Medicare Open Enrollment 2026: What to Review Before December 7

Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026. Changes made during this period generally take effect on January 1, 2027, if the plan receives the enrollment request by December 7. Medicare confirms the dates and timing.

This is a chance to confirm whether your doctors, prescriptions, expected costs, and travel plans still fit your coverage. This overview is educational information, not a recommendation for a particular plan.

What you can change

Depending on current coverage and available options, Open Enrollment can let you change from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage, change Medicare Advantage plans, return to Original Medicare, or join, switch, or drop a Medicare drug plan. Medicare’s enrollment-period fact sheet explains the Part C and Part D actions. Medigap policies have separate timing and underwriting rules, so a move back to Original Medicare does not automatically guarantee a Medigap policy at the same price or without medical underwriting.

A practical comparison checklist

Start with the Annual Notice of Change and Evidence of Coverage. Then compare:

Prescriptions and pharmacies: Make a list of every prescription and dose. Use Plan Compare to check formulary status, coverage tier, pharmacy treatment, deductible, and cost sharing.
Doctors and facilities: If you have Medicare Advantage, check the provider directory and call important clinicians or facilities directly. Network participation can change.
Whole cost: Review the premium, medical and drug deductibles, copays or coinsurance, and the annual out-of-pocket maximum for covered in-network services.
Extra benefits: Check benefit amounts, qualifying services, provider rules, and whether the network works for you before giving an advertised extra benefit too much weight.
Travel and a move: Review how routine and urgent care work outside a home service area. Ask the plan directly about the locations and care you expect to need.

Before you submit a change

Compare the prescriptions you actually use

Use your medication containers or a current medication list instead of relying on memory. Record each drug’s name, strength, quantity, and refill frequency, then enter that same list for every plan you compare. Include your preferred pharmacy and an alternative you could realistically use. Keep the comparison on the coming coverage year; a result for your current plan year does not answer what you will pay next year.

Check each medicine separately. A plan’s formulary is its list of covered drugs, and different plans have different lists. A low premium alone does not tell you whether your prescriptions are covered or what your share will be. Medicare explains what drug plans cover and how drug tiers affect costs. Write down any uncovered medicine or unclear restriction and ask the plan to explain it before choosing. Do not stop or substitute a prescribed medicine based on a comparison result; take treatment questions to your prescriber.

Check the exact network, not just the insurer’s name

For each Medicare Advantage option, give your doctor’s office the exact plan name and ask about the location where you receive care. Also check any hospital or specialist important to your treatment. Ask the plan to resolve conflicting answers instead of assuming that accepting one insurer’s product means accepting all its plans. Save the date and details of the answer alongside your comparison.

This check matters financially: Medicare warns that non-emergency or non-urgent care outside a plan’s network may be uncovered or cost more. Its health-plan cost guide also explains why premiums, deductibles, service use, and network rules belong in the comparison. If you expect care away from home, describe that situation to the plan and ask which rules apply.

Treat a Medigap move as a separate decision

Do not confuse the fall enrollment window with a new right to buy Medigap. Outside your Medigap Open Enrollment Period, an insurer may charge more or deny an application under medical underwriting unless a protection applies. Guaranteed issue rights cover certain situations, and state law may provide additional rights. Review Medicare’s Medigap buying guidance and contact your State Insurance Department about your circumstances before relying on a supplement being available.

If you are considering leaving Medicare Advantage, check the Medigap application requirements and timing before submitting your coverage change. Also confirm the separate prescription-drug coverage you may need with Original Medicare. The ability to leave an Advantage plan during fall Open Enrollment is not, by itself, a guarantee of acceptance for a supplement.

Save the plan name, premium, drug and provider search results, and any reference number from a plan conversation. Read the enrollment confirmation when it arrives, and keep existing coverage until the new effective date. Submit a request early enough for the plan to receive it by December 7.

Medicare’s official Plan Compare tool can help compare Medicare Advantage and drug-plan options in your area. Revisit it even if you expect to keep the same plan, because data and offerings are for the coming year.

The bottom line

Open Enrollment is a review window, not a one-size-fits-all directive. A focused comparison of prescriptions, providers, total costs, and plan rules can make a December 7 decision more deliberate. If your needs are complex or a change has long-term consequences, use Medicare’s official resources and seek individualized help before enrolling.