Here's the short answer. Medicare Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026. During this window you can join, drop, or switch a Medicare Advantage plan, add or drop drug coverage, move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, and change your stand-alone Part D drug plan. Your new coverage starts January 1, 2027, as long as the plan gets your request by December 7. If you're happy with your plan and it's still offered, you don't have to do anything. But check your plan's yearly notice first, because costs, drug lists, and networks can change on January 1.
Key dates for the 2027 plan year
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Late September 2026 | The "Medicare & You" handbook for the new year is mailed to every Medicare household. |
| By September 30, 2026 | If you're in a Medicare Advantage or drug plan, your plan sends its Annual Notice of Change, listing changes in coverage and costs that take effect in January. |
| October 15, 2026 | Open Enrollment begins. Plans also send their Evidence of Coverage by this date, with the details of next year's benefits and costs. |
| December 7, 2026 | Open Enrollment ends. The plan must receive your request by this day. |
| January 1, 2027 | New coverage and any plan changes take effect. |
| January 1 – March 31, 2027 | Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. Only for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan: one switch to another Medicare Advantage plan, or a return to Original Medicare plus a drug plan. |
What you can change during Medicare Open Enrollment
Medicare.gov lists these moves for the October 15 to December 7 window:
- Join, drop, or switch to another Medicare Advantage plan, with or without drug coverage.
- Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare.
- Join, drop, or switch a Medicare drug plan if you're in Original Medicare.
If you drop drug coverage during Open Enrollment, the change takes effect January 1. You can drop by calling 1-800-MEDICARE, sending the plan a signed written notice, using the plan's online form if it has one, or asking the plan for a disenrollment notice to sign and return. Think twice before dropping: if you go 63 days or more in a row without drug coverage that's as good as Medicare's, you may pay a late enrollment penalty when you rejoin.
You don't need to cancel an old plan when you switch. Your old drug coverage ends when the new coverage begins, and your new plan sends a letter with the start date.
What Open Enrollment does not cover
- Signing up for Part A or Part B. Those have their own windows, described above.
- Buying a Medigap policy. Medigap has a separate 6-month open enrollment that starts the first month you have Part B at age 65 or older. Outside it, you may not be able to buy a policy or it may cost more, unless you have a guaranteed-issue right. Leaving Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare during Open Enrollment does not by itself guarantee you a Medigap policy. Our guide to switching back to Original Medicare covers the exceptions.
- Marketplace plans. The Health Insurance Marketplace has its own open enrollment for people under 65 without Medicare.
- Medicaid. You can apply for Medicaid any time of year.
How to prepare: a five-step checklist
- Read your Annual Notice of Change. It arrives by September 30 and shows what your plan will cost and cover in 2027, including drug list and network changes. If nothing important changed and your doctors and drugs are still covered, staying put may be fine.
- List your drugs, doctors, and pharmacies. Medicare.gov's own advice: check that a plan covers your prescriptions, ask your doctors and pharmacies whether they're in the plan's network, and review premiums, deductibles, and the estimate of your yearly drug costs.
- Compare plans in your area. Use Medicare Plan Finder at Medicare.gov/plan-compare. Enter your drugs to get an estimate of monthly and yearly costs for each plan. The back of the "Medicare & You" handbook also lists plans.
- Check other coverage first. If you have employer, union, or other insurance, talk to that benefits office before you change anything. Joining a Medicare Advantage plan can cause you to lose employer or union coverage, and you may not be able to get it back. If you live in another state part of the year, ask whether the plan covers you there.
- Enroll before December 7. You can select "Enroll" in Plan Finder, contact the plan by phone or online, mail a paper form the plan must receive before the window closes, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048).
Free, unbiased help is available from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). SHIPs aren't connected to any insurance company or plan. Our Choosing Coverage page walks through the Original Medicare versus Medicare Advantage decision without picking a side.
What's changing for 2027
Each year, the yearly limit on what you pay out of pocket for Part D drugs and the maximum Part D deductible are updated. For 2026, the out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 and no drug plan can have a deductible above $615. The 2027 amounts, along with the 2027 Part B premium and deductible, are published by Medicare in the fall. Look for them in your Annual Notice of Change, in the new handbook, and at Medicare.gov. Our Understanding Your Costs page is updated when the official figures are released.
Plans can also change their premiums, drug lists, and provider networks every year, and insurance companies can decide each year whether to keep offering a plan in your county. If your plan is leaving Medicare, you'll need to join another plan or return to Original Medicare. People whose plan's contract isn't renewed get an extra window: December 8 through the last day of February to pick another plan.
If you miss the December 7 deadline
- In a Medicare Advantage plan? You get one change between January 1 and March 31, 2027: switch to another Medicare Advantage plan, or return to Original Medicare and join a drug plan. Coverage starts the first of the month after the plan gets your request.
- Have Medicaid or Extra Help? You can change your drug coverage once each calendar month, effective the first of the next month. If you have full Medicaid, you can also join an integrated D-SNP once a month. See Special Needs Plans.
- A 5-star plan is available where you live? You can switch to it once between December 8 and November 30 of the following year.
- Something in your life changed? Moving, losing other coverage, or entering or leaving a nursing home can open a Special Enrollment Period. Our Enrollment & Deadlines page lists them.
Watch out for Open Enrollment scams
Open Enrollment season brings a wave of calls, mailers, and ads. Medicare and Medicare plans have rules about how they may contact you. Never give your Medicare number to someone who calls you out of the blue, and don't let anyone rush you into a plan. Our Medicare scams page lists the warning signs, and Common Mistakes covers the enrollment errors people regret.
Common questions
When is Medicare Open Enrollment for 2027?
October 15 through December 7, 2026. Changes you make take effect January 1, 2027.
Do I have to re-enroll in my Medicare plan every year?
No. If your plan is still offered and you do nothing, you stay in it. But read your Annual Notice of Change, because your costs, drug list, and network can change on January 1.
Can I switch from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare?
Yes, during Open Enrollment, or during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 to March 31 if you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan. Buying a Medigap policy afterward is a separate question with its own rules. See Switching from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare.
My plan is leaving Medicare next year. What do I do?
You'll need to join another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare. You can pick a new plan during Open Enrollment, and if your plan's contract isn't renewed you also get a window from December 8 through the end of February. If you don't join another Medicare Advantage plan, you'll be enrolled in Original Medicare.
Is this the same as the Marketplace open enrollment?
No. Medicare Open Enrollment is for people with Medicare. The Health Insurance Marketplace has its own open enrollment for people under 65 who don't have Medicare. See The Marketplace (ACA).
Official sources
- Medicare.gov: Joining a plan (enrollment periods and how to join)
- Medicare.gov: Special Enrollment Periods
- Medicare.gov: Switch, drop, or rejoin drug coverage
- Medicare.gov: How much does Medicare drug coverage cost?
- Medicare.gov: "Medicare & You" handbook
- Medicare Plan Finder