Medicare Open Enrollment 2027: How to Get Ready Before October

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.

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)