Enroll: Wellness Resources

Medicare patients often ask when they are able to change Medicare Advantage (MA) or Medicare Prescription Drug plans throughout the year. There are two distinct Medicare enrollment periods each year:

During this period Beneficiaries may switch, enroll, or disenroll in available MA plans, Medigap policies, or Part D Prescription Drug plans. New plans will be effective Jan. 1 of the following year. Guidelines apply. Change your Medicare health or prescription drug coverage for the following year, if you decide to. This includes returning to Original Medicare or joining an MA plan.

MA plan enrollees may enroll in another MA plan or disenroll from their MA plan and return to Original Medicare. Individuals may make only one election during period. If you’re in an MA plan, you can make a change to a different MA plan or switch back to Original Medicare (and join a stand-alone Medicare Prescription Drug plan) once during this time. Any changes you make will be effective the first of the month after the plan gets your request.

Note: Medicare beneficiaries are also provided an enrollment period (IEP/ICEP) when first becoming eligible for Medicare and a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for certain circumstances including: natural disaster, change of residence, loss of group coverage, if your Medicare plan withdraws from the market, if you are dual eligible (Medicare/Medicaid), if you qualify for Medicare Extra Help, or if you have a 5-star Medicare Advantage plan in your area. However, changes to a Medicare Advantage plan’s provider network generally does NOT qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. Find more information about Medicare enrollment periods.

Should you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, Medicare drug plan, or Medicare Cost Plan with a 5-star rating available in your area, you are able to use the 5-star Special Enrollment Period to switch from your current Medicare plan to a Medicare plan with a “5-star” quality rating. Note: you can only use this Special Enrollment Period once between Dec. 8 and Nov. 30 the following year.