Common questions

If your plan is ending or leaving your county, your plan must mail you a letter by October 2, 2026. That's a different letter from the Annual Notice of Change, which every plan sends by September 30 to explain next year's changes. Use the plan check on our home page to check your plan.

Probably, but check. Letters can go to an old address or get lost. Use the plan check on our home page. If the answer doesn't match your mail, call the number on your plan card or 1-800-MEDICARE.

The Annual Notice of Change tells you what will be different about your plan next year, like costs and covered drugs. The plan stays. The ending letter (sometimes called a non-renewal notice) says your plan won't be offered next year and that you need to pick new coverage.

No. Each year, insurance companies decide which plans to offer and where, and Medicare approves the next year's plans in the fall. A plan can end everywhere, or stop being offered in some counties. When a plan ends, it ends for everyone in that area.

Sometimes a company combines plans, and members move to the new plan without doing anything. If that's your case, your Annual Notice of Change will name your plan for 2027. This is different from a plan ending, so the extra time until February doesn't apply. You can still change plans from October 15 to December 7, 2026.

No. Some plans are ending or leaving some counties, but many plans are still offered in 2027. Every county page on this site shows how many plans are offered there in 2027.

No. Only your plan is ending. If you don't join another Medicare Advantage plan, you'll have Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) starting January 1, 2027.

If your Medicare Advantage plan is ending, you'll have Original Medicare on January 1, 2027, but no Medicare drug coverage. If your stand-alone drug plan is ending, you'll have no drug plan on January 1. If you get Extra Help, Medicare will put you in a drug plan and send you a letter about it.

Your plan keeps covering you through December 31, 2026. Your new coverage can start January 1, 2027 if you pick a plan by December 7.

It depends. If the company is leaving your area or ending your plan, you need to pick a new plan yourself. If it's combining plans, it may move you into one of its other plans. The letter from your plan will say which. If you get Extra Help and don't pick a drug plan, Medicare will put you in one.

Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, and your new plan starts January 1. If your plan is ending, you also have a special window from December 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027. If you pick in January, your plan starts February 1; in February, it starts March 1.

No. When you join a new plan, your old plan ends on its own. One exception: a Medigap policy doesn't cancel automatically when you join a Medicare Advantage plan.

Yes, if that company offers another plan where you live. You can also pick a plan from any other company offered in your area, or Original Medicare. The plans offered near you are listed with your result.

Every year you can change plans from October 15 to December 7. If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you can also make one change between January 1 and March 31, 2027. People with Extra Help or Medicaid can change drug plans once a month.

If your Medicare Advantage plan is ending or leaving your area and you switch to Original Medicare, you have a right to buy certain Medigap policies sold in your state. You can apply from 60 days before to 63 days after your plan coverage ends. Keep the letter from your plan. Outside this right, a company may not have to sell you a policy, or it may cost more because of your health.

No. Medicare says this right applies only if you switch to Original Medicare, not if you join another Medicare Advantage plan. Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) can explain how this works in your state.

Original Medicare doesn't include drug coverage, so you'd need to join a separate Medicare drug plan to have it. If you go 63 days or more in a row without Medicare drug coverage or other drug coverage that's at least as good, you may pay a late penalty for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage. People who get Extra Help aren't charged this penalty.

Pick a new drug plan by December 7 so it starts January 1, or by February 28, 2027 using the special window. If you don't, you won't have Medicare drug coverage, and you may owe a late penalty later. If you get Extra Help, Medicare will put you in a new drug plan unless you pick one yourself; look for a blue letter in late October.

If your plan is ending and you don't pick a new one, Medicare will put you in a drug plan. Your health coverage will be Original Medicare unless you join another Medicare Advantage plan. With Extra Help or Medicaid, you can change your drug plan once a month. To join a Medicare Advantage plan, use the dates in "How long do I have to pick a new plan?"

You'll have Original Medicare, and you can join a stand-alone Medicare drug plan. If you're leaving a Medicare Advantage plan, you may also have the Medigap right described above. The drug plans offered in your state are listed on your state's page.

It depends on what you pick. With Original Medicare, you can use any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans usually have networks, so ask your doctor's office which 2027 plans they take, or check the plan on Medicare Plan Finder.

Plans aren't allowed to call you unless you're a member or you gave them permission, and your plan will tell you about an ending plan by mail. If you're not sure about a call, call the number on your plan card or 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Medicare will never call you to sell you anything. Only give your Medicare number to your doctor or people you know should have it.

No. Plans offered through an employer or union aren't in the CMS files this site uses. Ask your former employer's benefits office, or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), about your choices.

No. It's free, it isn't connected with Medicare or any insurance company, and no insurer pays us. For free personal help, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) (TTY 1-877-486-2048), any time of day, or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).