When You Can Enroll in Medicare Plans
Medicare enrollment periods are specific times that you're able to enroll in or make changes to your Medicare coverage. If there isn't a valid enrollment period at the moment, you can’t enroll or make changes. The fastest and easiest way to determine when you're eligible to enroll is to speak with a Via Benefits licensed benefit advisor,* who asks you a series of questions to determine if you currently qualify for an enrollment period.
If you need to contact Via Benefits Insurance Services for help evaluating or changing plans, be sure to schedule an appointment to speak with a benefit advisor. You can schedule an appointment on the website or call us at 1-866-322-2824. Read Prepare for Your Medicare Plan Enrollment Call for assistance.
When you change plans, some plans replace your current coverage automatically and others don't. Please ask your benefit advisor if you're unsure whether or not your current coverage automatically cancels.
Medicare enrollment periods don't apply to Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policies or Medicare Cost plans, as these plans follow different rules.
Open Enrollment Period (October 15 through December 7)
The Open Enroll Period (OEP) is October 15 through December 7 each year.
During the OEP, you can:
Enroll in or disenroll from a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare Prescription Drug plan (PDP)
Change your Medicare Advantage plan or a PDP
Return to Original Medicare
Elections made during this time take effect January 1 of the following year.
No action is required during the OEP if you‘re satisfied with your current coverage. Your plans automatically renew unless your plan is being discontinued.
Note: To disenroll from a Medicare Advantage plan or a PDP, contact your insurance carrier directly. The plan ends December 31.
Consider Whether You Need to Call Us During Open Enrollment
Please call us at 1-866-322-2824 or shop on the website if any of the following reasons to call Via Benefits apply to you, and you would like to consider changing your plan.
Reasons to call Via Benefits
Significant change in health status
Significant increase in premiums
Your out-of-pocket costs have increased for your current medications
You've moved to a new state or ZIP Code
Your plan has been canceled
Your primary care physician is no longer included in your plan's network
Medicare Advantage plan and PDP changes: These plans often change from one year to the next. Even if you've been satisfied with your plan, and you don't expect to change it, it may be a good idea to sign into Via Benefits and ensure you're still in the right plan for your evolving needs
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 through March 31)
The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period is January 1 through March 31 each year. During this period, if you‘re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you have a one-time opportunity to switch to a different Medicare plan or return to Original Medicare.
If you'd like to change or disenroll from your plan, please call us at 1-866-322-2824 to speak with one of our benefit advisors. Speaking with a benefit advisor ensures coverage changes are made during a valid enrollment period, and that your reimbursement account isn't affected.
Enrolling in Medicare Parts A and B
When you're first eligible for Medicare, you have a seven-month Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) to sign up for Part A and/or Part B.
If you're eligible for Medicare when you turn 65, you can sign up during the seven-month period that:
Begins three months before the month you turn 65
Includes the month you turn 65
Ends three months after the month you turn 65
For example, if you were born May 16, your IEP would last from February through August.
During this time frame you can also enroll in a Medicare plan. You need to be enrolled in both Parts A and B to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policy.
Most people are automatically eligible for Part A. However, you must elect to enroll in Part B, and there's a premium associated with it. If you don't enroll in Part B during your IEP, you must wait to enroll until the General Enrollment Period (GEP).
The GEP is January 1 through March 31 each year. When you enroll during this time frame, your Part B becomes effective July 1 of the same year. The GEP is available to you when you didn't sign up during your IEP, and you aren't eligible for a Special Enrollment Period. Read the "Special Enrollment Periods" section of this article to learn more.
Special Enrollment Periods
If you need to change your health plan outside of the OEP (October 15 through December 7), there are specific situations that may allow you to change plans. You can make changes to your Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Prescription Drug plan when certain events happen in your life. These opportunities to make changes are called Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs). Rules about when you can make changes and the type of changes you can make are different for each SEP.
Visit medicare.gov to learn more about Special Enrollment Periods. If you believe you qualify for any of these, please call us at 1-866-322-2824.
An SEP isn't needed to switch from a Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policy to another Medigap policy. However, if you make changes to your Medigap policy after you first enroll, an insurance carrier may ask additional questions about your medical history and could decide not to accept your application, based on your answer. If you're in a qualifying enrollment period, that additional layer of screening may not apply.
