As a reminder, the 2024 annual Medicare Open Enrollment Period (
AEP) ends at midnight on Thursday, December 7th.
During the 2024 AEP, you can still
join,
change, or
drop your Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan
coverage.
After December 7th, most people will only have a
limited
opportunity to change their 2024
Medicare prescription drug plan coverage before next year’s 2025 Medicare Part D
and Medicare
Advantage plan AEP.
For an overview of all 2024 Medicare Part D plans or Medicare Advantage plans
available in your area, you can use our Medicare Part D prescription drug plan finder (
PDP-Finder) or Medicare Advantage plan finder (
MA-Finder) tools.
For example, here is our PDP-Finder showing all Medicare Part D
plans available in Texas (you can change the state to see plans in your
area):
PDP-Finder.com/TX.
Here is an example of our MA-Finder
showing Medicare Advantage plans available in ZIP code 15205, Allegheny County,
PA (you can change the ZIP code to see plans in your area):
MA-Finder.com/15205.
A few highlights of the new 2024 Medicare plan coverage:
Read more in our article: "
How 2024 Medicare Part D drug coverage is changing and will help save on prescription costs."
Need someone to speak with about your Medicare plan options?
If you find yourself overwhelmed with all your 2024 Medicare plan choices,
you can always telephone Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 and choose to speak with a
Medicare representative. Once connected, ask the representative to help
you evaluate your 2024 Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plan options.
Should you decide to change Medicare plans, a Medicare representative can also
enroll you in any Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare prescription drug plan
directly over the telephone. The enrollment process only takes a few
minutes and includes an enrollment confirmation number (that you should write down to record your proof of enrollment).
Staying with the same Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan into 2024?
No action is needed. If you wish to stay in your current Medicare plan, you do not need to do
anything during the 2024 annual Open Enrollment Period and you will be automatically
re-enrolled into your existing Medicare plan for another year, along with
any
changes that your current 2023 Medicare plan may have made for 2024.
How is your 2023 Medicare plan changing in 2024?
Again, remember that your 2023 Medicare plan probably will have some
changes in
2024 (new premium, new deductible, new drug coverage, new co-payments,
different pharmacies, different doctors, different supplemental
benefits) – so please be sure that you understand these changes – and be
sure your
Medicare plan is still being offered in 2024.
You can use our online 2023/2024 Medicare Part D plan compare tool (
PDP-Compare) or 2023/2024 Medicare Advantage plan comparison tool (
MA-Compare) to provide you with a quick overview of
how any 2023 Medicare Part D plan or Medicare Advantage plan is changing in
2024.
What happens if my 2023 Medicare plan is no longer offered in 2024?
Important: About 1.3 million people are currently enrolled in a
2023 Medicare Advantage plan that is being discontinued in 2024. If
your Medicare plan is non-renewing or
being discontinued in 2024 (and not
consolidated or merged into another Medicare plan),
and you do not
join another
Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan during the AEP,
you could be without prescription coverage for all of 2024.
However, if
your plan is being discontinued, you will be granted a
Special Enrollment
Period starting December 8, 2023 through February 29, 2024 during
which you can join any available 2024 Medicare Part D plan or Medicare
Advantage plan.
Remember, if you use this
Service Area Reduction Special Enrollment Period
(or SAR SEP),
your Medicare plan coverage
begins on the first day of the month following your enrollment. So if
your 2023 plan is no longer offered in 2024, and you want coverage
starting January 1st, you will need to submit an enrollment application
on or before December 31st.
What can I do if I missed the 2024 AEP?
(1) You may be able to use a Special Enrollment Period to change your 2024 plan coverage outside of the AEP.
As noted above, if you are enrolled in a discontinued Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan, you can use the
SAR SEP to join a 2024 Medicare plan.
If you were affected by a hurricane or fire or other natural disaster, you may be able to use the
Natural Disaster Special Enrollment Period that will allow you more time beyond December 7th to choose a 2024 Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan.
You can
click here to read more about Special Enrollment
Periods -- with other situations allowing you to change Medicare plans outside of the AEP (or visit:
Q1FAQ.com/561).
(2) The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA-OEP)
begins on January 1 and continues through March 31st.
During the MA-OEP,
you will be granted another opportunity beyond the AEP to (1) switch
Medicare Advantage plans or (2) drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to
original Medicare Part A and Part B, combined with a stand-alone Medicare Part
D prescription drug plan (
PDP).
Already looking toward 2025?
Sign up for our 2025 Medicare Part D Reminder Service. If you would
like us to update you as information becomes available on the 2025 Medicare
Part D program, please
click here to
sign-up for our free 2025 email Reminder Service. And you can also
click here if you would like to receive our
periodic Medicare Part D Newsletter. As always, your email information will not be
shared with any third parties and there is no cost for our Reminder email or Newsletter.
Still have questions that we might be able to answer?
You can click on the following link and send us your question:
https://q1medicare.com/Helpdesk.php