Medicare 2026

Medicare Advantage or Medigap? The Dates That Decide

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Choosing between Original Medicare with a Medigap policy and a Medicare Advantage plan is not just a benefits question. It is a calendar question. The two paths look similar on paper, but the enrollment windows that govern them work differently, and missing a date can quietly close a door for years.

For Little Rock residents weighing their options this fall, understanding how those windows line up matters as much as understanding the plans themselves.

Two paths, two very different calendars

Original Medicare (Parts A and B) is the federal program. Many people pair it with a standalone Part D drug plan and a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy to help with the out-of-pocket costs Original Medicare leaves behind.

Medicare Advantage (Part C) is different in structure. Private insurers, under contract with Medicare, bundle Parts A, B, and usually D into one plan, often with a provider network.

The switch between these paths is not free-form. Each has its own rules about when you can get in — and, just as important, when you can get back in if you change your mind.

The fall window: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7

The Annual Enrollment Period, or AEP, is the big one. From Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, you can:

• Join a Medicare Advantage plan, switch to a different one, or drop it and return to Original Medicare.
• Join, switch, or drop a Part D prescription drug plan.

Whatever you pick during AEP takes effect Jan. 1. This is the main window most people use each year to review Advantage and Part D options against next year's premiums, formularies, and provider networks.

Miss it, and — outside of special circumstances — you generally wait until next fall.

The winter window: Jan. 1 – March 31

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period is narrower and less well known. From Jan. 1 through March 31, people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan get one chance to change course. They can switch to a different Advantage plan or drop the plan and go back to Original Medicare (and pick up a Part D plan at that time).

This window does not help someone who is on Original Medicare and wants to move into Advantage. It only works in the other direction, or between Advantage plans.

The Medigap window is the one people miss

Here is where timing gets serious. Medigap has its own enrollment protection, and it is not annual.

Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period is a one-time, six-month window that starts the month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During those six months, insurers must sell you any Medigap policy they offer at their standard rate, regardless of your health history.

After that window closes, most states — Arkansas included — allow insurers to use medical underwriting. That means an insurer can review your health and, in many cases, charge more or decline coverage based on preexisting conditions.

This is why the decision to start on Medicare Advantage instead of Original Medicare plus Medigap is not always easy to reverse later. You can drop Advantage during AEP or the January window, but getting a Medigap policy after your initial six-month window may require passing underwriting.

Certain limited "guaranteed issue" rights apply in specific situations — for example, if a plan leaves your area or you move out of its service area. Medicare.gov lists those situations in detail.

What Little Rock residents should keep in mind

Little Rock is in Pulaski County, where multiple Medicare Advantage and Part D options are offered each year by different carriers. The specific number changes annually, and the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov shows the current lineup for a Pulaski County ZIP code.

Whichever path you consider, the program-level rules apply the same way statewide:

• Part D annual out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments.
• IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D premiums begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

None of these figures change based on which path you pick, but they factor into how each path actually feels in practice.