Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period Dates

If you already have a Medicare Advantage plan, Medicare gives you a second, narrower window after the new year starts. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs from January 1 through March 31. During those three months you may make one change: switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage), or drop Medicare Advantage, return to Original Medicare, and join a separate Medicare drug plan if you need one. Coverage starts the first of the month after the plan gets your request.[1][3][5]

This is not the same as fall Open Enrollment (October 15 to December 7), when anyone with Medicare can make broader changes that take effect on January 1 of the next year.[2] It is also not a Special Enrollment Period, which opens only after certain life events.[8] And it is not the General Enrollment Period for Part A and Part B, even though that window uses the same January through March dates.[12]

Our team in Greensboro talks with families every winter who mix those calendars. The rest of this guide stays on the January 1 to March 31 window: who can use it, what the one-change limit allows, and how to use that change with care.

Practical takeaways

• This period is only for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan. People with Original Medicare cannot use it to join Advantage or to change a stand-alone drug plan.[1][3][6]
• You get one change from January 1 through March 31. Compare doctors, pharmacies, and prescriptions first. You cannot take a second MA Open Enrollment change later in the same window.[3][4]
• The two allowed paths are a switch to another Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage), or a return to Original Medicare. If you return to Original Medicare, you can also join a separate Medicare drug plan.[1][4][5]
• The change takes effect the first of the month after the plan gets your request. A January request generally starts February 1. A March request generally starts April 1.[1][5][6]
• If you return to Original Medicare and join a separate drug plan, you do not have to call your old Advantage plan to disenroll. Joining the drug plan ends it automatically.[4][5]
• If you drop drug coverage and go 63 days or more without other creditable prescription drug coverage, you may owe a Part D late enrollment penalty later.[9][10]

How this window differs from the other Medicare calendars

Fall Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7. Anyone with Medicare can join, drop, or switch a Medicare Advantage plan, move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, or, if they have Original Medicare, join, drop, or switch a Medicare drug plan. Those changes take effect January 1 of the next year, as long as the plan gets the request by December 7.[2][3] For 2027 coverage, that fall window is October 15 to December 7, 2026, and new coverage begins January 1, 2027.[5] The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period is the winter follow-up. For people in a Medicare Advantage plan in 2027, it runs January 1 to March 31, 2027. Only current members can use it, and the allowed actions are shorter than in the fall.[1][5][6]

Special Enrollment Periods are separate. They open after certain life events, such as a move, a loss of other coverage, Medicaid, or Extra Help. Timing depends on the event.[8] See our guide to Medicare Special Enrollment Periods for North Carolina if a life event, not the winter calendar, is what you are facing.

One more January through March period is easy to mix up with this one. The General Enrollment Period for Part A and Part B also runs January 1 through March 31. That period is for people who did not sign up for premium Part A and/or Part B when they were first eligible. It is not a chance to switch Medicare Advantage plans.[12]

Who can use the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period

Medicare’s consumer pages state the rule in one line: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period is available only if you are already in a Medicare Advantage Plan, and it runs January 1 through March 31.[1] CMS says the same in plan language. People who can use it are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage (an MA-PD) or without it (an MA-only plan).[6]

That includes someone whose new Medicare Advantage coverage just started on January 1 after a fall enrollment. Families often call us in February because a parent’s new plan, network, or pharmacy arrangement is not what they expected. This period is the structured chance to make one correction.

It does not include someone who has Original Medicare, with or without a stand-alone Part D plan. During this period that person cannot switch into Medicare Advantage, join a Medicare drug plan, or switch from one stand-alone drug plan to another.[3][4][5] Those moves belong to fall Open Enrollment, or to a Special Enrollment Period if one applies. CMS also notes groups that cannot use this winter election: people in a Medicare Medical Savings Account (MSA) plan, a Medicare Cost plan, or PACE.[6]

There is a related three-month window for people who are new to Medicare. If you join a Medicare Advantage plan when you first get both Part A and Part B, Medicare lets you change to another Advantage plan or go back to Original Medicare (with or without a drug plan) within the first three months you have both parts.[1][3][6] That helps a newly eligible spouse. It is not a second winter for someone who has been on Medicare for years.

