Your Medicare coverage should fit the way you receive care: the doctors you see, the prescriptions you take, and the costs you can comfortably manage. At Health & Harmony, that is where the conversation begins.
With Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period approaching, this is a good time to understand your options and review what you need for the coming year.
What is the Annual Enrollment Period?
Medicare’s fall Open Enrollment Period, often called the Annual Enrollment Period, runs from October 15 through December 7 each year. It gives people with Medicare an opportunity to review and change their Medicare Advantage and prescription drug coverage.
Depending on your eligibility and current coverage, you can:
- Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
- Move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
- Join, change, or drop a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan.
Changes made during October 15–December 7, 2026, generally take effect January 1, 2027, provided the plan receives your enrollment request by December 7. Medicare’s enrollment guidance
What if you are new to Medicare?
First-time Medicare enrollment follows a different timetable. For most people turning 65, the Initial Enrollment Period lasts seven months: the three months before their birthday month, the birthday month itself, and the three months afterward.
Your circumstances, including coverage through current employment, can affect when you should enroll. If you are approaching Medicare eligibility, check your individual enrollment dates rather than waiting for October. When to sign up for Medicare
Does everyone need to change plans?
No. Reviewing your coverage does not mean you must replace it.
Plans can change their costs, benefits, provider networks, and pharmacy arrangements from year to year. Read your plan’s Annual Notice of Change and consider whether next year’s coverage still meets your needs. If your plan remains available and continues to work for you, keeping it may be a reasonable choice. CMS guidance on reviewing your coverage
How Health & Harmony approaches your review
We begin by listening. Before recommending a plan, we work with you to understand your priorities and check the details that affect your care.
That means reviewing your doctors and specialists, prescriptions and preferred pharmacies, expected care needs, and budget. We look beyond the monthly premium to discuss deductibles, copayments, and other potential costs.
When comparing plans we represent, we check relevant coverage information and explain the tradeoffs in plain language. We want you to understand both what a plan offers and where its limits may affect you.
Your needs guide the recommendation. We review, verify, and help you decide how to move forward.
A separate consideration for Medicare supplements
Medicare Supplement Insurance, also called Medigap, has different enrollment protections. The fall enrollment period does not automatically guarantee that you can buy or switch a Medigap policy without medical underwriting. Before leaving Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare, check your Medigap eligibility and any protections available under federal or state rules. Medicare’s Medigap guidance
Prepare for a useful conversation
Bring your current coverage information, your plan’s Annual Notice of Change, a medication list with dosages, and the names of your doctors and preferred pharmacy.
Whether you are approaching Medicare for the first time or reviewing coverage you already have, Health & Harmony can help you understand the next step. Contact us to schedule a Medicare coverage review.