The Medicare Annual Election Period: What You Need to Know
Do you want to make changes to your Medicare coverage?
There are certain times when you can make these changes; some of these time periods are different depending on the type of Medicare plan. For Medicare Advantage (also known as Medicare Part C) and Medicare prescription drug plans, there's an Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) when you can sign up for, change, or disenroll from the plan.
The AEP runs from October 15 to December 7 each year. If you didn't sign up for one of these plans when you first became eligible for Medicare (during your Initial Enrollment Period), the AEP is generally your chance to make these changes, unless you qualify for a Special Election Period (SEP).
What changes can you make during the AEP?
Here's a quick rundown of what you can do during the Annual Enrollment Period:
- Change to a Medicare Advantage plan from Original Medicare, Part A and Part B.
- Change from a Medicare Advantage plan to Original Medicare, Part A and Part B.
- Change from one Medicare Advantage plan to another (regardless of whether either plan offers drug coverage).
- Enroll in a Part D prescription drug plan.
- Change from one Medicare prescription drug plan to another.
- Opt out of Medicare prescription drug coverage completely.
Changes you make during the AEP go into effect January 1 of the next year.
Union Plus has partnered with eHealth to offer union retirees the Union Plus Retiree Health Insurance Program. The resources offered by eHealth can help you navigate your Medicare Plan options and choose the right Medicare plan for you and your spouse, based on your budget and needs. eHealth can provide information about many different insurance companies and Medicare plans at no additional cost to you with no obligation to enroll.
If you need personalized help over the phone, you can call an eHealth licensed insurance agent at 888-680-4770 (TTY users 711) Monday through Friday, 8 am – 8 pm Eastern Time during AEP to help you compare Medicare plan options available in your area or you can visit unionplusmedicare.com.