Dates
Medicare Open Enrollment checklist: what to check before December 7
From October 15 to December 7, 2026, you can change how you get Medicare for 2027. Plans change their costs, drug lists and networks every January, so even if you're happy now, it's worth an hour to check. Here's the order to do it in.
Last reviewed October 27, 2026. General information, not advice about any plan.
The checklist
Read your Annual Notice of Change
Your plan had to send it by September 30. It lists what changes on January 1: premium, deductible, copays, drug list and the network. If you didn't get it, call the plan.Check your drugs
Make a list with the dose and how often you take each one. Confirm each is still on the plan's 2027 drug list, at what tier, and whether it needs prior approval.Check your doctors and pharmacy
Networks can change. Ask your doctors' offices which plans they'll take in 2027, and check your pharmacy is still preferred.Compare the whole year's cost
Premium, plus deductible, plus what you'll pay for your drugs and the care you usually use. Medicare.gov's Plan Finder estimates this for each plan.Look at the yearly limit
Medicare Advantage plans cap what you pay for covered medical care each year. For 2027, no plan's in-network limit can be over $9,850, and many are lower.Decide by December 7
Enroll through Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, the plan, or a licensed agent. Keep the confirmation number. What to bring to an agent.
What's changing for 2027
- Drug cost cap: $2,400
- What you pay for covered Part D drugs in 2027 is capped at $2,400, up from $2,100 in 2026. After that you pay nothing more for covered drugs that year.
- Drug deductible: up to $700
- The highest deductible a drug plan can charge rises from $615 to $700. Many plans charge less.
- Insulin stays at $35
- No more than $35 for a month's supply of each covered insulin, with no deductible.
- 15 more drugs with Medicare-negotiated prices
- From January 1, 2027, including Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy, Trelegy Ellipta, Xtandi, Ibrance, Linzess, Janumet and Otezla. The negotiated price is what your plan pays; ask the plan what your copay will be. Four of the first 10 (Stelara, Entresto, Xarelto and NovoLog/Fiasp) lose their negotiated price on January 1, 2027, because generic or biosimilar versions are now sold. If you take one, check its 2027 cost in each plan you compare.
- Payment plan renews
- If you use the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan to spread drug costs over the year, it renews automatically unless you switch plans or opt out. If you switch, sign up again with the new plan.
What you can change
- Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another, with or without drug coverage.
- Leave Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare, or join Medicare Advantage from Original Medicare.
- Join, switch or drop a standalone Part D drug plan if you have Original Medicare.
- Dropping a Medigap policy to join Medicare Advantage can be hard to undo. You may not be able to get the same policy back later.
- Dropping drug coverage without other creditable coverage can mean a lifelong late penalty if you join again later.
If you do nothing
If your plan is still offered in 2027, you stay in it (or in the plan your company moves you to), and its changes take effect January 1. If your plan is leaving Medicare, it sends a non-renewal notice in the fall. You can pick a new plan during Open Enrollment, or from December 8 through the end of February. If you were in a Medicare Advantage plan and don't choose one, you'll have Original Medicare, so check that you also have drug coverage.
After December 7
- January 1 to March 31
- If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one more change: another Medicare Advantage plan, or Original Medicare with a drug plan.
- A 5-star plan
- If a plan rated 5 stars is offered where you live, you can switch to it once between December 8 and November 30.
- Special situations
- Moving, losing other coverage, or getting Extra Help or Medicaid can open other windows. All the enrollment periods.
Common questions
When is Medicare Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage?
October 15 to December 7, 2026. The plan must get your enrollment by December 7, and your new coverage starts January 1, 2027.
What if I change my mind after I enroll?
Until December 7 you can make another choice. Under Medicare's enrollment rules, the last choice you make by December 7 is the one that counts.
Do I have to do anything if I like my plan?
No. If your plan is still offered, you stay in it automatically (or in the plan your company moves you to, as your Annual Notice of Change explains). Its 2027 changes start January 1 either way, so read the Annual Notice of Change first.
Can I switch from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare?
Yes, during Open Enrollment. If you want a Medigap policy too, check first: outside your guaranteed rights, insurers in most states can ask health questions and turn you down.
Keep reading
- Medicare enrollment periods: when you can sign up or switchEvery Medicare enrollment window in one place: turning 65, the fall Annual Enrollment Period, the January–March change, Medigap open enrollment, special periods and late penalties.
- How a good agent compares Medicare drug plans (and how to check their work)The premium is the smallest part of a drug plan's cost. What an agent should check for each of your prescriptions, the 2025 changes that cap your costs, and how to double-check the comparison.
- What to bring to your first meeting with a Medicare agentA one-page checklist: the cards, doctor list and prescriptions an agent needs to compare plans for you, plus what you should never hand over.
Ready to talk to someone local?
Search by ZIP code. Verified agents are listed first, and every listing is free to contact.