Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: One Switch, January 1 to March 31
Picked the wrong Advantage plan, or your doctor left its network? From January 1 to March 31 you get one more chance to switch plans or go back to Original Medicare. Here is what you can and can’t do.
What you can do
| Change | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Switch to another Advantage plan, with or without drug coverage | Yes |
| Drop your Advantage plan for Original Medicare, and join a stand-alone Part D plan | Yes |
| Switch from Original Medicare into an Advantage plan | No |
| Switch from one stand-alone Part D plan to another while in Original Medicare | No |
| Make a second change in the same window | No |
The window is for people already in an Advantage plan on January 1. If you joined an Advantage plan when you first got Medicare, you get the same one change during your first 3 months with Parts A and B, even outside January to March.
Going back to Original Medicare? Check Medigap first
Leaving Advantage for Original Medicare is allowed, but buying a Medigap policy afterward may not be. Outside your one-time Medigap Open Enrollment Period, insurers in most states can ask health questions and turn you down. There are exceptions: trial rights if you joined Advantage when you were first eligible at 65, or dropped a Medigap policy to try Advantage for the first time, and leave within 12 months; and broader rights in some states. Get a Medigap approval before you switch. Details: Medigap Open Enrollment and guaranteed-issue rights by state.
Other ways to switch during the year
- 5-star plans: switch into a plan rated 5 stars once between December 8 and November 30. If the new plan has no drug coverage, you can lose Part D.
- Extra Help or Medicaid: switch stand-alone Part D plans once a month; people with full Medicaid can join an integrated D-SNP once a month. See Special Needs Plans.
- Moving, losing other coverage, or your plan leaving your area: a Special Enrollment Period opens. See all Medicare enrollment periods.
Compare before you switch. Our county rankings show each plan’s worst-case year (premiums plus the out-of-pocket maximum). Then check your doctors and drugs in the Medicare Plan Finder; joining the new plan ends the old one automatically.
Questions
When does a change made in this window take effect?
The first day of the month after the new plan gets your request. A switch made on February 10 starts March 1.
Can I use this window to join Medicare Advantage for the first time?
No, unless you’re in your first 3 months of Medicare and already joined an Advantage plan. Otherwise, joining from Original Medicare waits for fall Open Enrollment (Oct 15–Dec 7) or a Special Enrollment Period.
Do I need to cancel my old plan?
No. Joining a new Advantage or Part D plan disenrolls you from the old one. If you’re going back to Original Medicare without a new Advantage plan, contact your plan or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
Sources
Official sources only, checked October 22, 2026.
- Medicare.gov, “Joining a plan” (Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment) — medicare.gov.
- CMS, “Understanding Medicare Advantage & Medicare drug plan enrollment periods” (publication 11219) — medicare.gov PDF.
- Medicare.gov, “Special Enrollment Periods” — medicare.gov.
Educational information, not a recommendation to join any plan. We are not an insurance agent or broker, and we are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. · Advertiser disclosure