At a glance
Start with these three things.
Your plan
Identify the kind of coverage you have.
Your window
Confirm when changes are allowed.
Your next step
Check new coverage before ending the old.
Your questions, unpacked
Changing your plan: your questions, answered.
Start with the kind of coverage
Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans have enrollment periods that govern when you can make changes. Certain life events may create a Special Enrollment Period.
Check the rules for the change you want to make. A window that allows one kind of change may not allow another.
Treat Medigap as a separate question
Medigap has its own enrollment protections. Outside your Medigap Open Enrollment Period or an applicable guaranteed issue right, your ability to buy a policy and its price may depend on underwriting and state rules.
The annual Medicare plan enrollment period does not automatically guarantee acceptance into a Medigap policy.
Compare before making the move
Check your doctors, prescriptions, costs, and any care already underway. Then confirm when the new coverage begins and how the old coverage ends.
A review may confirm that your current coverage remains suitable. The purpose is to understand your choices, not to change plans for its own sake.
Sources & further reading
Related guidance