Medigap Open Enrollment (2026–2027): Your 6-Month Window

Bottom Line

Your federal Medigap window lasts six months, beginning the first month you meet both age-65 and Part B requirements. Health history cannot cause denial or higher premiums during this window, though pre-existing-condition waiting periods may apply. Fall Medicare enrollment does not restart it.

Get help comparing Medigap plans

Your federal six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period starts on the first day of the first month you’re 65 or older and your Medicare Part B coverage is effective. During this window, insurers cannot use your health history to deny coverage or charge you more. First-of-the-month birthdays have a special timing rule explained below.

If you are also evaluating permanent life insurance, comparing IUL companies is a separate decision about life coverage and policy costs; it has no role in Medicare enrollment.

Find your six-month start and end dates

To understand your Medigap eligibility options, start with your birth date and the Part B effective date on your Medicare card. The coverage effective date controls, rather than the day you submitted your application.

Count six consecutive calendar months, including the starting month. The following hypothetical examples show how the window applies:

For a birthday on the first, Medicare treats you as reaching age 65 in the preceding month. Part B must also be effective for that earlier Medigap start date to apply.

The usual seven-month Medicare Initial Enrollment Period handles signing up for Parts A and B. The six-month Medigap period governs your separate supplement application.

Start shopping before your intended coverage date. Ask the insurer when it accepts advance applications, request the effective date you need, and retain confirmation that your application was received. Medigap generally starts the first of the month after you apply unless you request another effective date.

What does the window protect?

Medigap and Medicare Supplement Insurance are names for the same coverage. It helps pay certain deductibles, copayments and coinsurance under Original Medicare: Part A hospital insurance and Part B medical insurance. You generally need both parts to buy it.

The protection concerns acceptance and health-based pricing. You still choose a policy, apply and pay its premium. Answer application questions accurately; during this protected period, medical answers cannot be used to deny coverage or change your price.

Check for a pre-existing-condition waiting period

An insurer may delay paying costs related to a pre-existing condition for up to six months if it was diagnosed or treated during the six months before the policy starts. Original Medicare still pays its share of covered services.

Prior creditable health coverage can reduce or eliminate that waiting period. At least six months of continuous qualifying coverage, with no break exceeding 63 days, can eliminate it. Ask the insurer to evaluate your coverage history and confirm any remaining waiting period in writing. This Medigap rule is separate from prescription-drug creditable coverage rules.

What if you work past 65?

When choosing Medicare coverage when you turn 65, first establish whether coverage through your or your spouse’s current employment allows you to delay Part B safely. Ask the benefits administrator whether the employer plan requires Medicare and how claims will be paid.

If you qualify, the employment-based Part B Special Enrollment Period generally lasts eight months after employment or group coverage ends, whichever happens first. COBRA and retiree coverage do not extend that deadline.

Delaying Part B delays the federal Medigap window; Part A alone does not start it. But if Part B begins while you are 65 or older and still working, your six months run while employer coverage continues. Retirement does not restart that window, although losing qualifying coverage may create separate Medigap protections.

Does fall Medicare open enrollment give you another chance?

The annual October 15–December 7 enrollment period lets you change Medicare Advantage or Part D coverage, generally effective January 1. It does not renew your federal Medigap window or generally guarantee acceptance without underwriting.

After your six months, an insurer may review your health, charge more or decline your application unless another protection applies. Check guaranteed issue rights and state rules before assuming you have missed every opportunity.

Treat qualifying for Medigap after Medicare Advantage as a separate question from when you can leave your current plan. Medicare Advantage is an alternative way to receive Medicare benefits; Medigap supplements Original Medicare and cannot pay Advantage copayments.

A federal trial right may apply if you joined Medicare Advantage when first eligible for Part A at 65 and return to Original Medicare within the first year. Confirm your applicable policy choices, application deadline and coordinated start dates before ending existing coverage.

State rules can provide additional opportunities

Federal law generally does not require insurers to sell Medigap to someone under 65. State requirements may provide access earlier, so check the rules where you live.

Turning 65 creates a federal Medigap enrollment opportunity if you have Part B, even if you already had Medicare because of disability or end-stage renal disease.

Two examples show why location matters:

• New York: Insurers must accept eligible Medigap applications throughout the year without denying coverage or varying premiums because of health. A pre-existing-condition waiting period may still apply; group policies can have membership requirements.
• Maryland: Existing holders of policies issued in Maryland have an annual switching period covering their birthday and the following 30 days. They can change to coverage with equal or lesser benefits without underwriting, including with another carrier. This protection requires an existing Medigap policy.

Ask your state insurance department whether its protection applies to a first purchase, a replacement policy or both.

Compare the coverage you would actually buy

Match benefits before comparing premiums

Policies with the same standardized plan letter have the same basic benefits. Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin use different standardization systems.

For example, standard Plan G and Plan N both leave the Part B deductible to you. Plan N has copays of up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 for emergency room visits without inpatient admission. Plan G covers Part B excess charges; Plan N does not. Weigh those potential expenses against the premiums quoted to you.

Request written quotes using the same applicant details, plan letter, policy type, ZIP code and effective date. Confirm discount eligibility and how premiums can increase. Your Medigap premium is additional to your Part B premium.

Make the prescription decision separately

Modern Medigap policies do not include prescription coverage. When pairing Plan G or Plan N with Part D, compare a separate drug plan and coordinate its start date; first check any existing employer or other drug coverage.

For someone choosing Part D with few or no prescriptions, compare premiums, deductibles and pharmacy access, and check coverage for any medicines used. Low current drug use still leaves an insurance decision.

Going 63 consecutive days or more without Part D or other creditable drug coverage after your initial drug enrollment period may trigger a late enrollment penalty when you enroll later. Your Medigap window does not extend Part D enrollment deadlines.

Prepare your application and compare start dates

The documents to gather before Medicare enrollment include your Medicare card or enrollment confirmation if available, employer coverage dates, coverage-ending notices and your prescription coverage’s creditable-coverage notice. Add a medication list and preferred pharmacies for drug-plan comparisons.

If you already have Part A and are adding Part B through the employment-based Special Enrollment Period, SSA’s paper process uses CMS-40B plus CMS-L564 for employment information.

Write down your Medigap window’s final date, obtain comparable written quotes and confirm any waiting period and effective date before choosing. Evaluate the combined Medigap and drug-plan premiums alongside the costs each leaves you to pay, then submit your application early enough to resolve missing information before the window closes.