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What is Fall Open Enrollment? *ONLINE ONLY*

September 2024

By Medicare Rights Center

I just enrolled in Medicare a few months ago, and now I am hearing about Fall Open Enrollment coming up. What is Fall Open Enrollment, and what should I do during this time?

-Doreen (Austin, TX)

Dear Doreen,

What an important question! Fall Open Enrollment begins October 15 and ends December 7 each year. (You also might hear it called Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period or Annual Election Period.) During this time, you can make changes to your health insurance coverage, including adding, dropping, or changing your Medicare Advantage and Part D coverage for next year. Even if you’re happy with your current health and drug coverage, Fall Open Enrollment is the time to review what you have, compare it with other options, and make sure that your current coverage will meet your needs for the coming year.

If you have Original Medicare, visit www.medicare.gov or read the 2025 Medicare & You handbook to learn about Medicare’s benefits for the upcoming year. You should review any increases to Original Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance charges.

If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan or a stand-alone Part D plan, read your plan’s Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and/or Evidence of Coverage (EOC). If you don’t receive these notices by the end of September, contact your plan to request them. Review these notices for any changes in:

• The plan’s costs

• The plan’s benefits and coverage rules

• The plan’s formulary (list of drugs your plan covers)

Additionally, make sure that your drugs will still be covered next year and that your providers and pharmacies are still in the plan’s network. If you’re unhappy with any of your plan’s changes, you can enroll in a new plan. If you want assistance reviewing your options, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for unbiased counseling.

Even if you are happy with your current Medicare coverage, it’s still a good idea to see if there’s another plan in your area that will offer you better health and/or drug coverage at a more affordable price. Research shows that people with Medicare prescription drug coverage could lower their costs by shopping among plans each year; there could be another Part D plan in your area that covers the drugs you take with fewer restrictions or lower prices. You can use Medicare’s Plan Finder tool to compare your options and call your SHIP for assistance.

Best of luck to you this Fall Open Enrollment Period! Following the advice above, you can make sure your health coverage will meet your needs in 2025.

-Marci

The Medicare Rights Center is a national, nonprofit consumer service organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling and advocacy, educational programs and public policy initiatives.