Medicare 2026

If Your Medicare Advantage Plan Ends After 2026: How Your Special Enrollment Period Works

Opening a letter from your insurance company that says your Medicare Advantage plan will not be offered next year can feel unsettling. The good news: Medicare builds in extra time and extra protections for exactly this situation. If your plan is leaving at the end of 2026, you have options, you have a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) that stretches past the usual deadlines, and in many cases you also gain a federal right to buy certain Medigap policies without medical underwriting.

Here is a plain-English walkthrough of what is happening nationwide, what notices to watch for, and the choices in front of you.

Why some plans are ending

Every year, insurers decide which Medicare Advantage plans to keep, change, or discontinue. According to CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape files, 5,595 plans were offered somewhere in the country in 2026, and 5,561 are offered in 2027. Underneath those similar totals is a lot of movement: 1,150 plans offered somewhere in 2026 are offered nowhere in 2027, and 1,116 plans are brand new for 2027. Another 1,632 continuing plans changed something meaningful — a different premium, drug deductible, plan type, or plan name in at least one county they serve.

Organizations shift, too. Thirty-two organizations that offered Medicare Advantage plans in 2026 offer none in 2027, and nine organizations are new to Medicare Advantage for 2027.

So if your plan is leaving, you are not alone — and the rules are designed to give you a soft landing.

The notice you should receive

If your plan will not continue in 2027, your insurer is required to send you a non-renewal notice before Annual Enrollment. Keep it. It explains that your current coverage ends December 31, 2026, and outlines your rights. It is also your proof, if you want to buy Medigap, that your prior Medicare Advantage plan ended.

Your enrollment windows

You have more than one opportunity to act:

• Annual Enrollment (Open Enrollment): October 15 – December 7, 2026. Any choice you make here takes effect January 1, 2027. This is when most people pick a new Medicare Advantage plan or sign up for a stand-alone Part D plan.
• Special Enrollment Period for plan non-renewal: Runs through the end of February 2027. If December 7 passes and you still have not chosen, you can use this SEP to join another Medicare Advantage plan or enroll in a Part D plan to go with Original Medicare.

If you make no choice at all, Medicare automatically returns you to Original Medicare (Parts A and B) on January 1, 2027. You will not have drug coverage unless you actively enroll in a Part D plan, and going without creditable drug coverage can create a late-enrollment penalty later.

Two paths to weigh — neutrally

A plan ending is a natural moment to reconsider the shape of your coverage. There is no universally "better" choice; there are trade-offs.

Another Medicare Advantage plan typically bundles hospital, medical, and often drug coverage into one plan, usually with a provider network and an annual out-of-pocket maximum on Part A and B services. Extra benefits vary by plan and location.

Original Medicare plus a stand-alone Part D plan, often with a Medigap policy, lets you see any provider that accepts Medicare nationwide. Medigap helps with cost-sharing but has its own monthly premium. Part D is separate.

Which fits better depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, your travel, your budget, and how you feel about networks versus predictability. Compare carefully on Medicare.gov.

The Medigap guaranteed-issue right

When your Medicare Advantage plan is non-renewed, federal rules give you a guaranteed-issue right to buy certain Medigap policies. That means insurers must sell you those specific plans at their standard rate and cannot deny you or charge more for health reasons. This right is time-limited, so if Medigap interests you, act promptly and keep your non-renewal letter.

Part D in 2027 — a few numbers to know

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• The maximum Part D deductible any plan may charge in 2027 is $700.
• The Part D base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33, a national figure used to calculate the late-enrollment penalty. Actual plan premiums are set plan by plan.

If you have Medicaid or Extra Help

If you qualify for Medicaid or the Part D Extra Help (Low-Income Subsidy) program, you have a monthly Special Enrollment Period to move to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan, or to switch stand-alone Part D plans. Full-benefit dual-eligible individuals can also join an integrated Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) in any month. These flexibilities are in addition to the non-renewal SEP described above.

What about Part B and IRMAA for 2027?

The Social Security Administration announced on October 14, 2026 a 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment for benefits payable beginning January 2027. The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the IRMAA income brackets and surcharges, have not yet been announced; CMS typically releases them in the fall. Check Medicare.gov when they post.

Where to go next

• Compare plans and confirm your coverage choices at Medicare.gov.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24/7, for help understanding your notice, your SEP, and your Medigap rights.

A plan ending is not the end of your coverage — it is a prompt to look at your options with fresh eyes and pick what fits you.