Medicare Open Enrollment Checklist: What to Review

What is confirmed

• Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026. Changes take effect January 1, 2027.
• Your plan must get your enrollment request by December 7.
• If you keep your current health and drug coverage, you do not need to do anything. Medicare says it continues automatically.
• If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, you also have a chance to switch from January 1 to March 31 each year.

Gather these first

• Your plan's Annual Notice of Change. Plans must send it each fall, and it lists next year's changes.
• A list of your prescription drugs and doses.
• The names of your doctors, hospitals and pharmacies.
• What you paid in premiums, deductibles and copays this year.

The checklist

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change and note every change to costs and benefits.
2. Check the premium and the deductible for next year.
3. Check each of your drugs: is it still covered, and does its cost change?
4. Check your pharmacy. A plan may charge less at a preferred pharmacy.
5. Check that your doctors and hospitals are in the plan's network.
6. Look at the out-of-pocket maximum, not only the premium, to see your worst-case cost.
7. Compare other plans in Medicare's Plan Finder, using your own drugs and pharmacies.
8. Decide by December 7. If you change plans, the new plan must get your request by that date.

What changes in 2027 that may affect you

• The Part D maximum standard deductible rises from $615 to $700.
• The Part D annual out-of-pocket cap rises from $2,100 to $2,400.
• The $35 monthly limit on covered insulin continues.
• A temporary program that lowered stand-alone Part D premiums ends after 2026, so some of those premiums may rise.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the Annual Notice of Change.
• Comparing only monthly premiums.
• Forgetting to check your pharmacy and your doctors.
• Waiting until after December 7 to change plans.

General information only. It is not insurance, legal or financial advice. Rules and dates change and differ by state and plan, so confirm details with the official source, your insurer or your state agency.