To join any Medicare Advantage plan you still need both Part A and Part B, and you must live in the plan’s service area.[1][7] In North Carolina that service area is usually a county or a group of counties. A plan offered in Guilford County may not be offered next door, which is why we start with the ZIP code, not a statewide list.

The one-change rule, and what that one change can be

Medicare’s enrollment-period fact sheet is direct: you can only make one change each year during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, and the change takes effect the first day of the month after the plan gets your request.[3] The official Understanding Medicare Advantage Plans booklet and Medicare & You 2027 repeat the same one-change limit.[4][5]

That one change can be one of two things.

First, you can switch to another Medicare Advantage plan, with or without drug coverage.[1][4] That can mean a different carrier, a different plan type if both are offered where you live, or the same company with a different network, drug list, or premium. Most Medicare Advantage plans include Part D. Some do not. If you move to a plan without drug coverage, Original Medicare will not fill that gap, and this winter window does not let Original Medicare members join a stand-alone Part D plan later. The 63-day creditable-coverage clock can start if you go without other creditable drug coverage.[9][10]

Second, you can drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare. If you do that, you will also be able to join a separate Medicare drug plan.[1][3][5] CMS describes a coordinating Part D Special Enrollment Period that lets you enroll in a stand-alone Part D plan for the same effective date when you leave an MA-PD for Original Medicare.[6] Leaving Advantage during this window is paired with a chance to pick Part D so prescriptions do not lapse.

You cannot do both as two separate winter elections. Switching Advantage plans in January uses the one change. You cannot then leave for Original Medicare in March under the same period. That is why we ask families to finish the comparison before anyone signs.

The “cannot” list matters as much as the “can” list. During this period, if you have Original Medicare you cannot switch to a Medicare Advantage plan, join a separate Medicare drug plan, or switch from one Medicare drug plan to another.[3][4][5][6] This is not a time for a spouse on Original Medicare to try Advantage, and it is not a time to shop stand-alone Part D if that is already your coverage. Those moves wait for October 15 to December 7, unless a Special Enrollment Period applies. One change is the rule, not one change per month.[3][4]

When the change takes effect, and how you make it

Coverage starts the first of the month after the plan gets your request.[1][4][6] Medicare & You 2027 uses the same rule for the January 1 to March 31, 2027 window.[5] A complete January request generally begins February 1. A February request generally begins March 1. A March request generally begins April 1. Mark both dates: the day the request is submitted, and the first of the next month, when the old plan ends.

Medicare’s page on switching drug coverage adds a practical point: your old drug coverage ends when the new drug coverage begins. You should get a letter from the new plan with the start date, so you do not need to cancel the old plan yourself.[9] If you are returning to Original Medicare and joining a separate Medicare drug plan, you do not need to contact your Medicare Advantage plan to disenroll. That happens automatically when you join the drug plan.[4][5]

Medicare lists three ways to join once you have chosen a plan: enroll at Medicare.gov/plan-compare, contact the plan (by phone, website, or a paper form the plan must receive before the period ends), or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.[1] Compare plans for your North Carolina county first, and enter the prescriptions you take.[1] North Carolina’s Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP), part of the Department of Insurance, offers free counseling in all 100 counties and does not sell plans. You can reach SHIIP at 855-408-1212.[13]

If you use the window to return to Original Medicare

Returning to Original Medicare is one of the two allowed changes.[1][4] Original Medicare is Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance). It does not include Part D. If you want prescription coverage after you leave Advantage, you join a stand-alone Part D plan as part of that same move.[3][5]

Watch the 63-day rule. You can rejoin drug coverage later, but if you go 63 days or more in a row without Medicare drug coverage or other creditable prescription drug coverage, you will have to wait for an enrollment period and you may pay a late enrollment penalty.[9][10] Creditable coverage is coverage expected to pay, on average, at least as much as Medicare drug coverage. Extra Help can also spare you that penalty.[10] This is not a reason to rush. It is a reason not to drop drug coverage without a replacement in mind.

