Medicare Open Enrollment Ends Dec 7: A Checklist for Tight Budgets
Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7. For people on a tight budget, it's the one time each year most people can fix a plan that costs too much or stopped covering their drugs. This checklist walks through the mail you should read, the questions to ask and the free help to use before the deadline.
AT A GLANCE
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Why this matters more on a small budget
Medicare health and drug plans can change every year. A plan that worked in 2026 may have a higher premium in 2027, drop a drug you take or leave your doctor's network. If you do nothing, you usually stay in the same plan, changes and all.
For someone on a fixed income, even a small change in a copay or premium adds up across twelve months. Open Enrollment is your chance to catch it. The SHIP Technical Assistance Center describes this season as a time to compare costs, review coverage and check provider networks. Its counselors do that with you for free.
If you do nothing, you usually keep the same plan next year, along with any new costs that come with it.
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The dates that matter
These dates come from Medicare.gov's page on joining a plan.
Period | Dates | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
Open Enrollment | October 15 to December 7 | Join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage Plan or drug plan. Move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Changes start January 1. |
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment | January 1 to March 31 | Only if you're already in a Medicare Advantage Plan. Switch to another Medicare Advantage Plan, or drop it and return to Original Medicare, with the option to join a separate drug plan. |
Special Enrollment Periods | Varies | Only after certain life events, like moving, losing coverage, getting Medicaid or getting Extra Help. |
You don't need to cancel your old drug plan when you switch. Medicare.gov says your old drug coverage ends when the new coverage begins, and your new plan will send a letter with the start date.
Be careful about dropping drug coverage altogether. If you go 63 days or more in a row without other creditable drug coverage, Medicare.gov says you may have to wait for an enrollment period to rejoin and may owe a late enrollment penalty.
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The mail to look for this fall
Medicare, Social Security and your plan each send letters at set times of year. These are the ones that matter most during Open Enrollment. Months come from Medicare.gov's mailings pages.
For everyone with a Medicare plan
Letter | When it usually arrives | What to do with it |
|---|---|---|
Plan Annual Notice of Change | September | Read it first. It lists next year's changes to coverage and costs. |
Evidence of Coverage | September | Keep it. It details what your plan covers and what you pay. |
Medicare & You handbook | Late September | Use the plan lists in the back, or compare plans online. |
Notice of a premium change because your income changed | November | Check that the income figure is right. |
If you get Extra Help with drug costs
Letter | When it usually arrives | What it means |
|---|---|---|
Change Extra Help Copayment Notice | October | You still qualify, but your copay amount is changing. |
Reassignment Notice (premium increase or plan leaving Medicare) | Late October | Medicare will move you to a new drug plan unless you choose one yourself. |
LIS Choosers Notice | Early November | You picked your own plan and its premium is rising. You'll pay part of it unless you switch to a $0 premium plan. |
Social Security Review Eligibility notice | November | You must fill out and return the "Income and Resources Summary" sheet. |
Reassign Formulary Notice | December | Tells you whether your new plan covers the drugs you've taken in the last year. |
If you got a notice that you won't qualify for Extra Help next year, you don't have to wait for Open Enrollment. Medicare.gov says you get a chance to change plans for 3 full months from the date you lose eligibility or the date you're told, whichever is later. You can also apply again through Social Security at any time if your income or resources change.
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Check whether you qualify for help you're not getting
Many people who qualify for cost help never apply. Before you compare plans, check two programs, since they change what each plan will cost you.
Extra Help lowers Medicare drug costs. In 2027, people with Extra Help pay a $0 plan premium and $0 deductible, and no more than $5.80 for each generic or $14.40 for each brand-name drug at participating pharmacies. You get it automatically if you have full Medicaid, an MSP or SSI. Our guide to Extra Help with Medicare drug costs covers the income limits and how to apply.
Medicare Savings Programs are run by states and can pay your Part B premium, and sometimes more. Medicare.gov urges people to apply even if they don't think they qualify, because some states use higher limits than the federal ones. Our Medicare Savings Programs guide explains the four programs.
