The season

Open enrollment: Oct 15 – Dec 7. Here’s the 30-minute plan.

This is the yearly window to change your Medicare Advantage or Part D drug plan for 2027, and this year the case for looking is unusually strong: drug plan subsidies are ending, deductibles are rising, and 15 major drugs get negotiated prices in January. Thirty minutes now routinely saves hundreds next year.

Open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7.

The dates that matter

Date	What happens
September	Your plan mails the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC): next year’s deal, in tables. Read it with our guide, five numbers, ten minutes.
October 15	Open enrollment begins. 2027 plans and prices go live on the official Plan Finder, along with new star ratings.
December 7	Open enrollment ends. Last day to change Advantage or drug plans for January 1. If several changes were made, the last one submitted wins.
January 1	New coverage starts. Old plan ends automatically; no cancellation call needed.
Jan 1 – Mar 31	Medicare Advantage members only: one switch allowed (to another Advantage plan or back to Original Medicare) if the January reality disappoints.

What this window can’t do: guarantee you a Medigap supplement. Moving from Advantage back to Original Medicare is allowed, but Medigap approval involves health underwriting in most states once your original window has passed. Read the one-way-door article before making that particular move.

What’s already confirmed for 2027

Item	2026	2027
Part D out-of-pocket drug cap	$2,100	$2,400 (final)
Part D standard deductible (max)	$615	$700 (final)
Part D national base premium	$38.99	$41.33 (final, up the maximum 6%)
Negotiated drug prices, round 2	10 drugs	15 more on Jan 1, incl. Ozempic/Wegovy at $274/month
Standalone drug plan subsidy	$10/month reduction	Ends Dec 31, 2026: standalone premiums may jump more than usual
Part B premium	$202.90	Announced late Oct/early Nov
Insulin cap, $0 vaccines, monthly smoothing	In effect	All continue unchanged

Sources: CMS 2027 Part D bid announcement (July 2026) and the CY2027 Rate Announcement. The full story, including who wins and who should re-shop hardest, is in Medicare changes for 2027.

The 30-minute plan

Read your ANOC (10 minutes).
September’s envelope discloses your plan’s 2027 premium, deductible, drug tier changes, out-of-pocket maximum, and network changes. Our guide shows exactly which five numbers to circle. If all five held steady and your doctors remain, you may legitimately be done.
Re-shop your drug coverage (15 minutes).
From October 15, enter your exact prescriptions and pharmacy at the official Plan Finder and sort by total annual cost, never premium. The 20-minute method walks every click. With standalone-plan subsidies ending, this step matters more this year than any recent one.
Verify the people and the ceiling (5 minutes).
On Advantage: call your must-keep doctors and confirm they’re in the 2027 network, and note the plan’s out-of-pocket maximum, the price of a bad year. Comparing plans? The 7-point checklist keeps the shiny extras in proportion.

Free: the one-page re-shop checklist

The whole 30-minute plan as a printable sheet: the five ANOC numbers with write-in columns, the three steps with checkboxes, and the season dates. No email required, it’s just useful.

Download the checklist (PDF)

Do it on paper

The workbook’s re-shop pages were built for exactly these weeks.

The Turning-65 Decision Workbook includes the September ANOC ritual as fill-in worksheets: the five numbers side by side, the drug re-shop table, the doctor-verification call sheet, and a 2026/2027 numbers card with a write-in column. Thirty minutes, on paper, done, and the same pages work again every fall.

Get the workbook, $24

Instant PDF download. Free update when the remaining 2027 numbers land. 30-day full refund if it doesn’t help.

Season questions, answered

When is Medicare open enrollment for 2027 coverage?

October 15 through December 7, 2026, with changes taking effect January 1, 2027. This is the window to switch Medicare Advantage plans, change Part D drug plans, or move between Original Medicare and Advantage.

What can I change during open enrollment?

Advantage plan to Advantage plan, drug plan to drug plan, Original Medicare to Advantage, or Advantage back to Original Medicare. What it doesn’t guarantee: a Medigap policy, which involves medical underwriting in most states once your original 6-month window has passed.

What happens if I do nothing during open enrollment?

Your current plan renews automatically, but under next year’s terms: the premiums, copays, drug tiers, and networks described in the Annual Notice of Change your plan mailed in September. Auto-renewal is a decision too, just an unexamined one.

What’s changing for Medicare in 2027?

Confirmed so far: the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400, the standard deductible to $700, and the base premium to $41.33; negotiated prices for 15 more drugs (including Ozempic and Wegovy at $274 a month) take effect January 1; and the subsidy that held down standalone drug plan premiums ends, making re-shopping especially important. Part B’s 2027 premium is announced in late fall.

Do I need to re-enroll in Medicare every year?

No. Medicare itself (Parts A and B) and Medigap policies continue automatically. Open enrollment is about the private-plan layer: Advantage and Part D plans, which change their prices and terms every January and deserve a 30-minute annual check.

Not sure which path fits you in the first place? The decoder answers it in nine questions, free.