Medicare Minute: Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period

Open Enrollment is right around the corner! It runs October 15 through December 7 and is the time of year when you can make certain changes to your Medicare coverage. The last change you make will take effect on January 1. Take action during Open Enrollment to make sure your coverage will meet your needs in 2026.

Making Changes During Medicare’s Open Enrollment

The changes you can make include:

• Joining a new Medicare Advantage plan or Part D prescription drug plan
• Switching from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage
• Switching from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare (with or without a Part D plan)

Call 1-800-MEDICARE (633-4227) or visit Medicare.org to make changes.

Review Your Coverage for 2026

Medicare Advantage and Part D plans usually change each year. Make sure that your drugs will be covered next year and that your providers and pharmacies will still be in the plan’s network.

Original Medicare: Visit www.Medicare.gov or read the 2026 Medicare & You handbook to learn about Medicare’s benefits for the upcoming year.

Medicare Advantage or Part D Plan: Read your plan’s Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and Evidence of Coverage (EOC).

Considerations When Choosing a New Plan

Ask yourself the following questions before choosing a Part D drug plan:

• Does the plan cover all the medications I take?
• Does the plan have restrictions on my drugs?
• How much will I pay for monthly premiums and the annual deductible?
• How much will I pay at the pharmacy (copay/coinsurance) for each drug I take?
• Is my pharmacy in the plan’s preferred network? Can I fill my prescription by mail order?
• What is the plan’s star rating?
• If I have other drug coverage, will the Medicare drug plan work with this coverage?

Ask yourself the following additional questions before choosing a Medicare Advantage plan:

• How much are the premiums, deductible, and coinsurance/copay amounts?
• What is the annual maximum out-of-pocket cost for the plan?
• What service area does the plan cover?
• Are my doctors and hospitals in the plan’s network?
• What are the rules I must follow to access health care services and my drugs?
• Does the plan cover additional benefits not covered by Original Medicare?
• What is the plan’s star rating?
• Will this plan affect any additional coverage I may have?

You can use Medicare’s Plan Finder tool to compare plans. Access Plan Finder by going online to www.Medicare.gov/plan-compare or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)

Download a convenient handout with tips on choosing a new plan and protecting yourself from marketing violations and Medicare Fraud.

Need local help? 

SHIP|SMP toll free: 866-413-5337

shineinfo@aaaswfl.org

The Medicare Rights Center is the author of portions of the content in these materials but is not responsible for any content not authored by the Medicare Rights Center. This document is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $2,534,081 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. government.