Medicare Advantage

L.A. Medicare 2026: Your Enrollment Deadlines Explained

People in Los Angeles can choose from 101 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 121 this year. 23 of this year's plans are gone, 26 are new to Los Angeles County, and 38 that continue have changed something in their terms, 23 of them under a new name.

Los Angeles Medicare 2027: the dates that decide your coverage, from the Annual Enrollment Period to Special Enrollment Periods.

LOS ANGELES — With 101 Medicare Advantage plans available in Los Angeles County for 2027, the hardest part for many local retirees isn't finding options — it's knowing when to act on them. Miss the wrong window, and you may be stuck with your current coverage for another year, or face a lifelong penalty.

Los Angeles is in Los Angeles County, where 20 carriers are offering Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage for 2027. That's a lot to sort through — and Medicare's calendar gives you specific windows to do it.

Here's how the timing works for the fall 2026 window, and what happens if you miss a date.

The Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7

This is the window most Los Angeles residents already on Medicare will use. From October 15 through December 7, you can:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or vice versa.
• Change from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
• Join, drop, or switch a Part D prescription drug plan.

Any change you make during this window takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan generally rolls over — but the plan itself may have changed. Every fall, your carrier sends an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). Read it. Costs, drug lists, and provider networks can shift year to year.

With 101 Medicare Advantage plans in Los Angeles County for 2027, don't wait until December 6 to start comparing. Plan Finder at medicare.gov gets busy late in the window.

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31

Think of this as your do-over. If you enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan for 2027 and it isn't working — maybe your doctor isn't in-network, or your pharmacy costs are higher than expected — you have from January 1 through March 31, 2027 to make one change. You can:

• Switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan.
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan if needed).

You can only use this window once, and it's only for people already enrolled in Medicare Advantage. People on Original Medicare cannot use it to join an Advantage plan.

Turning 65 in Los Angeles? Your Initial Enrollment Period

If you're new to Medicare, your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) is a seven-month window: the three months before your 65th birthday month, your birthday month, and the three months after.

Signing up during the three months before your birthday month means coverage starts the first day of your birthday month. Wait until later, and coverage can be delayed.

This is the most important window to catch. Missing it can mean:

• A Part B late enrollment penalty — 10% added to your premium for every 12 months you were eligible but didn't sign up. That penalty typically lasts for life.
• A Part D late enrollment penalty if you go 63 days or more without creditable drug coverage.

Special Enrollment Periods: The exceptions

Life doesn't always fit Medicare's calendar. You may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) if you:

• Move out of your plan's service area (a common one in a county as large as Los Angeles).
• Lose employer or union coverage.
• Qualify for Medicaid or Extra Help with drug costs.
• Live in a nursing facility.

SEPs generally give you two months from the qualifying event to make a change. If you think one applies to you, call 1-800-MEDICARE before assuming you're locked out.

How the dates interact

Here's the trap: the AEP (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7) and the MA Open Enrollment Period (Jan. 1 – March 31) sound similar, but they don't do the same thing.

• During AEP, anyone with Medicare can make almost any change.
• During MA Open Enrollment, only current Medicare Advantage members can switch — and only once.

Also worth knowing: Part D changes made during MA Open Enrollment are limited. If you're on Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan, you generally cannot switch Part D plans between January and March unless a Special Enrollment Period applies.

Note that no stand-alone Part D plans are listed for Los Angeles County in the 2027 landscape data — a change worth asking about at medicare.gov if you rely on one.

A quick word on drug cost rules

Even outside the enrollment windows, two program-wide changes affect your planning:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 for 2026 and $700 for 2027.
• The old "donut hole" is gone — Part D now has three phases, not four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly installments if you opt in.

These rules apply no matter which plan you choose, so factor them into your comparison during AEP.

Where to get unbiased help in Los Angeles

You don't have to figure this out alone, and you shouldn't rely on a TV commercial to decide.

• Medicare.gov Plan Finder — compare all 101 Los Angeles County Advantage plans side by side.
• 1-800-MEDICARE — 24/7, free.
• California's HICAP (SHIP) — the state's free counseling program for Medicare beneficiaries. Counselors don't sell anything.