A short word on Medigap, because families ask as soon as Original Medicare is on the table. You generally must have Original Medicare to buy a Medigap policy, and you cannot buy Medigap while you remain in a Medicare Advantage plan unless you are switching back to Original Medicare.[11] Medicare describes a 12-month trial right if you dropped a Medigap policy to join Medicare Advantage for the first time (you may get that policy back if the same company still sells it), or if you joined Advantage when first eligible for Part A at 65 and switch to Original Medicare within the first year.[8][11] Those trial rights are not the same as this winter window. Many people who leave Advantage after that first year do not have a federal guaranteed-issue right and may face medical underwriting. We will tell you whether a trial right appears to apply before you use the one change. A fuller walk-through of Medicare Supplement (Medigap) is a separate conversation.

How to use the one change well (especially if you are helping a parent)

Treat this period as a review, not a race. Write down the one problem you want to fix. Common winter reasons we hear in the Piedmont are a specialist who is out of network, a drug that landed on a worse tier than expected, a premium that is harder to manage than it looked in the fall, or a parent who prefers Original Medicare after a few weeks on a managed plan.

Medicare tells people to check, before they join, whether the plan covers the prescriptions and benefits they need, whether their doctors and pharmacies are in the network, costs (premium, deductible, and estimated yearly drug costs), and whether other insurance (a retiree plan, VA coverage, or Medicaid) will still work with the new choice.[1] If a parent splits the year between North Carolina and another state, ask whether the plan covers that second address.

If the path is another Medicare Advantage (MAPD) plan, compare more than the monthly premium. Look at copays, the in-network out-of-pocket maximum, and the drug list for the medicines actually taken. If the path is Original Medicare plus Part D, line up the drug plan first so the 63-day clock never starts, then look at Medigap only if a trial right or another guaranteed-issue situation applies.[9][10][11]

Do the paperwork so the plan actually gets the request. A paper form mailed late in March can miss the window if it arrives in April. Online enrollment or a call to 1-800-MEDICARE leaves a clearer timestamp.[1] Keep the confirmation and the letter that states the effective date.[9] Adult children helping from out of town can sit in on the comparison and confirm doctors by name. The parent still signs, and only when ready to join.[1]

If a qualifying life event is also in play (a move, a Medicaid change, Extra Help), a Special Enrollment Period may be a better path than this one-change winter window.[8] Tell us about the event so you do not spend the single winter change on a problem a Special Enrollment Period would have solved.

Used on purpose, one change between January 1 and March 31 can put a North Carolina household on coverage that fits the year they are actually living. It is a useful, limited tool for people already in Medicare Advantage. It is not a second fall Open Enrollment, and it is not a Special Enrollment Period.

How we can help

Have more questions or want to get in touch?

Seniors Insurance Hub is an independent Medicare and senior insurance advisory serving Greensboro and the Piedmont. We will sit with you, or with the adult child who is helping, confirm whether this period applies, and walk through that one allowed change before anyone enrolls. You can reach us at https://thesih.com/contact/ or call (336) 937-7501.

Citations

[1] Medicare.gov, “Joining a plan.” Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (only if you are already in a Medicare Advantage Plan) runs January 1 through March 31 (and within the first 3 months you get Medicare). You can switch to another Medicare Advantage Plan with or without drug coverage, or drop your Medicare Advantage Plan and return to Original Medicare (you will also be able to join a separate Medicare drug plan). Coverage starts the first of the month after the plan gets your request. You can enroll at Medicare.gov/plan-compare, by contacting the plan, or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/get-more-coverage/joining-a-plan

[2] Medicare.gov, “Open Enrollment.” Open Enrollment happens from October 15 through December 7. Changes are effective January 1 of the next year (the plan must get your enrollment request by December 7). https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans/open-enrollment

[3] Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “Understanding Medicare Advantage & Medicare Drug Plan Enrollment Periods” (CMS Product No. 11219, March 2026). You can only make one change each year during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage Plan, the period runs January 1 through March 31. You cannot switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan, join a Medicare drug plan if you are in Original Medicare, or switch stand-alone drug plans if you are in Original Medicare. https://www.medicare.gov/publications/11219-Understanding-Medicare-Advantage-Medicare-Drug-Plan-Enrollment-Periods.pdf

