Medicare Advantage FAQs

The primary times to enroll for Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D prescription drug plans are:

The Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (which formerly ran from January 1 to February 14) was eliminated in 2019 and replaced by the Open Enrollment Period, which runs from January 1 through March 31. During this period a person enrolled in a Medicare Advantage or Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan can elect to return to Original Medicare and also select a Medicare Supplement Plan and stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan OR make a one-time change to a different Medicare Advantage or Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan. A beneficiary who elects a Medicare Advantage or Medicare Advantage Plan during his initial coverage election period (see FAQ 1 for definition) can also choose a different Medicare Advantage or Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plan -- or switch back to “Original Medicare” (Parts A and B) -- for up to three months after his or her Part A and B effective dates with or without a Medicare Supplement Plan or a stand-alone Part D Prescription Drug plan.

One of the reasons for making this change in enrollment periods is that some members find that the network for their Medicare Advantage plan is inadequate or that their primary or specialist doctor(s) may have left the network. The Open Enrollment Period provides these members an opportunity to change to a plan that corrects this problem.

An individual with a Medicare Supplement or with "Original Medicare" (only) cannot make an election during this period, nor can an individual with a stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan switch to another stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan.

These individuals are eligible for special election periods that permit them to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan throughout the year: 

• *Medicaid beneficiaries
• *Individuals on low income subsidy ("extra help" in paying for prescription drugs);
• People with chronic conditions like diabetes, chronic heart failure, COPD, and dementia (if a plan specializing in their condition exists in their service area);
• People moving out of a plan’s service area; and
• Those affected by other situations (including plan termination or insolvency).

* Medicaid and "extra help" (also called “low income subsidy”) beneficiaries (who formerly could change plans at any time with an effective date the first of the following month) can now change plans once per calendar quarter for the first three calendar quarters. Any change is effective the first of the following month. A change can also be made during the Annual Election Period (i.e. between October 15 and December 7) to be effective the following January 1.

Five new special election periods have been added for 2023:

1. Individuals impacted by an emergency or disaster
2. Individuals who experience a health plan or empoyer error
3. Formerly incarcerated individuals
4. Individuals who lose Medicaid coveage, and
5. Other exceptional conditions

Please call us at 877-734-3884 (TTY: 711) for additional details including eligibility, available enrollment dates and help in enrolling.

A special enrollment period permits eligible beneficiaries to enroll in a five-star plan at any time of the year between December 8 of the current year and November 30th of the following year for a first of the following month effective date. LEARN MORE.

For a complete listing of plans available in your service area please contact 1-800-Medicare or go to the Medicare Plan Finder at www.medicare.gov (TTY users should call 877-486-2048)

Your copy of Medicare & You 2023 also contains a generalized listing of the plans available in your area for 2023, but these listings do not contain complete details. You should consult the Summary of Benefits or Evidence of Coverage for each plan for more information.

Call us at 877-734-3884 (TTY: 711) or 561-734-3884 (TTY: 711) for more information and help in enrolling in a plan.