There are many different enrollment periods for Medicare. Today, we will discuss one of the most important ones: the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, which comes around every fall.

My name is Lindsay Engle, and I'm the Medicare Expert for Elite Insurance Partners and MedicareFAQ.com.

The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period is commonly referred to as the Annual Election Period or the Medicare Open Enrollment Period. It occurs annually, in the fall, between October 15th and December 7th.

This enrollment period is for beneficiaries who are already enrolled in Medicare to make changes to their coverage. This means that you must either be enrolled in Part A and Part B of Original Medicare, a Medicare Advantage Plan, or a stand-alone prescription drug plan under Part D.

If you're enrolled in Medicare Advantage, you can change from one carrier to another carrier or switch back to Original Medicare. When you switch back to Original Medicare, you can then choose to enroll in Medigap and Part D plans if you wish to do so.

If you're currently enrolled in Part D, you can choose to switch from one plan to another or drop your coverage altogether. You can also enroll in a Part D plan at this time if you only have Original Medicare without any prescription drug coverage.

A first key point to remember is if you're not already enrolled in Medicare, this is not the enrollment period for you. If you're looking to enroll in Part A and Part B for the first time and you're outside your Initial Enrollment Period, you'll have to wait until the General Enrollment Period, which runs annually between January 1st and March 31st.

Another key point to remember is that if you're choosing to enroll in a Medicare Supplement Plan at this time, you'll still have to answer health questions and go through medical underwriting. The only way around this is if your Medicare Open Enrollment Period is also happening during the Annual Enrollment Period or, due to a specific circumstance, you qualify for a Special Election Period.

The Annual Enrollment Period does not give you guaranteed issue rights. You can enroll in a Medigap plan at any time of the year. The only thing to remember is if you are outside of your Open Enrollment Period, which is the first six months after your Part B effective date, you will have to answer health questions. Any coverage changes you make during the Annual Enrollment Period will become effective January 1st of the following year.

Each September, your Medicare Advantage carrier or Part D carrier will send you a plan annual notice of change that will give you a brief summary of all your benefits.

Your notice of change will explain any plan coverage changes that will become effective the following year. You will want to pay attention to your premium. If you feel that the premium is increasing more than expected, it may be time to shop around for new plans.

If you have Medicare Advantage, you should also pay attention to the doctor's network. Make sure your doctor is still within your plan's network.

Another important thing to check is your Part D drug formulary to ensure your current prescriptions will still be covered.

Annual Enrollment Period: https://www.medicarefaq.com/faqs/medicare-annual-enrollment-period/
Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment Period: https://www.medicarefaq.com/faqs/medicare-supplement-open-enrollment/
General Enrollment Period: https://www.medicarefaq.com/faqs/medicare-general-enrollment-period/
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: https://www.medicarefaq.com/faqs/medicare-advantage-open-enrollment-period/
Initial Enrollment Period: https://www.medicarefaq.com/faqs/medicare-initial-enrollment-period/
Special Enrollment Period: https://www.medicarefaq.com/faqs/medicare-special-enrollment-periods/
Annual Notice of Change: https://www.medicarefaq.com/faqs/medicare-annual-no