Short answer
When is Medicare open enrollment, and what should you check if money is tight?
Medicare open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, and plan changes start January 1, 2027. (Medicare.gov, Joining a plan) If you keep your current plan, you do not need to do anything. (CMS Product No. 12192) If money is tight, check your plan's notice of changes and your drug costs, and check Extra Help, which you can apply for any time, and Medicare Savings Programs, which are not tied to open enrollment dates; contact your state to apply. (Social Security, Part D Extra Help) (Medicare.gov, Medicare Savings Programs)
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Open enrollment dates | October 15 to December 7, 2026. The plan must get your request by December 7, 2026. | Medicare.gov; CMS 12192 |
| New coverage starts | January 1, 2027 | Medicare.gov; CMS 12192 |
| What can change | Join, drop, or switch a Medicare Advantage Plan or drug plan, or move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage | Medicare.gov |
| 2027 yearly cap on covered drug costs (official) | $2,400, for everyone with Medicare drug coverage | CMS 12211 |
| Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs | Extra Help: apply any time. Medicare Savings Programs: not tied to open enrollment dates; contact your state to apply. | SSA; Medicare.gov |
| Free help | 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, and your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) | CMS 12192 |
Source: Medicare.gov, Joining a plan; CMS Product No. 12192, Remember Key Medicare Dates (September 2026). Verified .
Medicare and your plan decide coverage and costs. Benefit Bull is free, does not sell plans, and never enrolls you.
Open enrollment is the one stretch of the year when everyone with Medicare can change health and drug plans for next year. (CMS Product No. 12192) Costs and benefits can change each year, so a plan that worked in 2026 may cost more in 2027. The good news for anyone on a tight budget: Extra Help has no deadline, and the Medicare Savings Programs are not tied to open enrollment dates; you contact your state to apply.
When is Medicare open enrollment for 2027 coverage?
Open enrollment runs from October 15, 2026 to December 7, 2026. If you join a new plan, it starts January 1, 2027, and the plan must get your request to join by December 7, 2026. (Medicare.gov, Joining a plan)
If you want to keep the Medicare health and drug coverage you have, you do not need to do anything. Your coverage continues automatically, and any changes your plan made to benefits or costs start January 1, 2027. (CMS Product No. 12192) If you do switch and the change does not show in your Medicare.gov account within 10 days, CMS says to contact the plan. (CMS Product No. 12192)
Put December 7, 2026 on the calendar as the last day the plan can receive your request, not the day to start looking.
What can you change during open enrollment?
| If you have | You can |
|---|---|
| A Medicare Advantage Plan | Join, drop, or switch to another Medicare Advantage Plan, with or without drug coverage, or add or drop drug coverage |
| Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage | Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan, or from a Medicare Advantage Plan back to Original Medicare |
| Original Medicare | Join, drop, or switch a separate Medicare drug plan |
You can join through Medicare.gov/plan-compare, through the plan itself, or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048. (Medicare.gov, Joining a plan)
You make plan changes yourself on Medicare.gov, with your plan, or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. Benefit Bull is free and never enrolls you.
Before you change anything, write down what you have now: plan name, monthly premium, and the drugs you take. It makes every comparison faster.
What should you check first if money is tight?
Work through these in order. Each one comes from Medicare's own guidance. (CMS Product No. 12192) (Medicare.gov, Joining a plan)
- Read your plan's notice of cost and benefit changes for next year. CMS suggests starting October 1. (CMS Product No. 12192)
- Add every prescription drug you take regularly to Medicare.gov/plan-compare. Medicare says this gives the most accurate monthly and yearly cost estimate for each plan. (Medicare.gov, Joining a plan)
- Ask your doctors and pharmacies if they are in network with the plan you are looking at. (Medicare.gov, Joining a plan)
- Compare the premium, the deductible, and the yearly drug cost estimate side by side, along with quality ratings. (CMS Product No. 12192)
- Check whether you may qualify for Extra Help or a Medicare Savings Program (section 4 below). These lower costs in a way that switching plans alone does not.
One number helps put drug costs in context: in 2027, out-of-pocket costs for covered drugs are capped at $2,400 for the year, and that cap applies to everyone with Medicare drug coverage. (CMS Product No. 12211)
Pull every pill bottle out of the cabinet and enter each drug, dose, and pharmacy in Plan Finder. A missing drug is the most common reason an estimate comes out low.
Do you have to wait for open enrollment to get Extra Help or a Medicare Savings Program?
No. Social Security says, "You can apply for Extra Help any time before or after you enroll in Part D." (Social Security, Part D Extra Help) Medicare Savings Programs are not tied to open enrollment dates; contact your state to apply. Medicare.gov tells people to apply even if they doubt they would be eligible. (Medicare.gov, Medicare Savings Programs) QMB, SLMB, and QI each also come with Extra Help. (Medicare.gov, Medicare Savings Programs)
For 2027, Medicare.gov lists these Extra Help costs: a $0 plan deductible, a plan premium that may be $0, and up to $5.80 for each generic drug and $14.40 for each brand-name drug at your plan's pharmacies. These are estimated maximums; your plan confirms your actual costs. (Medicare.gov, Help with drug costs) (CMS, CY 2027 Rate Announcement, Table V-2)
There is one more reason to check now: if you have Medicaid or get Extra Help, you may be able to change your drug coverage once per month, not just during open enrollment. (Medicare.gov, Help with drug costs)
You submit your application yourself on the official site. Benefit Bull is free and never files for you.
