. Your coverage starts the first day of the month after you sign up. You may owe a late enrollment penalty.

After you sign up this way, you'll have a limited window to join a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Check Medicare.gov for the exact timing.

Special Enrollment Periods

Certain life events let you sign up or make changes outside the usual windows. Each one has its own time limits. Some common examples:

  • You move to a new address outside your plan's service area, or where new plans are available.
  • You lose other coverage, such as coverage from a current job or Medicaid. Read about leaving employer coverage.
  • You have Medicaid or Extra Help, or that changes. You may have extra chances to change your drug coverage or join certain plans. These rules changed recently, so I check them with you.
  • You move into or out of a nursing home or similar facility.
  • Your plan leaves your area or stops offering coverage.
  • A 5-star plan is available. From December 8 to November 30, you can switch once to a plan with a 5-star overall quality rating, if one is offered in your area.
  • A disaster or emergency, such as a federally declared disaster, kept you from making a change during a regular window.

The full list is on Medicare.gov. If something has changed in your life, call me and I'll help you find out whether a Special Enrollment Period applies.

Medigap Open Enrollment Period

This one-time, 6-month window starts the first month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During it, you can buy any Medicare Supplement plan sold in Georgia that you're eligible for. A company can't turn you down or charge more because of your health, though it may delay coverage of a pre-existing condition for up to 6 months if you didn't have prior creditable coverage. After it ends, companies in Georgia may ask health questions. Learn about Supplement plans.