Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, January to March: Who Can Change Plans and Who Cannot
From January 1 to March 31, people already in a Medicare Advantage plan can make one change. See who can use this window and who cannot.
Key takeaways
- The second window runs from January 1 to March 31, 2027 (Ledger B5).
- It is only for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan (Ledger B5).
- You can switch to a new Medicare Advantage plan.
- You can also leave your plan and go back to Original Medicare.
- You get only one change in this window.
- The fall window closes first, on December 7, 2026 (Ledger B4).
- Your Part B premium stays at $202.90 per month under either route (Ledger A1).
Many people think the fall window is their last chance to change a Medicare Advantage plan. For some people, that is not true. A second window runs from January to March. It is much more narrow than the fall window. It is only for people who are already in a Medicare Advantage plan. This guide shows who can use it, who cannot, and what one change can do. Our Medicare Advantage section holds more guides on plan rules and dates.
Watch the video
First, the fall window closes
The Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 to December 7, 2026 (Ledger B4). People call it AEP for short. In that window, more people can make more kinds of changes. Changes you make in that window take effect on January 1, 2027 (Ledger B4).
That fall window is the broad one. If you are in Original Medicare and you want to join a Medicare Advantage plan, the fall window is your main chance. If you want to shop with the most choice, do not wait for January.
Our guide on changing Medicare Advantage plans during AEP shows what a fall change does on January 1. Read it before December 7 if you still have a choice to make this fall.
What the January to March window is
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment runs from January 1 to March 31, 2027 (Ledger B5). It starts on the same day that fall changes take effect. It runs for the first three months of the new plan year.
This window has a clear test. Were you in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1? If yes, you can use this window. If no, you cannot.
Think of it as a fix-it window for people who are in a plan. A plan may feel wrong once the new year starts. A doctor may not be in the network. A drug cost may be higher than you thought. This window gives people in a plan one chance to fix that choice early in the year.
Who can use this window
You can use this window if all of these are true:
It does not matter if you joined your plan last fall or if you have been in it for years. What counts is that you are in a Medicare Advantage plan when the window opens.
You may have read your plan letter last fall and thought the plan still fit. Our guide on the Annual Notice of Change shows how that letter lists what changed on January 1. If the new facts now look worse in real life, this window may help.
- You are in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, 2027.
- You make your change from January 1 to March 31, 2027 (Ledger B5).
- You have not yet made a change in this window.
Who cannot use this window
Some people cannot use this window at all.
This is the part that trips up many readers. The name sounds like it is open to all. It is not. The test is your plan on January 1, not what you wish you had picked last fall.
If you are in Original Medicare alone, you will need to wait for a later window or a special case that fits you. Do not send a change form and assume this window covers you. Call Medicare first and ask which window fits your case.
- People in Original Medicare alone cannot use this window.
- A person with only Original Medicare cannot use it to join a Medicare Advantage plan.
- A person with only a drug plan and Original Medicare cannot use it to join a Medicare Advantage plan.
- A person who already used this window once cannot use it again.
What you can change to
If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, you have two main routes.
Route one is to switch to a new Medicare Advantage plan. Check the new plan first. Look at your doctors, your hospital, and your drugs. A lower cost does not help if your main doctor is out of the network.
Route two is to leave your plan and go back to Original Medicare. If your old plan had drug coverage, you may also join a Part D drug plan when you leave. That step helps you keep drug coverage under Original Medicare.
Think through route two with care:
Ask for help before you leave a plan. A State Health Insurance Assistance Program counselor can give free help. They do not sell plans.
- Original Medicare does not work the same way as a plan.
- It has no single network list in the same way a plan does.
- It has no yearly cap on your costs in the same way a plan does.
- A Medigap plan is a separate choice, and this guide does not state its cost or its rules.
Only one change, and when it starts
You get only one change in this window. Once you make it, you cannot change your mind and make a second one in the same window. So check the new choice well before you send it.
A change in this window takes effect on the first day of the month after the plan gets your request. If a plan gets your request in January, the change starts on February 1. If a plan gets your request in February, the change starts on March 1. If a plan gets your request in March, the change starts on April 1.
Keep proof of the date you sent your request. Write down who you spoke to and what they said. Keep your old card until the new start date has passed and the new plan works.
Your Part B cost stays the same
You still pay the Part B premium if you switch plans. You still pay it if you go back to Original Medicare. The standard Part B premium is $202.90 per month (Ledger A1). That cost stays in place under either route.
Do not think a switch will cut that premium. A new plan may have its own premium or no added premium. That is on top of Part B, not in place of it. Your own plan papers are the source for that plan cost. This guide states no plan premium for any one plan.
How to make a change
Do not cancel drug coverage with no new plan in place. Gaps in drug coverage can cost you later. Ask Medicare how a gap would affect you before you act.
- List the doctors and drugs you must keep.
- Check the new plan on Medicare.gov or by phone.
- Call the new plan and ask if your doctors are in network.
- Ask the drug plan or the new plan if each drug you take is covered.
- Send just one change, and send it by March 31, 2027 (Ledger B5).
- Keep a copy of all forms and the date you sent them.
- Watch for a new card and test it at your pharmacy or doctor soon after it starts.
Who pays for what
- Original Medicare pays its share of covered care if you leave your plan and go back to it. It does not pay on top of a Medicare Advantage plan.
- Medicare Advantage plans are paid by Medicare to cover your care. Your plan pays for covered care under its own copays, network, and rules.
- Medicare Advantage members pay the Part B premium of $202.90 per month (Ledger A1), plus any plan premium and copays their plan sets.
- Medicaid can help with costs for people who qualify through their state.
- Private pay covers care a plan does not cover, care outside plan rules, and costs you owe under Original Medicare if you have no other cover.
Sample situation
James is 69 and joined a new Medicare Advantage plan last fall. It took effect on January 1. In late January, he learns that a specialist he sees each month is not in the new plan network. He is already in a Medicare Advantage plan, so he can use this window. He checks one other plan. That plan lists his specialist and his main doctor. It also covers his two daily drugs. James sends one switch request in February. His new plan starts on March 1, the first day of the month after the plan got his request. He keeps paying his Part B premium of $202.90 per month (Ledger A1). He does not make a second change. His wife, who has Original Medicare alone, cannot use this same window to join a plan, so she waits and asks Medicare about her own next chance.
What to check before you switch
A switch early in the year can fix a bad fit. It can also cause new harm if you rush. Check these points first:
If you are not sure you qualify, ask before you act. Call Medicare or a free counselor in your state. Tell them what plan you had on January 1. That one fact tells them if this window is open to you.
- Will you lose a doctor you need if you move?
- Will a drug you take each day cost more or need a new step?
- Did you already use your one change in this window?
- Do you have proof of the date your request was sent?
- Do you know the exact start date of the new choice?