Medicare Enrollment Periods

Getting Started

Medicare offers several different enrollment periods. Below is an overview of a few key enrollment periods.

Initial Enrollment

Initial Enrollment Period

The first opportunity you have to enroll in Medicare is called the “Medicare Initial Enrollment Period,” or IEP.

This is a seven-month window of time that begins:

three months before 65th birthday,
runs through your birthday month,
and ends three months after you turn 65.

During this time, you can enroll in Original Medicare (Parts A and Part B), Medicare Advantage (Part C) or a Medicare drug plan (Part D). If you do not enroll in Medicare Part A, B, or D when first eligible, you may be subject to late enrollment penalties that can result in higher monthly premiums.

Important Note: The General Enrollment Period is not a safety net for missing your Initial Enrollment Period. You will be charged a late penalty, and your coverage won’t begin until July 1.

General Enrollment

General Enrollment Period

If you missed your initial enrollment period, then the next opportunity you have to enroll in Medicare is call the “General Enrollment Period,” or GEP. This three-month window from January 1st – March 31st.

During this time, you can enroll in Original Medicare (Parts A and Part B), Medicare Advantage (Part C) (with or without drug coverage) or a Medicare drug plan (Part D).

Annual Enrollment

Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period (AEP)

The “Annual Enrollment Period” or AEP is the period of time in which Medicare beneficiaries can make changes to their healthcare coverage. This enrollment period happens each year from October 15th – December 7th.

During the annual enrollment period, you can:

Join, drop, or switch to another Medicare Advantage Plan (or add or drop drug coverage).
Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan or switch from a Medicare Advantage Plan to Original Medicare.
Join, drop, or switch to another Medicare drug plan if you’re in Original Medicare.

Changes made during the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period will take effect in January of the following year.

Special Enrollment

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period

During the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period” or OEP, beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage and not happy with their plan have a one-time opportunity to switch their plan during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (OEP) which runs from January 1st – March 31st.

Special Enrollment

Special Enrollment Period

Under certain special circumstances, Medicare-eligible individuals may qualify for a “Special Enrollment Period” or SEP outside of their initial enrollment period. During a special enrollment, you can enroll in and make changes to your Medicare coverage without penalty as long as you have a qualifying life event.

Common qualifying life events include:

You move out of your plan’s service area
You lose your current health coverage, including employer coverage
You have the opportunity to get other coverage (employer or union)
Your plan changes its contract with Medicare
You were affected by a disaster or emergency