Get Ready for Medicare Open Enrollment 2027
Medicare Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage runs October 15 to December 7, 2026. Here is what to review now so you are not rushed in the fall.
Medicare's Fall Open Enrollment Period — officially called the Annual Enrollment Period — runs from October 15 to December 7, 2026. Changes you make during this window take effect January 1, 2027. Anyone with Medicare can use this period to switch between Original Medicare and a Medicare Advantage plan, move from one Medicare Advantage plan to another, or join, switch, or drop a Part D prescription drug plan.
Step 1: Watch for your "Annual Notice of Change" letter in September
Medicare plans are required to mail current members a notice explaining what is changing for the coming year — costs, covered drugs, and network changes. It typically arrives by late September. Read it even if you plan to keep your current plan.
Step 2: List your current medications and doctors
Write down every prescription you take regularly and the doctors or specialists you see. You will need this list to check whether a plan still covers your medications at a reasonable cost and whether your providers remain in-network for 2027.
Step 3: Use the Medicare Plan Finder to compare
Starting October 1, go to medicare.gov/plan-compare and enter your medications and zip code to see cost estimates for available plans in your area for the coming year. This tool is free and run directly by Medicare — not an insurance company.
Quick Tip
If you would rather not compare plans online yourself, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for free, unbiased help — they do not sell insurance.
Step 4: Make your decision by December 7
Any changes must be submitted by December 7, 2026, to take effect January 1, 2027. If you miss the deadline, you generally stay on your current plan until the next Open Enrollment period, roughly one year later.
Step 5: Be alert for Open Enrollment scams
Every fall, scammers place calls or send mailers pretending to be from Medicare, pressuring people to "confirm" their Medicare number or bank details to keep coverage. Medicare will never call you uninvited asking for your Medicare number or payment information — hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE directly if you are unsure.
Warning
Never give your Medicare number, Social Security number, or bank information to anyone who calls you first claiming to represent Medicare.
More about this
Many people wait until October to think about this at all, then feel rushed trying to compare plans in the seven-and-a-half-week window. A little preparation in August and September makes the fall period much less stressful, and it matters more than it might seem: Medicare plans can change their costs, covered drugs, and provider networks every single year, even if you take no action. A drug that was covered at a low cost this year could move to a more expensive tier next year, and a doctor's office that was in-network could drop out of your plan's network — both without you doing anything.
If you are happy with your current plan and it is not changing in ways that affect you, you do not have to do anything during Open Enrollment — your coverage will continue as is. But it is worth checking the details every year rather than assuming nothing changed.
(Sources: Medicare.gov — medicare.gov/health-drug-plans/open-enrollment; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — cms.gov)
Official sources
- Medicare.gov — medicare.gov
- SSA.gov — ssa.gov
- IRS.gov — irs.gov
- USA.gov — usa.gov
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