Medicare
Enrollment Periods

Medicare has severl enrollment periods with each one can be used to enroll in either Original Medicare (Medicare Part A and Part B) or to enroll in different plans of Medicare.





Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP)

What you have:
Either Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug Plan (MAPD) or Medicare Advantage without Prescription Drug Plan (MA Only)

What you can change to:
Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug Plan (MAPD) or Medicare Advantage without Prescription Drug Plan (MA only) plan, or you can back to Original Medicare and enroll in a stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) along with a Medicare Supplement

Enrollment period begins:
January 1st of every year

Enrollment period ends:
March 31 of every year

Effective date:
1st of month after enrollment (e.g. enrollment application submitted during February, will have plan effective date of March 1st.

Notes:
Can only make one election (once new plan effective, OEP used)

Initial Enrollment Period (IEP)

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Initial Enrollment Period (IEP)

Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) is one in a lifetime enrollment period. IEP is a 7 month window that begins 3 months from your 65th birthday month, your 65th birthday and 3 months after your birthday month. This enrollment is triggered when you become eligible for  Medicare at 65 or 24 months after being on disability benefits.

During this enrollment period, you can do the following:

  • Enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B when you turn 65
  • Enroll in Part C Medicare Advantage Plan, or
  • Enroll in a Medicare Supplement (Also see Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment Period (MSOEP), and
  • Enroll in Part D Prescription Drug Plan (PDP)

If you missed to enroll for Medicare Part A and Part B during your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), you will have to wait during the upcoming General Enrollment Period (GEP). Also, if you chose to delay your enrollment for Medicare Part A and Part B because you are covered by Group Health Insurance, then you will have Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to enroll.

Please note that if you enroll for Medicare Part A and Part B on and after your birth month, your Medicare benefits will start as shown in the table below:

If you enroll in Medicare
Part A and Part B during		Medicare Part A and
Part B Start Date
3 months before turning 65Month of your birthday
2 months before turning 65Month of your birthday
1 months before turning 65Month of your birthday
Your birthday month1 month from the month you enrolled
1 month after turning 652 month from the month you enrolled
2 month after turning 653 month from the month you enrolled
3 month after turning 653 month from the month you enrolled

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP)

What you have:
Either Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug Plan (MAPD) or Medicare Advantage without Prescription Drug Plan (MA Only)

What you can change to:
Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug Plan (MAPD) or Medicare Advantage without Prescription Drug Plan (MA only) plan, or you can back to Original Medicare and enroll in a stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) along with a Medicare Supplement

Enrollment period begins:
January 1st of every year

Enrollment period ends:
March 31 of every year

Effective date:
1st of month after enrollment (e.g. enrollment application submitted during February, will have plan effective date of March 1st.

Notes:
Can only make one election (once new plan effective, OEP used)

General Enrollment Period (GEP)

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General Enrollment Period (GEP)

General Enrollment Period (GEP) is a yearly occurring enrollment period to allow those who missed to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B during their Initial Enrollment Period (IEP). General Enrollment Period (GEP) runs from January 1st thru March 31st of every colander year. When you elect to enroll in Medicare Part A and/or Part B during GEP, your Medicare coverage will begin on July 1st of the same year.

One problem with enrolling for Medicare during GEP is that you cannot enroll in either Part C Medicare Advantage or Part D Prescription Drug plan until the upcoming Annual Enrollment Period (AEP). What that means, you will not have any supplemental and prescription coverage until January 1st of the following year. 

Special Enrollment PerioSpecial Enrollment Period (SEP)d (SEP)

Special Enrollment Period (SEP)

Generally, Medicare Special Enrollment Period (SEP) is period of 2 months that is triggered by certain circumstances allowing you the chance to make changes to your plans. Circumstances that trigger an SEP are:

  • Move to New Service Area (different state or county)
  • Involuntarily Gained or Lost Employer or Union Coverage
  • Released from Imprisonment
  • Change in Medicaid Eligibility or Medicare Savings Program
  • Change in Low Income Subsidy Eligibility
  • Moved In or Moved Out of Nursing Home or Long-Term Care Facility
  • Became Part of State Pharmacetical Assistance Program
  • Have Chronically Ill or have disability and Receiving Social Security
  • Enrolled in Dual Special Needs Plan (DSNP)
  • Enrolling in a 5 Star Plan available in your area

In addition, Special Enrollment Period (SEP) can also be triggered when you lose a group health insurance from your employer or your spouse's employer. In this circumstances, you will have 8 months from the time you lose your benefits. During those 8 months you can apply for Medicare Part A and Part B without being liable to pay Late Enrollment Penalty.

Annual Enrollment Period (AEP)

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Annual Enrollment Period (AEP)

Annual Enrollment Period (IEP) is a yearly occurring enrollment period that runs from October 15th through December 7th. When you elect to make changes during the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP), you newly elected plan will start on January 1st of the following year. It is very important to realize that insurance carriers change their plan's health and drugs coverage every year and this AEP period allow Medicare beneficiaries to make transitions from one plan to other plans. During the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP), you can make the following transitions:

  • If you only have Original Medicare Part A and Part B, you can elect to enroll in Part C Medicare Advantage plan to gain more benefits and prescription drug coverage. Or, you can also add stand-alone Part D Prescription Drugs Plan (PDP) to cover your drug cost.
  • You can drop your current Part C Medicare Advantage Plan and enroll in a different Part C Medicare Advantage.
  • You can drop your current Part D Prescription Drugs Plan (PDP) and enroll in a stand-alone Part C Medicare Advantage Plan.
  • You can drop your current Part C Medicare Advantage Plan and enroll in a stand-alone Part D Prescription Drugs Plan (PDP).

Millions of Medicare beneficiaries utilize the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) to transition from one plan to another. Our highly experiences Medicare Advisors are here to help you and make this transition process easy and transparent.

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MAOEP)

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Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MAOEP)

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MAOEP) is yearly enrollment period that runs from January 1st through March 31st. Only Medicare beneficiaries who are current enrollees in a Medicare Advantage plan can utilize MAOEP to make certain transitions. During the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, Medicare beneficiaries to make one time change. When you utilize MAOEP to make changes during the any of the three months, your changes will become effective on the 1st of the following month as shown in the table below. Medicare Advantage enrollees can elect to do one of the following transition:

  • You can disenroll from your Medicare Advantage plan and enroll in a new Medicare Advantage plan.
  • you can disenroll from Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare. You may then elector to enroll in Part D Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) and add a Medicare Supplement (Medigap).
When changes are made?When will changes become effective
Make changes during JanuaryChanges effective on February 1st
Make changes during FebruaryChanges effective on March 1st
Make changes during MarchChanges effective on April 1st
Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment Period (MSOEP)

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Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment Period (MSOEP)

Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment Period (MSOEP) starts when one of the below listed event and it extends for six full months. During these six months, you can apply to enroll in a Medicare Supplement and have guaranteed acceptance:

  1. If you turned 65 within the last six months or you will turn age 65 within your first month of requested coverage.
  2. If you enrolled in Medicare Part B for the first time within the last six months.
  3. If you lost or you are losing other health insurance coverage and received a notice from your prior insurer saying you were eligible for guaranteed issue of a Medicare supplement insurance policy, or that you had certain rights to buy a Medicare supplement insurance policy.
  4. If you are currently covered under the Medicare Advantage plan or PACE program you joined at 65 when you were first eligible for Medicare Part A and are applying for this coverage within your 12-month trial right period.

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