Medicare open enrollment checklist
Open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, for coverage that starts January 1, 2027. 34 days left. Changing plans is optional: if yours still suits you, you don't need to do anything.
Get a weekly reminder
Adds 6 reminders to your phone or computer calendar, once a week until December 7, each with the next step and a link back here. No email or sign-up: the reminders are yours, on your own calendar, and we never see them.
Add reminders to my calendarOpens in your calendar app (iPhone, Android, Outlook, Google Calendar). To remove them later, delete the events.
The steps
Tick them off as you go. The ticks are kept in this browser only.
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Your plan mails it by September 30. It says what changes next year: the premium, copays, drugs and doctors. If it's lost, your plan will send another.
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Write down every prescription, its strength and how often you take it. Every plan comparison starts here.
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Check whether next year's version of your plan still covers your drugs, and at what cost.
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Call your plan, or use its online directory, to make sure your doctors, hospital and pharmacy are still in network next year. Ask your doctor's office too.
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Look at premiums, out-of-pocket limits and your drugs' costs side by side, including plans you haven't heard of.
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If you're new to Medicare or thinking of switching, this is the biggest choice and the hardest to undo: outside your first six months with Part B, in most states a Medigap insurer can turn you down or charge more because of your health. Read our guide, then see what each could cost you over the years.
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With family, or for free with your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) counselor, who doesn't sell plans.
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Join on Medicare's Plan Finder or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). If you're happy with your plan, you don't need to do anything.
After January 1: if you're in a Medicare Advantage plan and it isn't right for you, you can switch to another Advantage plan, or to Original Medicare, once between January 1 and March 31.