What you can change
From October 15 to December 7, you can:
- Switch between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, in either direction.
- Join, drop or switch a Medicare Advantage plan, with or without drug coverage.
- Join, drop or switch a Medicare drug plan (Part D) if you have Original Medicare.
The plan must get your request by December 7, and your new coverage starts January 1. If you change your mind before then, you can make another choice. The last plan you choose by December 7 is the one that takes effect.
Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policies aren't part of Open Enrollment. They follow their own rules, and outside your one-time Medigap Open Enrollment Period, switching may mean answering health questions.
If you're happy with your plan
You don't have to do anything. If your plan is still offered next year and you don't make a change, your coverage continues. Plans can change their costs, coverage and networks every year, though, so it's worth a look before December 7.
Start with your Annual Notice of Change
Each fall, usually in September, your plan sends you an Annual Notice of Change. It lists the changes in coverage, costs and more that start in January. Use it to decide whether the plan will still meet your needs next year. If you didn't get one, contact your plan.
What to check for 2027
- Your doctors and hospitals. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, make sure they're still in the plan's network.
- Your prescriptions. Make sure each one is still on the plan's drug list, and check its tier. Drug lists can change from year to year.
- Your pharmacy. Make sure it's still in the plan's network, and see whether it's a preferred pharmacy.
- Your costs. Look at the premium, the deductible, and your copayments and coinsurance. For 2027, no Medicare drug plan can have a deductible over $700 ($615 in 2026), and some plans have none.
- The yearly cap on drug costs. Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered Part D drugs reaches $2,400 in 2027 ($2,100 in 2026), you won't pay out of pocket for covered Part D drugs for the rest of the year. Your plan's monthly premium is separate.
Got a letter saying your plan is ending?
Sometimes a plan leaves Medicare or stops being offered where you live. If yours won't be offered in 2027:
- You can choose a new plan during Open Enrollment. If the new plan gets your request by December 7, it starts January 1.
- You also have a Special Enrollment Period from December 8 through the last day of February 2027.
- If you have a Medicare Advantage plan that's ending and you don't choose a new one, you'll go back to Original Medicare. Original Medicare doesn't include drug coverage, so to have it you'd need to join a separate drug plan, unless you have other drug coverage. If you go 63 days or more in a row without drug coverage, you may owe a late-enrollment penalty if you join a drug plan later.
- If you go back to Original Medicare, you may also have a right to buy certain Medicare Supplement policies without answering health questions. This right has a time limit (generally from 60 days before your plan ends to 63 days after), so it helps to ask early. Call us and we'll check what applies to you.
After December 7
If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can make one change from January 1 to March 31: switch to another Medicare Advantage plan, or go back to Original Medicare and join a separate drug plan. You can't use this time to move from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage.
Outside these times, you generally need a Special Enrollment Period, for example if you move or lose job-based coverage.
Watch out for Medicare scams
Medicare.gov says Medicare will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home. If a caller you didn't contact says they're from Medicare, don't give them your Medicare number or other personal details. Only share your Medicare number with your doctor and with people you know should have it, like your insurance company. If you suspect fraud, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
A free Medicare class in St. George
Jamie's education-only class, Taking the Mystery Out of Medicare, is Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 10:00 AM through Utah Tech Community Education. No plans are sold, no applications are taken, and no plan-specific benefits or prices are discussed. Save a seat.
Where to get help in Utah
- Jamie Whitlock, independent broker. Jamie compares the plans we offer for your ZIP code with your doctors, prescriptions and pharmacy. The consultation is no cost to you, by phone, by Zoom or in person. Call (801) 332-0709 or request a consultation.
- Utah's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Free, objective Medicare counseling: 1-800-541-7735.
- Medicare. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, or visit Medicare.gov.