If your budget is tight, apply for Extra Help with Social Security now, and contact your state to apply for a Medicare Savings Program. Neither one waits for a plan decision.
What if your drug costs are high but you do not get Extra Help?
The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket costs for covered drugs across the calendar year, as monthly bills from your plan instead of payments at the pharmacy. Every plan offers it, it is voluntary, and there is no cost to participate. It might help you manage monthly expenses, but it does not save you money or lower your drug costs. CMS says it may not be the best choice if you get or are eligible for Extra Help or a Medicare Savings Program. (CMS Product No. 12211)
If one expensive prescription early in the year would wreck your budget, call your plan and ask how the payment plan would bill you.
What if you miss December 7?
| Window | Who it is for | When |
|---|---|---|
| Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment | Only people already in a Medicare Advantage Plan: switch to another Medicare Advantage Plan or to Original Medicare | January 1 to March 31, 2027 |
| Special Enrollment Period | Certain life events, like moving, losing or changing coverage, getting Medicaid, or getting Extra Help | Varies by situation |
| Extra Help | People with limited income and resources | Any time |
| Medicare Savings Programs | People with limited income and resources, through your state | Not tied to open enrollment dates; contact your state to apply |
Medicare.gov lists the Medicare Advantage window and Special Enrollment Period examples. (Medicare.gov, Joining a plan) Extra Help has no deadline. (Social Security, Part D Extra Help) Medicare Savings Programs are not tied to open enrollment dates; contact your state to apply. (Medicare.gov, Medicare Savings Programs)
If you missed December 7 and your situation changed this year, ask 1-800-MEDICARE whether a Special Enrollment Period fits you.
Where can you get free, unbiased help?
Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048), open 24 hours a day, including weekends. Or call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for free, personalized, and unbiased health insurance counseling; shiphelp.org lists the phone number for your local SHIP. (CMS Product No. 12192) Medicare.gov notes that SHIPs are not connected to any insurance company or health plan. (Medicare.gov, Joining a plan)
Around open enrollment, people with Medicare may get a lot of mail and advertisements from companies offering Medicare products. CMS names Medicare.gov, the Medicare & You handbook, and 1-800-MEDICARE as the official sources of unbiased Medicare information. (CMS Product No. 12192)
Helping a parent? The person with Medicare needs to give permission before 1-800-MEDICARE can talk with you about them, using the Medicare Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information form, by mail or in their Medicare.gov account. (CMS Product No. 12192) For the rest of a parent's money picture, see The Senior Money Checklist. See SNAP for seniors.
If you are helping someone, get the authorization form done first. Then one phone call can cover their plan, Extra Help, and their questions.
What open enrollment numbers should you know?
- Dec 7, 2026
- Last day your plan can get your request (official)
- Jan 1, 2027
- New coverage starts (official)
- $2,400
- Official 2027 yearly cap on covered drug costs
- Up to $14.40
- Estimated 2027 maximum per brand-name drug with Extra Help
See which Medicare help programs may fit your household, with estimated values and official links.
Sources: (Medicare.gov, Joining a plan) (CMS Product No. 12211) (Medicare.gov, Help with drug costs)
What this adds up to
Open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, and if you keep your plan, it simply continues on January 1, 2027. (Medicare.gov, Joining a plan) (CMS Product No. 12192) If money is tight, the highest-value hour you can spend this fall is reading your plan notice, entering every drug in Plan Finder, and checking Extra Help, which you can apply for any time, and the Medicare Savings Programs, which are not tied to open enrollment dates; contact your state to apply. (Social Security, Part D Extra Help) (Medicare.gov, Medicare Savings Programs) Free, unbiased help is one call away at 1-800-MEDICARE or your SHIP. (CMS Product No. 12192)
Sources
Every claim above links to the source it came from. Figures checked October 2026. Last updated October 18, 2026.
- Medicare.gov, Joining a plan (accessed October 18, 2026)
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS Product No. 12192, Remember Key Medicare Dates, September 2026 (PDF) (accessed October 18, 2026)
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS Product No. 12211, What's the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan?, September 2026 (PDF) (accessed October 18, 2026)
- Medicare.gov, Help with drug costs (Extra Help) (accessed October 18, 2026)
- Medicare.gov, Medicare Savings Programs (accessed October 18, 2026)
- Social Security Administration, Apply for Medicare Part D Extra Help program (accessed October 17, 2026)
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Announcement of Calendar Year 2027 Medicare Advantage Capitation Rates and Part C and Part D Payment Policies, April 6, 2026, Table V-2 (PDF) (accessed October 17, 2026)
- Medicare.gov, Medicare Plan Finder (accessed October 18, 2026)
