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Can I Change My Medicare Advantage Plan at Any Time?

Swapping out your coverage isn’t always straightforward, but you have alternatives beyond Medicare’s annual open enrollment season

5-minute read

Article 4 out of 8 in Changing Medicare Plans

Kimberly Lankford and Tony Pugh,

Updated January 13, 2026

AARP

Reviewed by

Jane Sung, J.D.

En español

Published April 20, 2022

/ Updated January 13, 2026

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Key takeaways

You can’t switch Medicare Advantage plans like car insurance.
But you have nearly five months every year to swap them.
Special circumstances may let you swap plans at other times.
Leaving Medicare Advantage? Medigap isn’t always guaranteed.
Remember: You must sign up for Medicare Parts A and B too.

Unlike home or auto insurance, you can’t switch Medicare Advantage plans whenever you want.

But you can change this medical coverage that more than half of Medicare enrollees have chosen if you’re unhappy with your plan.

You can shift to another plan or drop your Medicare Advantage plan altogether and move to original Medicare. Technically, you can do this only at certain times of the year.

When is the best time to switch Medicare Advantage plans?

Keep the two enrollment periods below in mind if you want to change your coverage to see doctors or use medications that aren’t covered under your current Medicare Advantage plan. But under certain circumstances, you may be eligible to change plans at other times too.

Annual enrollment, Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. You have many options to change coverage during Medicare’s yearly open enrollment period, which lasts almost two months. You can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan, change from a Medicare Advantage plan to original Medicare and vice versa, or switch from one Part D drug plan to another. Your coverage begins Jan. 1.

Medicare Advantage open enrollment, Jan. 1 to March 31. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or change to original Medicare and join a Part D plan during this three-month open enrollment period.

Your coverage begins the first day of the month after you switch.

Be aware, you can’t get a Medicare Advantage plan during this time if you don’t already have one. And if you leave Medicare Advantage for original Medicare, in most states you may not have a guaranteed chance to buy a Medigap plan except under certain circumstances.

Can I change plans after open enrollment?

In certain situations, you may be able to switch Medicare Advantage plans outside the two enrollment periods.

During your first year in a Medicare Advantage plan. This counts as a trial period in two circumstances. You can drop out of the plan and return to original Medicare with the right to buy Medigap supplement insurance during the first 12 months, if you either:

Joined the plan when you first enrolled in Medicare at age 65.
Dropped a Medigap policy to join a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time.

If a five-star Medicare Advantage plan is available in your area. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rank Medicare Advantage plans based on several quality measures, with five stars as the highest rating.

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If a Medicare Advantage plan that covers your area earned an overall five-star rating, you can switch to that plan any time of year except the first week in December. Coverage begins the first day of the month after the plan receives your enrollment request.

For 2026, fewer than 5 percent of plans across the country qualify.

You can search for plans with a five-star rating using the Medicare Plan Finder; filter results for your zip code based on star ratings. Or call 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to find out if five-star plans are available in your area.

During a special enrollment period. Other situations will start a two- or three-month timespan allowing you to switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or change to original Medicare. They include:

A move into or out of a nursing home or other long-term care facility.
Loss of coverage from Medicaid or a state program that pays your Medicare premiums.
Moving to a new address that isn’t in your plan’s service area, which also gives you a guaranteed right to buy a Medigap policy to pair with original Medicare.
Withdrawal of your plan from your area, its exit from Medicare entirely or its shutdown. This also gives you the chance to buy a Medigap plan with original Medicare.

For more information, see Medicare.gov’s guide to understanding special enrollment periods.

Before choosing a new plan, comparing the Medicare Advantage options in your area is a good idea. And check out this step-by-step guide to the Medicare Plan Finder to help you shop for Medicare Advantage plans.

Can I switch from Medicare Advantage to Medigap?

Even though you can leave a Medicare Advantage plan and switch to original Medicare during open enrollment and other times, in most states you may not have a guaranteed right to buy Medigap to cover original Medicare’s out-of-pocket costs if more than six months have passed since you signed up for Medicare Part B. Except in some cases, such as if you leave a Medicare Advantage plan during your 12-month trial period or you move out of your plan’s service area, Medigap insurers in most states can reject you or charge more if you have preexisting conditions.

Only Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York allow you to buy a Medigap policy any time, regardless of preexisting conditions. A few states let you switch policies without health questions during certain times of the year.

And from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026, a new Minnesota law will create a Medigap open enrollment period each year for state residents once between ages 65 and 70 that coincides with Medicare open enrollment. The rates won’t be as low as during the six-month period after signing up for Part B, but it’s an opportunity for anyone to consider buying a policy. Insurers won’t be able delay or deny coverage because of preexisting conditions.

Before switching out of Medicare Advantage and into original Medicare, look at Medicare’s qualifications to see if you have a guaranteed issue right to get Medigap coverage.

Can I get Medicare Advantage during initial enrollment?

You can sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan when you’re first eligible for Medicare, which is the seven-month initial enrollment period that starts three months before the month you turn 65 and ends three months afterward. If you delay enrolling in Medicare because you or your spouse is still working and has employer health coverage, you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan within two months of losing that coverage.

Remember: You must sign up for Medicare Parts A and B before you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan. You’ll usually have to pay the premiums you owe for original Medicare in addition to any premium a Medicare Advantage plan might charge.

This story, originally published April 20, 2022, was updated with information for the 2026 Medicare Advantage plan season.

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About the authors

Kimberly Lankford is a contributing writer who covers Medicare and personal finance. She wrote about insurance, Medicare, retirement and taxes for more than 20 years at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and has written for The Washington Post and Boston Globe. She received the personal finance Best in Business award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and the New York State Society of CPAs’ excellence in financial journalism award for her guide to Medicare.

Tony Pugh is an award-winning writer and editor covering Medicare for AARP. He has also covered Medicare for Bloomberg Law and as a national correspondent for Knight Ridder/McClatchy Newspapers.

About the reviewer

Jane Sung , director of health care costs and access at the AARP Public Policy Institute, previously worked as health policy counsel at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, senior policy adviser to a leader in the House of Representatives and federal legislative analyst in the Maryland governor’s office. She earned her law degree from American University’s Washington College of Law.