Every fall, Medicare mail shows up in a stack thick enough to level a patio table. Postcards, envelopes, a handbook, and a notice from your plan that most people set aside for later. Later is getting closer. Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7, 2026.

This post covers three things: what you can change during Open Enrollment, what you can't, and the 2027 numbers that are already official.

The dates: October 15 to December 7

The rule: Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7 every year. Any change you make takes effect January 1 of the next year, and the plan must get your enrollment request by December 7.

Applied to you: the deadline is when the plan RECEIVES your request, not when you drop it in the mail. If you are doing a paper application, don't leave it for the first week of December. Mark Monday, December 7 on your calendar.

What you CAN change during Open Enrollment

According to Medicare, during Open Enrollment you can:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan, or from a Medicare Advantage Plan back to Original Medicare.
• Join, drop, or switch to another Medicare Advantage Plan, with or without drug coverage.
• Join, drop, or switch a Medicare drug plan (Part D) if you have Original Medicare.

If you are happy with what you have and your plan is still offered next year, you don't HAVE to do anything. Medicare says so directly. Your coverage continues, and whatever changes your plan made for the new year start January 1.

What Open Enrollment does not do: Medicare Supplement

The rule: a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy has its own one time enrollment window. Under federal law, the Medigap Open Enrollment Period lasts 6 months and starts the first month you have Part B and you're 65 or older. Medicare's own words: it "doesn't repeat every year, like the Medicare Open Enrollment Period."

Outside that window, an insurance company can use medical underwriting. That means health questions, and they are allowed to charge you more or turn you down, unless you have what Medicare calls a guaranteed issue right. Your state can add extra rights, so it's worth checking with the State Insurance Department too.

Applied to you: if you are thinking about leaving a Medicare Advantage Plan for Original Medicare plus a Supplement, December does not make the Supplement automatic. Medicare lets you switch back to Original Medicare during Open Enrollment. Whether a Supplement company will accept you is a separate question. Find that answer BEFORE you drop the plan you have.

I've written before about how I see Advantage plans and Supplements. You can read that in Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare Supplement: Who Really Wins?

Read your Annual Notice of Change before you decide

The rule: if you are in a Medicare plan, your plan sends you a Plan Annual Notice of Change each fall. Medicare says to expect it in September. It lists the changes in coverage, costs, and more that start in January.

It is not exciting reading. I have never seen anyone take one to the beach. But it is the one piece of Medicare mail written about YOUR plan, so check three things:

• Are all of your prescriptions still covered?
• Are your doctors and pharmacies still in the network?
• What happens to your premium, deductible, and copays?

If you live in another state for part of the year, Medicare also says to check whether the plan will cover you there.

If you never got your notice, call your plan and ask for it.

The 2027 Part D numbers that are already official

Some 2027 drug coverage amounts are already published on Medicare.gov:

• No Medicare drug plan may have a deductible higher than $700 in 2027. In 2026 the limit is $615. Some plans have no deductible at all.
• Once your out of pocket spending on covered Part D drugs reaches $2,400 in 2027 ($2,100 in 2026), you move to catastrophic coverage and pay nothing out of pocket for covered Part D drugs for the rest of the year.

Applied to you: those are the outside limits. Your plan's actual deductible and copays depend on the plan and the pharmacy. The best way to compare is Medicare's Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare. Enter EVERY drug you take, with the right dose. Skipping one is how people get surprised in February.

What about the 2027 Part B premium?

For 2026, the standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month and the Part B deductible is $283. People with higher incomes pay more for Part B.

As of October 25, 2026, CMS has NOT announced the 2027 Part B premium, deductible, or income brackets. I've seen guesses, and I'm not going to repeat them. When CMS publishes the official numbers, I'll share them.

Whichever way you go during Open Enrollment, Medicare Advantage or Original Medicare with a Supplement, Medicare says you have to keep paying your Part B premium.

Changed your mind after January 1?

The rule: if you are already in a Medicare Advantage Plan, there is a second window from January 1 to March 31. During it you can switch to another Medicare Advantage Plan, or drop your plan, go back to Original Medicare, and join a separate drug plan.

Applied to you: that window helps if you picked a plan and it isn't working. It does not change the Supplement rules above. Treat it as a backup, not the plan.

Where I come in

I'll say it plain: I earn a living working with insurance companies, so take that into account. Weigh my input, but do not let it make the decision for you. If you'd like help from someone who doesn't sell anything at all, Medicare points people to their State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for free counseling.

If you want us to look at it with you, Lori Jacquin, our Medicare Specialist, and I will sit down and go through your notice, your prescriptions, and your doctors with you. Nothing will be pitched or sold in that conversation.

Our office is in downtown Fort Pierce, and we work with folks all over the Treasure Coast: Port St. Lucie, Stuart, Vero Beach, and everywhere in between. Not local? That's fine. I work with people in any U.S. state by Zoom or phone. I always want to make it easy.

Medicare is one piece of your retirement plan. Social Security is usually where we start. You can read more about how we approach it on our Social Security planning page.

DKAC Retirement is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration, Medicare, or any government agency.

Not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.

Every situation is different. Book your free Social Security analysis with DKAC Retirement, or call 772-267-9259.

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