Already have Medicare?
This is the time each fall when you can usually change your Medicare Advantage plan or prescription drug plan for the coming year.
Changes made during this period generally take effect January 1, 2027.
Medicare Made Understandable
Understand Your Medicare Choices.
Get Answers From Alan.
Learn how Medicare works, check whether your doctors and prescriptions are covered, and explore Medicare plans available where you live.
Answer a few questions about your Medicare coverage, doctors, prescriptions, and costs. Get a summary of what to check next. You do not need an account, and you are not committing to enroll in a plan.
How it works
- 1Tell us about your MedicareEnter your ZIP code and tell us whether you already have Medicare or are getting ready to enroll.
- 2Tell us what matters to youChoose what is important: keeping your doctors, covering your prescriptions, managing costs, or getting care when you travel.
- 3Get your next stepsReceive a summary of questions to ask your doctors and insurance plans. You can print it, email it, or discuss it with Alan.
Annual Enrollment
October 15–December 7
New to Medicare?
Your first chance to sign up is the seven months around the month you turn 65.
Those dates are not the same as this fall window.
Already have Medicare Advantage?
You may have another opportunity to change plans from January 1 through March 31, 2027.
Not sure which dates apply to you? Use our enrollment guide to find your next step.
What you can change during Annual Enrollment
Last updated October 19, 2026.
Already know what you're looking for?
Browse Medicare guides
- I'm Turning 65A 7-month window to sign up, separate from fall Annual Enrollment.
- Compare Medicare Coverage OptionsCompare Original Medicare with Medicare Supplement insurance (also called Medigap) and Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D), or a Medicare Advantage plan.
- Change My Medicare CoverageAnnual Enrollment is October 15–December 7. Other windows have different dates.
- Find Ways to Lower My Medicare CostsSee whether Extra Help, a Medicare Savings Program, or Medi-Cal could lower what you pay.
- Check My Doctors and HospitalsSee whether the doctors and hospital you already use will still be covered.
- Help a Family Member With MedicareHow a spouse or adult child can sit in, ask the office, and keep the paperwork.
Meet Alan Blackwell
A real person to help make Medicare easier to understand
I'm Alan Blackwell, a California-licensed insurance agent based in Arcadia.
I'll help you understand how Medicare works, explain the differences between your coverage options, and identify questions to ask about your doctors, prescriptions, and costs.
We can talk by phone or Zoom, so you can get help from home. You can ask questions, take your time, and decide what you want to do next.
You don't have to make a decision during our conversation.
Medicare is local
Your Medicare choices depend on where you get your care.
A plan may include your regular doctor but not the hospital or specialist you want to use. That's why it's important to check the doctors, hospitals, and medical groups you rely on before choosing coverage.
Choose your city to learn about local healthcare providers and how to check whether a plan covers the care you need.