You can apply for both at once. Medicare.gov says that when you apply for Extra Help, Social Security sends your information to your state to start an MSP application unless you tell it not to.
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Comparing plans: what to check
Medicare.gov lists a short set of checks before you join any plan. Here they are as a working list, with the reason each matters.
Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
Every drug you take is on the plan's list | Add all your regular prescriptions to Plan Finder for an accurate monthly and yearly estimate. |
Your doctors and pharmacies are in network | Ask them directly. Medicare Advantage plans may require in-network care for non-emergency services. |
Premium, deductible and estimated yearly drug cost | A low premium can still cost more over a year if your drugs cost more. |
Coverage if you live in another state part of the year | Medicare.gov suggests checking this before you join. |
How it fits with other coverage | If you have retiree, union or other drug coverage, talk to that benefits office before changing anything. |
Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage?
Medicare.gov's comparison points out a few trade-offs. Original Medicare lets you see any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare, but it has no yearly limit on out-of-pocket costs unless you have supplemental coverage such as Medigap or Medicaid. Medicare Advantage plans have a yearly out-of-pocket limit for covered services, but may require you to use network providers and get referrals. You can't buy Medigap to go with a Medicare Advantage Plan.
If you're thinking about leaving Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare, ask a SHIP counselor first how Medigap works in your state. It can affect what you'd pay.
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Checklist step by step
Gather your mail. Find your Annual Notice of Change and any Extra Help letters from the tables above.
Make a full drug list. Include the name, dose and how often you take each one.
Check for Extra Help and MSPs. If you might qualify, apply now. It changes which plan is cheapest for you.
Compare plans on Medicare.gov Plan Finder, in the Medicare & You handbook, or with a SHIP counselor.
Call your doctors and pharmacy to confirm they're in network for the plan you want.
Join by December 7. Enroll through Plan Finder, by contacting the plan or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. A paper form must reach the plan before the period ends.
Watch for your new plan's letter confirming the start date, then use the new card from January 1.
Before you call
☐ Your Medicare card, with your Medicare Number and Part A and Part B start dates
☐ Your Annual Notice of Change and any Extra Help or Social Security letters
☐ A list of every prescription with dose and how often you take it
☐ Names of your doctors, specialists and preferred pharmacy
☐ Your Medicaid or MSP card, if you have one
☐ Details of any other coverage, like retiree, union or VA benefits
☐ A rough monthly budget for premiums and copays
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Free help, and the sales rules that protect you
Your SHIP gives free one-on-one counseling. Medicare.gov says SHIPs help people choose a plan, review coverage, understand costs, apply for Extra Help and file complaints or appeals. Find yours at shiphelp.org.
If you talk to an agent or broker, Medicare's marketing rules say plans and their representatives can't:
Call or text you unless you're already a member or gave permission
Come to your home uninvited
Ask for bank or credit card numbers just to give you a quote
Charge an enrollment fee, pressure you or steer you to a particular plan
Offer cash, gifts worth more than $15 or free meals to get you to join
Ask you to sign an enrollment form before you're ready
Agents must also tell you how many organizations and plans they represent in your area before discussing benefits. If you think you were misled, call 1-800-MEDICARE.
If you get Medicaid or Extra Help
Medicare.gov says you can change drug coverage once each calendar month, with the change starting the first of the next month. That doesn't apply if your plan has flagged you as at-risk under a Part D drug management program. If you qualify for Extra Help or Medicaid but don't have a drug plan yet, Medicare's LI NET program can give temporary coverage. Its number is 1-800-783-1307, TTY 711, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time.
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK
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Related help
If a drug is still too expensive after you compare plans, our guide to drugmaker patient assistance programs explains how to ask the manufacturer for help.
Official sources
Last checked: October 23, 2026 (Medicare.gov enrollment, mailings, Extra Help and marketing-rules pages; shiphelp.org).
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