When You Can Enroll In or Change Medigap Policies
Medigap Open Enrollment
You have a 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period (M-OEP), which begins the first day of the month you turn 65 years old and are enrolled in Medicare Part B.
During this time, you can enroll in any Medigap policy, and insurance carriers cannot deny you coverage or charge more due to pre-existing health conditions.
After this enrollment window ends, you may face higher costs or may not be able to purchase a Medigap policy at all.
This is a one-time enrollment period. It does not repeat annually like the Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP).
No action is required to keep your Medigap policy from year to year, just continue paying your premium. If your policy lapses due to nonpayment and too much time passes, it may not be reinstated. In that case, you could be required to go through medical underwriting to obtain coverage again.
Medigap Policy Changes
You can change your Medigap policy year-round, but you may not always be in a guaranteed issue (GI) period. For example, one reason you may have GI rights is if you are losing employer coverage. If you aren't in a GI period, carriers ask questions about your medical history and may choose not to issue you a policy or charge you a higher rate because of your health history. This process is called underwriting.
However, if you want to enroll in a Medicare Advantage (MA) or Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) plan instead of another Medigap, you can only do that during specific times of the year, unless you have a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Additionally, if you want to end your stand-alone Part D Prescription Drug plan, you can only do so during specific times of the year or using an SEP. Call us to determine whether you have GI rights or an SEP to enroll.
You can also disenroll from a Medigap and return to Original Medicare at any point during the year.
Guaranteed Issue (GI) Rights
The federal government sets the criteria regarding GI rights, but the carriers must also comply with any additional protections offered by individual states.
Each situation will have its own allowed time frame. Call us to determine if you qualify to enroll using GI rights. These rights extend to you in certain situations, including but not limited to the following:
You're in your M-OEP, which begins the first day of the month you are both enrolled in Medicare Part B and age 65 or older.
You're under 65 but are newly eligible for Medicare benefits due to disability. Supplement plans aren't always available to people under 65 in all states.
You delayed enrolling in Medicare Part B past age 65, but you've now enrolled in Part B. This falls under the M-OEP.
You have Medicare Parts A and B, but you've been using an employer group plan for your medical coverage, and it is either ending or being discontinued. This falls under the Losing Employer or Group Coverage (LEC) SEP.
You have Medicare Parts A and B, but you've been using COBRA benefits, and they have ended. This falls under the LEC SEP.
You move out of your current plan's service area (applies to some plans, such as HMOs, PPOs, and Select Medigaps). This falls under the Moving SEP.
Your MA/MAPD plan stops providing care in your area. This falls under the End of Coverage (EOC) SEP.
You're still within the first 12 months of your initial enrollment in a MA/MAPD plan, and you change your mind (Trial Right).
AARP Medigap
When you enroll in an AARP Medigap policy, you need an active AARP membership when we submit the application and on the policy's effective date. If you decide to keep the same policy next year, you aren't required to renew your AARP membership. It's your choice whether you renew the membership. If you need assistance renewing a membership or looking up a current member, please call AARP at 1-888-687-2277.