Medicare Open Enrollment 2027: What to Check Before December 7
Sometime in September, a thin envelope arrives from your Medicare plan. It looks like every other piece of insurance mail, and most people put it in a pile. That envelope is your Annual Notice of Change, and it is your plan telling you in writing exactly what it is changing for next year. Read it before Medicare open enrollment opens, because what it says decides what you should do in 2027.
Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, 2026. Changes you make in that window take effect January 1, 2027. For most people it is the one real chance to change direction before the new plan year starts, and if you do nothing, your current plan generally renews with whatever it decided to change.
The document that starts everything
Your Annual Notice of Change has to reach you by September 30. It is specific to your own plan, which is what makes it more useful than any general article about what Medicare is doing this year.
Read four lines in it:
- The premium. What you pay monthly.
- The deductible. What you pay yourself before the plan starts paying its share.
- The drug list. Whether your medications are still covered, and on what terms.
- The network. Whether your doctors, hospitals and pharmacies are still in it.
Any one of those can matter more than the monthly price. The notice is only a summary. The document that explains your plan’s coverage rules in detail is the Evidence of Coverage, and your plan has to make it available to you by October 15.
The Medicare open enrollment dates that matter for 2027
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| September 30 | Your Annual Notice of Change must reach you |
| October 1 | The plan comparison tool at Medicare.gov loads 2027 plans |
| October 15 | Evidence of Coverage available. Open Enrollment opens |
| December 7 | Open Enrollment closes |
| January 1, 2027 | Your new coverage starts |
| January 1 to March 31 | Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, one change only |
The plan comparison tool loads two weeks before enrollment opens. That gap is useful. You can do the comparing without any pressure to decide.
What you can change, and what you cannot
During the fall window you can switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or switch back. You can move from one Advantage plan to another. You can join a Part D prescription drug plan or switch to a different one. You can also drop drug coverage entirely, though that one carries a penalty we come back to below.
It is not your only chance all year. If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, a second and narrower window runs January 1 through March 31. It lets you make one change: move to a different Advantage plan, or return to Original Medicare and pick up a standalone Part D plan at the same time. Separately, life events such as moving or losing other coverage can open a special enrollment period.
One thing the fall window does not cover is Medicare Supplement Insurance, also called Medigap. Medigap runs on separate rules, and that matters more than most people expect. We explain how those rules work in Medigap Plans Explained: Don’t Miss Your 6-Month Window.
Three things to gather before you compare
- The Annual Notice of Change itself. It tells you what your own plan is doing, which is different from what plans in general are doing.
- A written list of every medication you take, name and dose. Not just the one for blood pressure. This is the piece people skip, and it is one of the biggest factors in figuring out which plan will cost you least.
- The names of the doctors, hospitals and pharmacies you want to keep. Even two pharmacies in the same plan’s network can charge you different amounts. Check whether yours offers what the plan calls preferred cost sharing.
That is the whole kit. With those three things you can do the rest in an afternoon.
What changes for Part D in 2027
| 2026 | 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Part D deductible, maximum | $615 | $700 |
| Yearly out-of-pocket limit on covered drugs | $2,100 | $2,400 |
The deductible figure is a maximum, not a flat rate. Plenty of plans charge less, and some charge nothing at all. Check what yours actually charges rather than assuming the ceiling applies to you.
Two other changes are worth knowing. From January 1, Medicare’s negotiated prices take effect on fifteen more drugs. About 5.3 million people with Part D coverage used those drugs in 2024, so there is a reasonable chance one of yours is on the list. And on July 28, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services confirmed that the premium stabilization program ends when this year ends. A cushion is being removed, and some standalone drug plan premiums may jump more than usual.
What counts toward the $2,400 limit
Once you reach the yearly out-of-pocket limit, you pay nothing more for covered drugs that year. But not everything you spend gets you there.
- Counts: your deductible, your copayments, your coinsurance.
- Does not count: your monthly premium, and anything you spend on drugs your plan does not cover.
That second one catches people out. If your plan does not cover a medication, what you spend on it moves you no closer to the limit, no matter how expensive it is.
The payment plan almost nobody knows about
If a $700 deductible landing in January is the problem rather than the yearly total, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan spreads your covered drug costs across the calendar year instead. There is no interest and there are no fees.
Two things to understand about it. It does not reduce what you owe, it changes when you pay it. And it is optional, so you have to contact your plan and ask to join. Nobody enrolls you automatically.
Five mistakes that cost people money
- Choosing on the monthly premium alone. The cheapest premium is regularly not the cheapest year.
- Not checking the drug list. A medication can come off the list, or pick up a prior authorization or step therapy requirement, without the premium changing at all.
- Assuming your doctors and pharmacy came along. Networks change quietly. Confirm your own providers rather than the plan’s general reputation.
- Dropping drug coverage because you take no medications. Go 63 consecutive days without creditable prescription coverage and you can face a late enrollment penalty. You pay it for as long as you have Part D.
- Getting the Medigap order wrong. See below. This is the one that can be hardest to undo.
The Medigap decision you may not be able to undo
Suppose you are thinking about leaving a Medicare Advantage plan for Original Medicare. With Original Medicare you generally pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount, and there is no annual out-of-pocket limit. A Medigap policy can help pay those costs, depending on the policy you buy.
The order matters. Apply for the Medigap policy and get written approval before you disenroll from Advantage. Do it the other way around and you may not be able to get a policy at all, because outside specific circumstances insurers can consider your health history.
There are real protections. Guaranteed-issue rights exist in specific circumstances, some states go further with year-round protections, and there are two trial rights of twelve months each. Do not assume one of them covers you, because the details vary by situation and by state. The free guide below includes a state by state table. If you are weighing the two paths in general, start with Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement? How to Choose.
Have employer, retiree or union coverage? Talk to your benefits administrator before you change anything. Changing your Medicare coverage can end that coverage for you and your family, sometimes permanently.
Where to get free help
- Medicare: 1-800-633-4227, 24 hours a day (TTY 1-877-486-2048)
- Compare 2027 plans: medicare.gov/plan-compare
- Free one-to-one counseling from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program: shiphelp.org
- Social Security (Part B questions): 1-800-772-1213
State counseling is free and unbiased, and the counselors do not sell insurance.
Tonight’s job
Find that envelope, open it, and read those four lines. It will not answer everything. But it tells you whether you need to look harder before December 7, and that is the whole point of the exercise.
📥 Free PDF Guide
Our free 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment guide includes the full comparison checklists, the 2027 numbers in one table, the state by state Medigap protections, and every phone number you need. No email required.
Browse every guide we publish on the Free Guides page.
Related guides
- Medigap Plans Explained: Don’t Miss Your 6-Month Window
- Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement? How to Choose
- Senior Tax Deduction: How to Claim the New $6,000 Deduction
GovClarity is an independent educational publisher. We are not affiliated with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or any government agency, and we do not sell insurance.
