When health questions are usually not used
Federal Medigap open enrollment — typically the six months after you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B — is the strongest guaranteed-issue window for most people. California’s birthday rule is a separate annual window for people who already have Medigap and want equal or lesser benefits. Other guaranteed-issue situations can apply (for example certain trial rights). Confirm the one that matches your facts.
When underwriting may apply
Outside a guaranteed-issue or birthday window, a company may ask medical questions, rate the policy, or decline the application. That is why timing matters if you are leaving Original Medicare plus Medigap, or trying to change letters. Do not drop coverage until you know whether the new policy can be issued.
Medicare Advantage is a different path
Leaving a Medicare Advantage plan for a Supplement is not the same as using the birthday rule. Federal trial rights exist in limited cases. Many other switches to Medigap can involve underwriting. Get the rule that applies to you in writing before you disenroll.
Where to verify
Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 711), the California Department of Insurance, and California HICAP (1-800-434-0222) are the official places to confirm rights. A licensed California agent can explain the landscape. This website cannot underwrite or issue a policy.
My Medicare Checkup
Answer a few questions about your ZIP code, what matters about cost and doctors, and where you get care. The summary shows the questions those answers raise. Confirm each one with the office, the plan, or Medicare.gov. A listing in a directory, or the name of a plan, does not show whether a doctor is in the network, whether a prescription is covered, or what you would pay this year.
Start My Medicare CheckupYou will get a summary of the questions to verify. You can also talk it through with Alan.
2026 figures
Medigap Open Enrollment window
The 6-month Medigap window after you are 65 and enrolled in Part B — not the Birthday Rule.