The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA-OEP) is another enrollment period allowing people currently enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (MAPD or MA) an opportunity to change Medicare Advantage plans - or drop their Medicare Advantage plan, return to original Medicare Part A and Part B coverage, and join a stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan (PDP).

The MA-OEP:

• Begins on January 1st and continue through March 31st - with new plan coverage beginning on the first day of the month after enrollment.
  
  
• Is only available to people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan.
  
  
• You cannot use the MA-OEP if you are enrolled in a stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan (PDP), but you may be able to use a Special Enrollment Period to change your PDP coverage.
  
  
• Provides one additional chance to change your Medicare Advantage plan enrollment outside of the annual Open Enrollment Period (that starts on October 15th and continues through December 7th).
  
  
• May not be available for all Medicare Advantage plans in your area (see more below).
  
  
•  If you want to use the MA-OEP, please call Medicare at: 1-800-633-4227 and ask a Medicare representative to help you find another Medicare Advantage plan in your area or ask to return to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan that most economically covers your medications (representative are available 24 hours a day).
  

Continue below to read more about:

» Why would I use the MA-OEP to change my Medicare Advantage plan enrollment?

» Can I change my Medicare Advantage plan enrollment to any MA plan in my Service Area during the MA-OEP?

» A little background history on the MA-OEP

» Reminder about the timing of your enrollment or dis-enrollment during the MA-OEP and premium deductions

» The Medicare Advantage Plan Trial Right


Question:  Why would I use the MA-OEP to change my Medicare Advantage plan enrollment?

You may wish to use the MA-OEP to change Medicare Advantage plan coverage if:

• You chose the wrong Medicare Advantage plan during the annual Fall Open Enrollment Period (AEP) and now want to make a change to another plan with more comprehensive coverage.
  
  
• You wrongly enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan that does not have drug coverage (MA) and you wanted to enroll in an MA with prescription drug coverage (MAPD).
  
  
• You find that another Medicare Advantage plan in your area provides more affordable overall coverage - and maybe has a lower maximum out-of-pocket limit (MOOP) for your Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B costs - this means your out-of-pocket Medicare costs may be limited to a lower level, for example, instead of having a MOOP of $6,700 or $7,550, you will have a MOOP of $3,450.
  
  
• You find a Medicare Advantage plan in your area that gives back a portion (or all) of your monthly Medicare Part B premium.
  
  
• A Special Needs Medicare Advantage Plan (SNP) is available in your area and provides benefits tailored specifically to your health needs, chronic condition, Long Term Care (LTC) residence, or financial status.
  
  
• Your healthcare providers (e.g., doctor or specialist) have moved to another healthcare network and they are no longer available (or out-of-network) through your chosen Medicare Advantage plan.
  
  
• Your MA or MAPD no longer provides SilverSneakers® or other fitness program coverage and you wish to a change to a plan that includes this benefit.
  
  
• You found another Medicare Advantage plan in your area with better supplemental benefits such as vision, optical, hearing, or dental coverage or transportation coverage or meal-delivery.
  
  
• Your Medicare Advantage (MAPD) plan no longer includes your neighborhood pharmacy within the plan's pharmacy network - or your chosen pharmacy is no longer a preferred network pharmacy and you are paying a higher cost for your formulary medications because your pharmacy is a standard network pharmacy.
  
  
• Your Medicare Advantage (MAPD) plan's drug formulary no longer covers all of your medications, and even though you can ask your MAPD for a formulary exception, you would rather change to another Medicare Advantage plan in your area that provides coverage for all of your prescription drugs.
  
  

Question:  Can I change my Medicare Advantage plan enrollment to any MA plan in my Service Area during the MA-OEP?

Not necessarily.  Each Medicare Advantage plan has the option of closing enrollment during the MA OEP and is not required to allow new plan members to enroll into the plan during the MA OEP. 