[4] Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “Understanding Medicare Advantage Plans” (CMS Product No. 12026). Between January 1 and March 31, if you already have a Medicare Advantage Plan you can switch to another plan or drop it and return to Original Medicare (and join a separate Medicare drug plan). You can only make one change, effective the first of the month after the plan gets your request. If you return to Original Medicare and join a separate drug plan, you do not need to contact the Medicare Advantage Plan to disenroll. https://www.medicare.gov/publications/12026-understanding-medicare-advantage-plans.pdf

[5] Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare & You 2027 (CMS Product No. 10050). Calendar: January 1 to March 31, 2027, Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period for people in a Medicare Advantage Plan. One change. Effective the first of the month after the plan gets your request. Fall Open Enrollment is October 15 to December 7, 2026, for 2027 coverage starting January 1, 2027. https://www.medicare.gov/publications/10050-le-medicare-and-you.pdf

[6] Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “Medicare Advantage and Part D Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance,” CY 2026, section 30.4. MA OEP occurs January 1 through March 31 every year (and for three months upon new entitlement to Part A and B). Who can use it: individuals enrolled in MA-PD or MA-only plans. Effective date: first of the month following the plan’s receipt of the request. Coordinating Part D SEP when leaving an MA-PD for Original Medicare. Individuals may not switch from Original Medicare to an MA plan, make Part D changes if in Original Medicare, or make enrollment changes if in an MSA, Cost, or PACE plan. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/cy-2026-cd-enrollment-and-disenrollment-guidance.pdf

[7] Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “Medicare Managed Care Eligibility and Enrollment.” Lists the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP) among six election periods, and states that joining a Medicare health plan requires Part A and Part B, living in the service area, lawful presence, and a valid election period. https://www.cms.gov/medicare/enrollment-renewal/managed-care-eligibility-enrollment

[8] Medicare.gov, “Special Enrollment Periods.” SEPs apply when certain life events happen (move, loss of coverage, Medicaid, Extra Help, and others). Separate 12-month trial-right situations: joining Medicare Advantage when first eligible for Part A at 65, or dropping Medigap the first time you join Medicare Advantage, with a chance to drop Advantage and buy a Medigap policy for a limited time. https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/get-more-coverage/joining-a-plan/special-enrollment-periods

[9] Medicare.gov, “What if I want to switch, drop, or rejoin drug coverage?” Old drug coverage ends when new drug coverage begins. You can drop coverage during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period if you are in a Medicare Advantage Plan with drug coverage. If you go 63 days or more without creditable prescription drug coverage, you will have to wait for an enrollment period and may pay a late enrollment penalty. https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans/part-d/basics/choose-coverage/switch-drop-rejoin

[10] Medicare.gov, “Avoid late enrollment penalties.” Part D late enrollment penalty: extra 1% for each month (12% a year) if you go 63 days or more without creditable drug coverage. Generally no Part D penalty if you have creditable drug coverage or Extra Help. https://www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/medicare-costs/avoid-penalties

[11] Medicare.gov, “Learn How Medigap Works.” You generally must have Original Medicare to buy Medigap. You cannot buy Medigap while in a Medicare Advantage Plan unless you are switching back to Original Medicare. Trial right: if you drop Medigap to join Medicare Advantage for the first time, a single 12-month period to get that policy back if the same company still sells it; if you joined Advantage when first eligible for Part A at 65, you can buy certain Medigap policies if you switch to Original Medicare within the first year. https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans/medigap/basics/how-medigap-works

[12] Medicare.gov, “When does Medicare coverage start?” General Enrollment Period for Part A and/or Part B is January 1 through March 31 each year (a different period from the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period). https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/sign-up/when-does-medicare-coverage-start

[13] North Carolina Department of Insurance, “Medicare and Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP).” SHIIP counselors are available in all 100 North Carolina counties. Contact number listed as 855-408-1212. Counselors are not licensed insurance agents and do not sell or endorse products. https://www.ncdoi.gov/consumers/medicare-and-seniors-health-insurance-information-program-shiip