Medicare Enrollment Dates: Mark Your Calendar

Missing your Medicare enrollment period can come with big consequences. You could be stuck with the wrong coverage – or worse, no coverage at all. You could also be hit with expensive late enrollment penalties that last for the rest of your life. Ouch.

To avoid these problems, it pays to be familiar with Medicare enrollment dates.

The Initial Enrollment Period

Your Initial Enrollment Period is your first chance to enroll in Medicare when you age into the health insurance program. It lasts for seven months, starting with the three months before your 65^th birthday, including the month of your 65^th birthday and ending with the three months after your 65^th birthday.

If you want your coverage to start as soon as possible, you should enroll in Medicare during the first three months of your Initial Enrollment Period. When you do this, your coverage will begin on the first day of the month you turn 65, unless your birthday is on the first of the month, in which case your coverage will start on the first day of the month before your birthday month.

If you sign up during your birthday month or during the following three months, your coverage could be delayed by one to three months.

If you don’t sign up during your Initial Enrollment Period at all, you will have to wait until you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period or until the General Enrollment Period occurs. This may result in long coverage gaps during which you have no health care coverage. You may also have to pay a late enrollment penalty, which takes the form of higher premium payments, unless you qualify for penalty-free late enrollment.

Medigap Open Enrollment Period

A Medicare Supplement Plan, or Medigap, can help with the out-of-pocket costs that Medicare leaves. However, if you do not enroll in a Medicare Supplement Plan when you first become eligible, you could be denied coverage or charged higher rates based on any health conditions that you have. Therefore, if you want a Medicare Supplement Plan, it’s important to enroll when you first become eligible.

The Medigap Open Enrollment Period lasts for six months, and it starts when you are 65 and enrolled in Medicare Part B. If you delay enrollment in Medicare Part B – for example, because you have qualifying coverage through a job – your Medigap Open Enrollment Period will start once you enroll in Medicare Part B. However, if you enroll in Medicare Part B while you have employer-based coverage, your Medigap Open Enrollment Period will start immediately. You cannot change your Medigap Open Enrollment Period or receive a second Medigap Open Enrollment Period.

During your Medigap Open Enrollment Period, you can purchase any Medicare Supplement Plan that is available in your state, and you cannot be denied coverage or charged more based on your health. After this period is over, you may still be able to buy coverage, but insurance companies can charge you more or deny coverage. This means you cannot wait to purchase coverage until you are sick and think you need it – by then, it may be difficult or impossible to find an affordable Medigap policy.

General Enrollment Period

If you missed your Initial Enrollment Period and you don’t qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, you are given another chance to enroll in coverage each year during the General Enrollment Period.

The General Enrollment Period runs from January 1 to March 31 of every year. Your coverage will not start until July 1, so you may have a long coverage gap. Additionally, you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty. The Medicare Part B late enrollment penalty is a 10-percent monthly premium increase for each 12-month period you delayed coverage. This can add up to a massive, ongoing penalty, so it’s smart to enroll on time.

Post-Work Enrollment Period

People are typically expected to enroll in Medicare when they turn 65 and first become eligible, and not enrolling at this time can result in late enrollment penalties. However, one common exception applies to people who have qualifying coverage through current employment.

If you are enrolled in a qualifying group health plan through current employment, you may be able to delay enrollment in Medicare without being charged a late enrollment penalty. When your employment or coverage through current employment ends, you will have eight months to sign up for Medicare. As long as you sign up during this period, you should not have to pay a penalty. However, because the late enrollment penalty can be very expensive, you should verify that your employer-based group health plan qualifies for penalty-late enrollment.

Also, be careful about how COBRA or retiree health plans interact with your Medicare coverage and eligibility. COBRA and retiree health plans do not count as coverage through current employment. If you elect COBRA and delay Medicare enrollment, you could face late enrollment penalties and coverage gaps.

Fall Annual Election Period

Medicare enrollees have many coverage options, including Original Medicare and various Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans and Medicare Advantage. Because your health and financial needs may change, the plan you select when you first enroll in Medicare may not be the right plan for your needs in the years to come. Thankfully, you will have an opportunity to change your plan selection every year during the fall Open Enrollment Period, also called the Annual Election Period.

The Annual Election Period runs from October 15 to December 7 each year. The coverage decisions will go into effect on January 1 of the following year. Every year, plans may change, and new plans may become available in your area. It’s important to review your coverage every year to make sure you’re getting the right coverage for your needs.

During the Annual Election Period, you can switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, from a Medicare Advantage plan to Original Medicare, or from one Medicare Advantage plan to a different Medicare Advantage plan. You can also select a different Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan if you need separate drug coverage.

However, you may not be able to enroll in Medigap policy during the Annual Election Period. After the Medigap Open Enrollment Period that occurs when you first sign up for Medicare Part B, insurance companies can use medical underwriting to deny coverage or to charge you more. If you are able to purchase a Medigap policy, you may have to go through a waiting period before pre-existing conditions are covered.  

If you select and Medicare Advantage plan and decide that you are unhappy with it, you can make a one-time enrollment change between January 1 and March 31 to switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or to switch to Original Medicare.

Special Enrollment Periods

In addition to the Special Enrollment Period for people who lose their health coverage based on current work, other Special Enrollment Periods may be provided based on specific circumstances.

For example, a Special Enrollment Period may be announced for an entire region in response to a disaster. Special Enrollment Periods may also be granted to an individual based on life events, such as moving to a new area, being diagnosed with a chronic condition for which there is a Special Needs Plan, being dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare and many other events that impact coverage.

The exact length and rules for the Special Enrollment Period will depend on the event that triggered it. For example, if you move, your Special Enrollment Period includes the month you tell your plan and two more full months. If you are diagnosed with a chronic condition, you can enroll in a Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan at any time, but your Special Enrollment Period will end when you make an enrollment decision. If you are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, you can make a change to your enrollment once during each of three Special Enrollment Periods that occur throughout the year.

Now that you know the key Medicare enrollment dates, compare your options here

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