As noted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),

"Unlike the mandatory election periods (AEP [Annual Enrollment Period], ICEP [Initial Coverage Election Period and Initial Enrollment Period for Part D] and SEP [Special Enrollment Periods]), an MA organization has the option to voluntarily close one or more of its MA plans to OEP [Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP)] or OEPI [Open Enrollment Period for Institutionalized Individuals] enrollment requests.  If an MA plan is closed for OEP and OEPI enrollments, then it is closed to all individuals who are making OEP or OEPI enrollment requests for that plan.  [However, a]ll MA plans must accept OEP and OEPI disenrollment requests, regardless of whether or not it is open for enrollment."

and

"When an MA plan is voluntarily closed for OEP and OEPI enrollments, it is closed to ALL OEP and OEPI enrollment requests, but it must accept enrollment requests made during the ICEP and SEP as well as be open for the AEP, unless an approved capacity limit applies and has been reached (excluding reserved vacancies). CMS may approve a partial service area closure for capacity reasons. If a plan is closed in a portion of its service area for capacity reasons, that plan may be open for OEP and OEPI enrollments in the remaining portion of the service area."

A little background history on the MA-OEP

The MA-OEP was implemented in 2019 and, as noted by CMS:

"The 21st Century Cures Act eliminates the existing MA disenrollment period [MADP] that currently takes place from January 1st through February 14th of every year and, effective for 2019, replaces it with a new Medicare Advantage open enrollment period (OEP) that will take place from January 1st through March 31st annually."

The OEP will allow people “enrolled in an MA plan, including newly MA-eligible individuals, to make a one-time election to go to another [Medicare Advantage] plan” - or to leave their Medicare Advantage plan, join a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan, and return to Original Medicare Part A and Part B."

"For example, an individual enrolled in an MA-PD plan may use the MA-OEP to switch to:

(1) another MA-PD plan;
(2) an MA-only plan; or
(3) Original Medicare [Part A and Part B] with or without a [stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan] PDP.

The MA-OEP will also allow an individual enrolled in an MA-only plan to switch to:

(1) another MA-only plan;
(2) an MA-PD plan; or
(3) Original Medicare with or without a PDP."

"However, this enrollment period does not allow for [Medicare] Part D [PDP] changes for individuals enrolled in Original Medicare, including those with enrollment in stand-alone PDPs."


Reminder about the timing of your enrollment or dis-enrollment during the MA-OEP

When you disenroll from your Medicare Advantage plan, the dis-enrollment begins the first day of the next month after dis-enrollment.

For example, if you disenroll from your Medicare Advantage plan on February 10th, your Original Medicare Part A and Part B coverage begins on March 1st. At the same time, you can also join a stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan and your new Medicare prescription drug plan will also start on March 1st.


Reminder about your automatic SSA premium deductions

The Social Security Administration (SSA) will probably need a little time adjusting your Social Security check deductions if you decide to use the MA OEP. So if you dropped (or changed) your Medicare Advantage plan in January during the MA OEP and joined another Medicare Advantage plan or a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan (PDP), you may still see payments for your old Medicare Advantage plan deducted in February and maybe even March, then in April, any over-payments from the February and March Medicare Advantage plan premiums will be reversed and the February and March premium payments for your newly chosen Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D plan deducted from your Social Security check.


The Medicare Advantage Plan Trial Right

If you joined a Medicare Advantage plan or Programs of All‑inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) when you were first eligible for Medicare Part A at age 65, and within the first year of joining, you decide you want to switch to Original Medicare - you will have a you have a guaranteed issue right to join any Medicare Supplement that is available in your state.


Trial Right (Part II) - You have a guaranteed issue right if...

You dropped a Medigap policy to join a Medicare Advantage Plan (or to switch to a Medicare SELECT policy) for the first time, you have been in the Medicare Advantage plan less than a year, and you want to switch back to your Medicare Supplement (or Medigap plan). You have the right to buy the Medigap policy you had before you joined the Medicare Advantage Plan or Medicare SELECT policy, if the same insurance company you had before still sells it.  (If your former Medigap policy is not available, you can buy Medigap Plan A, B, C, F, K, or L that is sold in your state by any insurance company.)

Sources include:

https://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/joining-a-health-or-drug-plan

CMS Finalizes Policy Changes and Updates for Medicare Advantage and the Prescription Drug Benefit Program for Contract Year 2019 (CMS-4182-F)

Medicare Managed Care Manual, Chapter 2 - Medicare Advantage Enrollment and Disenrollment, Updated: August 19, 2011 (Revised: November 16, 2011, August 7, 2012, August 30, 2013,August 14, 2014, July 6, 2015, September 1, 2015, September 14, 2015, December 30, 2015, May 27, 2016, August 25, 2016,June 15, 2017, July 31, 2018 & August 12, 2020)