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Enrollment & timing

Seven Weeks Until Medicare Open Enrollment: What Is Different About the 2027 Season

Drug plan premiums are rising, Medicare Advantage markets are contracting, and marketing rules have loosened. A summary of the key shifts heading into the October 15 enrollment window.

By the Goodsurance editorial teamAugust 23, 2026

The Medicare annual enrollment period for 2027 coverage begins October 15 and runs through December 7. This year's window is shaping up as one of the more consequential in recent memory, with several converging changes taking effect at once.

Standalone Part D prescription drug plan premiums are expected to be higher in 2027 than in recent years. A federal premium stabilization program that supplemented plan funding in 2025 and 2026 has ended, returning standalone drug plans to standard market pricing. KFF projected earlier this year that about three in four Part D enrollees in standalone plans will face higher premiums as a result.

Medicare Advantage plan exits continue to accumulate. Humana is withdrawing from markets serving about 600,000 current members, and Centene this week announced an exit from Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Hawaii that will displace roughly 340,000 more. Additional carriers have announced partial or full market exits. Members of exiting plans will receive non-renewal notices by mail and qualify for a special enrollment period to find replacement coverage.

Medicare marketing rules have also changed this fall. CMS regulations that took effect October 1 loosened several restrictions on outbound marketing calls and third-party outreach that had applied in prior enrollment cycles. Beneficiaries should expect a higher volume of calls, mailers, and advertisements from plans and brokers than in recent years. The Medicare Rights Center has noted that higher marketing volume has historically been associated with beneficiaries ending up enrolled in plans that do not match their individual medications, providers, or costs.

The Annual Notice of Change, which plans must mail to current members by September 30, is the clearest guide to what is changing in an existing plan. Reading it before October 15 is the most direct preparation step.

In plain words

Medicare open enrollment starts October 15. Three things are different this year. First, drug plan premiums are going up because a government support program ended. Second, more Medicare Advantage plans are closing, leaving hundreds of thousands of people to find new coverage. Third, insurance companies can make more sales calls and send more mailers this fall than in past years. The best thing to do is look for a letter from your current plan in the mail by September 30. It explains what is changing for next year.

Understand the basics first

Source: Forbes
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