Medicare Enrollment Periods
Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15, 2026 through December 7, 2026, for coverage starting January 1, 2027. That's the window where you can change almost anything.
There are four other enrollment periods and they're narrower than people expect. The January window in particular is not a second chance — it only applies if you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan.
Buying your own coverage and under 65? You want MNsure open enrollment instead.
Medicare Annual Enrollment — 2027 coverage
- Enroll between:
- October 15, 2026 and December 7, 2026
- Coverage starts:
- January 1
Annual Enrollment Period — October 15 to December 7
This is the window that matters. During it you can:
- Switch between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, either direction
- Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another
- Join, drop, or switch a Part D prescription drug plan
Changes take effect January 1. Worth reviewing every year even if you're happy — formularies, networks and premiums change annually, and the plan that fit last year often doesn't.
The January window is not a second chance
January 1 through March 31 is the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. It's much narrower than AEP and most people can't use it. It applies only if you're already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1. If you are, you get one change: switch to a different Advantage plan, or drop it and return to Original Medicare with a standalone Part D plan. New coverage starts the first of the following month. On Original Medicare you can't use it to join an Advantage plan; on Original Medicare with a Part D plan you can't use it to switch Part D plans. Both wait for the next AEP.
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment — 2027 coverage
- Enroll between:
- January 1, 2027 and March 31, 2027
- Coverage starts:
- the first of the following month
General Enrollment Period — same dates, different thing
This one is for people who missed their Initial Enrollment Period for Part B. Coverage starts the first of the month after you enroll. That changed in 2023 — it used to be July 1 no matter when in the quarter you signed up, which could mean months uninsured, and plenty of pages still say so. Late enrollment penalties may still apply.
Medicare General Enrollment — 2027 coverage
- Enroll between:
- January 1, 2027 and March 31, 2027
- Coverage starts:
- the first of the month after you enroll
The two that run off your own dates
Initial Enrollment Period
Seven months
The three months before the month you turn 65, your birthday month, and the three months after. Enrolling before your birthday month gets coverage started sooner — wait until after it and your start date slides.
Medigap open enrollment
Six months, once
Starts the first month you are both 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During it you have guaranteed issue: no health questions, no denial for pre-existing conditions. It does not repeat annually, and missing it is the enrollment mistake with the longest tail, because afterwards carriers can medically underwrite you.
Medicare Supplement in Minnesota works differently
If you have been reading about Plan G or Plan N, none of it applies here. Minnesota is one of three states — with Massachusetts and Wisconsin — that standardized Medicare Supplement before the federal government did in 1990, and all three kept a permanent waiver from the lettered system. There is no Plan G in Minnesota.
There is plenty of Medicare Supplement coverage, though. 11 companies write it here. It is put together differently:
Basic Plan
The foundation. Covers Part A and Part B coinsurance, hospice care, and the first three pints of blood. You then add riders for whatever else you want covered — which is the part of the Minnesota system that has no federal equivalent.
Extended Basic
The comprehensive one, sold as a package rather than built up. It picks up deductibles, skilled nursing coinsurance and preventive care without adding anything on. Higher premium, fewer decisions.
What you can add to the Basic Plan
- Part A deductible (100%)
- Part B excess charges (100%)
- Preventive care
- $20 and $50 Part B copay
- High-deductible versions, including 50% and 75% Part A deductible
Because the plans are standardized by the state, a Basic Plan from one carrier covers the same things as a Basic Plan from another. So the comparison is premium, rate history, and how each one prices the riders — which is exactly the sort of thing worth having someone do for you.
Why the comparison sites tell you to buy Plan G
Because nearly all of them are written for the other 47 states — and so is most of what an AI assistant will tell you, because it learned from those same pages. It is the most common piece of bad Medicare advice Minnesotans get. Nobody is being dishonest; the advice is just about a product that isn't sold here.
Plan types and carrier count from the Minnesota Department of Commerce — Annual Premium Guide: Medicare Supplement, January 2026.
Common questions
When is Medicare open enrollment?
Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15, 2026 through December 7, 2026, for coverage starting January 1, 2027. That is the window where you can change almost anything.
Is the January window a second chance at open enrollment?
No. January 1 through March 31 is the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, and it only applies if you are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1. You get one change. On Original Medicare you cannot use it to join an Advantage plan.
When does coverage start if I enroll during the General Enrollment Period?
The first of the month after you enroll. This changed in 2023 — it used to be July 1 regardless of when you signed up, and a lot of pages still say so. Late enrollment penalties may still apply.
When is my Initial Enrollment Period?
Seven months around your 65th birthday: the three months before your birthday month, your birthday month, and the three months after. Enrolling before your birthday month gets coverage started sooner.
Is Plan G available in Minnesota?
No — and neither is Plan N, Plan F, or any other lettered plan. Minnesota is one of three states, with Massachusetts and Wisconsin, that standardized Medicare Supplement before the federal lettered system existed and kept a permanent waiver from it. Minnesota sells a Basic Plan and an Extended Basic Plan instead, with riders you add to Basic.
So can you even get a Medicare Supplement in Minnesota?
Yes, easily. Eleven insurance companies write Medicare Supplement in Minnesota. The coverage is comparable to what the lettered plans do elsewhere — it is only the naming and the way the plans are put together that differ.
What's the difference between the Basic Plan and Extended Basic?
Basic covers the core gaps — Part A and Part B coinsurance, hospice, the first three pints of blood — and you add riders for anything more. Extended Basic is the comprehensive version sold as one package, picking up deductibles, skilled nursing coinsurance and preventive care. Extended Basic costs more and asks less of you.
Why does every comparison site tell me to buy Plan G?
Because almost all of them are written for the other 47 states. It's the single most common piece of bad Medicare advice Minnesotans get, and it isn't malicious — the advice is simply about a product that isn't sold here.
How do I choose between Medicare Supplement carriers in Minnesota?
Not on benefits, which is what surprises people. Minnesota standardizes these plans, so a Basic Plan from one company covers exactly what a Basic Plan from another does. What differs is the premium, the carrier's history of rate increases, and how each one prices the riders — and rate history is the one nobody checks, even though it decides what you pay in five years. We're independent, so we compare those across the companies writing here rather than quoting one.
Does Medicare Supplement have an annual enrollment period like Advantage plans?
No, and this is the one that costs people the most. Your Medigap open enrollment is a single six-month window starting the first month you are both 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During it you cannot be turned down or charged more for pre-existing conditions. It does not come back every autumn, and afterwards carriers can medically underwrite you.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 11 organizations which offer 36 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.