Enrollment Periods

If you’re about to become Medicare eligible, you need to make some decisions about your health care coverage. This is because if you wait to enroll until after the initial Medicare enrollment period, you may have to pay a penalty and there may be a gap in your coverage. 

There are five main Medicare enrollment periods; Initial Enrollment Period (IEP; for those just turning 65), General Enrollment Period (GEP; for those who did not enroll during IEP), Special Enrollment Period (SEP; for those who had previous health insurance from an employer but now require Medicare Part B), Annual Enrollment Period (AEP; once a year, all individuals on Medicare can re-enroll and change their plans), and Open Enrollment Period (OEP; strictly for those on a Medicare Advantage Plan).

Once you’ve decided what parts of Medicare you would like to enroll in, it’s time to figure out when your plan’s enrollment period is. If you need any assistance in deciding which parts of Medicare to enroll in, give us a call. We're experts in affordable health insurance in the St. Louis area.

Your initial Medicare enrollment period begins three months before the month of your 65th birthday and ends three months after your 65th birthday month. 

This happens with one exception: if your birthday is on the first of the month. This will cause your enrollment period to begin one month early. For example: if your birthday is October 1, your enrollment period will begin June 1 and your Medicare will begin one month early as well — September 1. 

During your initial enrollment period, you can enroll in Original Medicare (Part A and B), Medicare Advantage plan, or Medicare Part D.

The General Enrollment Period is there for if you miss your Initial Medicare Enrollment Period, you are able to sign up during Medicare’s General Enrollment Period (January 1–March 31), and your coverage will start July 1. 

During period you are able to sign up for Medicare Part A & B and select either a Medicare Advantage Plan or a Medicare Supplement Plan.

There are a couple situations that allow you to enroll into Medicare during a Special Enrollment Period. 

As discussed above, if you work beyond age 65 and have employer-provided health coverage that you would like to continue instead of Medicare, you are allowed to delay enrollment without penalty. 

Another example would be if you move outside of a plan’s service area. This would trigger a two-month enrollment period in which you could switch to a new Medicare Advantage or Part D prescription drug plan. You could also return to Original Medicare without penalty. Sometimes, you can also enroll into Medigap.

There are other unique situations in which you may also be eligible for a special enrollment period. You are welcome to contact us to learn what options are available for you. We are experts in the Medicare enrollment periods and affordable health insurance in St. Louis.

The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period – AEP for short – is a set time each year for changing your Medicare coverage choices if you choose to. AEP runs from October 15 to December 7. New coverage choices go into effect on January 1. 

Medicare AEP is a time for you to reevaluate your current coverage and make changes as need be.

The changes you can make during AEP depend on your current coverage. Check your medicare enrollment situation below for a run-down on what you can do.

Each year, there’s a Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 – March 31. 

During this time, if you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan and want to change your health plan, you can do one of these:

• Switch to a different Medicare Advantage Plan with or without drug coverage
• Go back to Original Medicare and, if needed, also join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan 

If you switch Medicare Advantage Plans or go back to Original Medicare with or without a Medicare drug plan, your new coverage will start the first day of the month after your new plan gets your request for coverage. 

Keep in mind, if you go back to Original Medicare now, you may not be able to buy a Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policy.