Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs from January 1^st through March 31^st each year. It allows individuals enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan to make a one-time election to go to either another Medicare Advantage plan with or without prescription drug coverage or Original Medicare. You’ll also be able to enroll in a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.

In either case, your new coverage will start on the first day of the month following the month you made the change.

During this time, you can: 

1. You can disenroll from a Medicare Advantage Plan; you will be returning to Original Medicare, meaning that you will return to your Original Part A and Part B of Medicare. At this time, you can purchase a Medicare Supplement Plan and/or a Prescription Drug Plan.
2. You can change from one Medicare Advantage Plan (with or without drug coverage) to another Medicare Advantage Plan (with or without drug coverage). During this time, you can only make this change once.
   

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period differs from the Open Enrollment Period, which runs from October 15^th through December 7^th. During the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, you cannot get a Prescription Drug Plan unless you are disenrolling from a Medicare Advantage Plan. Remember, at any time of the year, you can change from one Medicare Supplement Plan to another (there may be underwriting questions). Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period also differs from the  Initial Enrollment Period; this is when you first become Medicare Eligible (there are no underwriting questions for a Medicare Supplement Plan during this period). 

If you have any questions, call us at 865-862-4298, and our Senior Benefits Coordinator can help you!