When can I enroll in Medicare?

Initial Enrollment Period

This is called your IEP. It’s a seven-month window around your 65th birthday. It starts the three months before your birthday month. It includes your 65th birthday month. And it ends at three months after your birthday month.

If you qualify for Medicare when you turn 65, this is the best time to enroll in Medicare. If you don’t enroll during this time, you may have to pay a penalty.

Note! After enrolling, your coverage will start on the first day of the month. The month it starts depends on when you enroll.

Here’s another example. If you enroll before the month of your 65th birthday, coverage starts the month you turn 65. If you enroll the month you turn 65 (or sometime during the three months after), your coverage will start the next month after enrolling.

Annual Enrollment Period

This is called AEP. It takes place every October 15th through December 7th. This is when you can change, drop, or start a Medicare plan and/or prescription drug coverage.

During this time, you can switch from:

Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan
One Medicare Advantage plan to another Medicare Advantage plan
A Medicare Advantage plan back to Original Medicare (if you do this, you’ll need to make sure you have prescription drug coverage)

Note! When you enroll during AEP, your new coverage will start on January 1st.

Open Enrollment Period

This is called OEP. It takes place every January 1st through March 31st. This may be the last time you can make a change to your health coverage for the rest of the year.

During this time, you can:

Enroll in Medicare if you missed your Initial Enrollment Period (keep in mind you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty if you missed your IEP)
Switch from your current Medicare Advantage plan to another one
Go back to Original Medicare from your current Medicare Advantage plan

Special Enrollment Period

This is called an SEP. If you have a big change in your life during the year, you may be able to make a health coverage change.

Life changes can include if you:

Move to a new address that’s not in your current plan’s service area (where the plan is offered)
Lose your current health care (like Medicare, your employer’s health plan, etc.)
Are on a plan that Medicare decides to close down or will not allow people to enroll in
Become eligible for Medicare and Medicaid
Become eligible for “Extra Help” (this is a federal program that helps people pay for their prescription drugs)

If any of these things happen to you during the year, you may qualify for an SEP.