Medicare Open Enrollment Ends December 7: Your Plan Review Checklist

Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026. In those weeks you can change your Medicare health or drug coverage for 2027, and whatever you change starts January 1, 2027.

Plenty of people let their plan renew without a second look. Sometimes that works out. But costs, drug lists and networks can shift from one year to the next, and an afternoon or two with the checklist below is usually enough to decide whether to stay put or switch.

What you can change before December 7

According to Medicare.gov, during Open Enrollment you can:

• Join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage Plan, with or without drug coverage
• Join, switch or drop a stand-alone Medicare drug plan (Part D) if you have Original Medicare
• Move from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan, or from a Medicare Advantage Plan back to Original Medicare

The plan has to receive your request by December 7. If you do nothing, you generally stay in your current plan, and whatever changes it made to costs or benefits take effect January 1.

One caution. If you leave a Medicare Advantage Plan for Original Medicare, you may want a Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policy, and there are limits on when you can buy one. Talk with a counselor before you make that move.

Start with your Annual Notice of Change

If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan, your plan should have sent you an “Annual Notice of Change” by September 30, on paper or electronically. Stand-alone drug plans send one in early fall, too. It lists what will be different in January: costs, covered drugs, provider networks and service area.

Medicare Advantage Plans also send an “Evidence of Coverage” (or a notice telling you how to get it) by October 15. That one spells out what the plan covers and what you’ll pay next year. If you can’t find either document, call the number on your plan card and ask for a copy.

Read with a pen in hand and circle anything that touches you directly. A higher copay for the specialist you see every few months. A drug that moved to a pricier tier. A hospital that dropped out of the network.

Gather your information before you compare

Before you sit down at the computer or call for help, have these within reach:

• Your Medicare card and your current plan card
• A complete list of your prescriptions, with the exact name, dose and how often you take each one
• The names of your doctors, specialists and preferred hospital
• Your preferred pharmacy, and whether you use mail order
• Any care you expect next year, such as a planned surgery, physical therapy or dental work
• What you spent this year on premiums, copays and drugs, if you kept track

If terms like drug tiers and pharmacy networks are fuzzy, our guide on choosing the right Part D prescription drug plan explains them.

Compare plans with the Medicare Plan Finder

The official comparison tool is the Medicare Plan Finder at Medicare.gov/plan-compare. You enter your drugs and pharmacies, and it shows estimated yearly costs for each plan in your area, not just the monthly premium.

• Look at total yearly cost. A $0-premium plan can cost more overall if your drugs carry high copays.
• Check the networks. Confirm your doctors and pharmacy are in-network, then call the offices to double-check.
• Look at star ratings. The 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings are on the Plan Finder. Medicare rates plans from 1 to 5 stars on quality and performance.

What’s different for 2027

These national figures can help you put your own plan’s changes in context. Your plan’s actual costs may be quite different.

Out-of-pocket costs for covered Part D drugs are capped at $2,400 in 2027. Once you reach that amount, you pay $0 for covered drugs for the rest of the year. Under the standard benefit design, the 2027 Part D deductible is $700, though many plans charge less or have no deductible at all. Plans can’t charge more than $35 for a one-month supply of each Part D-covered insulin, and the deductible doesn’t apply to it.

On premiums, CMS projects the average Medicare Advantage premium will fall from $14.37 a month in 2026 to $12.00 in 2027. The average stand-alone Part D premium is projected to rise by less than $1, from $35.09 to about $36.

• CMS has said the Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration, which limited some premium increases, is planned to end in 2027. If you have a stand-alone drug plan, look closely at its new premium.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year. It doesn’t lower them. If you’re already enrolled and stay in the same plan, it renews automatically for 2027.

The official 2027 Part B premium hadn’t been announced as of mid-October. CMS will post it in its newsroom and on Medicare.gov.

Help with costs and choices

See whether you qualify for Extra Help

Extra Help is a federal program that lowers Part D costs for people with limited income and resources. In 2027, people who qualify will generally pay no more than $5.80 for each generic drug and $14.40 for each brand-name drug at a plan’s participating pharmacies. Some plans have a $0 premium for Extra Help members.

You get Extra Help automatically if you have full Medicaid, get help from your state paying Part B premiums, or receive SSI. Anyone else can apply at any time at SSA.gov/extrahelp, and a SHIP counselor can help you figure out whether you might qualify.

Free, unbiased counseling

You don’t have to sort this out alone, and you shouldn’t have to pay anyone for advice.

• Every state has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) with free, unbiased Medicare counselors. Find yours at shiphelp.org.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) can help you compare plans or enroll. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
• Many senior centers host SHIP counselors or Medicare workshops during Open Enrollment. Look up a center near you in our senior center directory.

Be careful with sales calls you didn’t ask for. Under Medicare rules, plans and agents can’t call you unless you’re already a member or gave permission. They can’t show up at your home uninvited, and they can’t offer cash or gifts worth more than $15 to get you to join.

Making the switch and keeping records

If you decide to switch, you can enroll through the Plan Finder, by calling 1-800-MEDICARE, or by contacting the new plan directly. Switching drug plans doesn’t require canceling the old one. Your old coverage ends when the new coverage begins, and the new plan will mail you a letter with the start date.

Write down the date, the plan name and any confirmation number. If your new coverage doesn’t show up in your account within about 10 days, call the plan.

And if you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan and have second thoughts after January 1, you get one more chance. Between January 1 and March 31, 2027, you can switch plans or return to Original Medicare.

This article is general information, not personal advice. A SHIP counselor, your doctor or your pharmacist can help with decisions about your own health needs.

Where to learn more

• Medicare.gov: Open Enrollment
• Medicare Plan Finder
• Medicare & You 2027 handbook (PDF)
• CMS: 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D premium outlook
• Medicare.gov: Help with drug costs and Extra Help
• Find your State Health Insurance Assistance Program