Medicare Advantage

January to March: Your Medicare Advantage Switch Window

For 2027, Chicago is looking at 67 Medicare Advantage plans: 6 new, 17 gone since 2026, and 30 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 9 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Cook County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

CHICAGO — If you woke up on Jan. 1 already regretting the Medicare Advantage plan you picked in the fall, take a breath. You have until March 31 to make one change. This three-month stretch is called the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, and it exists precisely for people whose new plan didn't turn out the way they expected.

Here's how the timing works, what you can and can't do inside this window, and what happens if you let it pass.

Two windows, two different jobs

Medicare gives you two regular chances each year to change how you get your coverage, and they do different things.

The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. This is the big one. Anyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan or a Part D drug plan. Changes take effect Jan. 1.

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP) runs Jan. 1 through March 31. It's narrower. It's only for people who are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1. Think of it as a do-over window if the plan you chose in the fall isn't working for you once you actually start using it.

What you can change between Jan. 1 and March 31

If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1, the MA OEP lets you do one of the following, one time:

• Switch from your current Medicare Advantage plan to a different Medicare Advantage plan.
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare (Parts A and B). If you do this, you can also join a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan.

The change takes effect the first day of the month after the plan gets your request. So a switch made in February generally starts March 1.

What you can't do in this window

The MA OEP is not a free-for-all. A few common moves are off the table:

• If you have Original Medicare on Jan. 1, you can't use this window to join a Medicare Advantage plan.
• You can't switch from one stand-alone Part D drug plan to another if you're staying on Original Medicare.
• You only get one change during the window. If you switch plans in January and dislike the new one in March, you generally can't switch again.

Also worth knowing: dropping a Medicare Advantage plan and returning to Original Medicare doesn't automatically give you a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy. Depending on your situation and your state's rules, you may have to answer health questions to get one. That's a good reason to think it through before you leap.

What happens if you miss both windows

If Dec. 7 and March 31 both pass and you're stuck in a plan that isn't fitting, your next regular chance to change is the following fall's AEP, with coverage starting Jan. 1 of the year after.

There are exceptions called Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs). These are triggered by specific life events — moving out of your plan's service area, losing other coverage, qualifying for Extra Help or Medicaid, your plan leaving Medicare, and a handful of other situations. Chicago residents who move to a different county, or from the city to the suburbs, may trigger an SEP because plan availability is set at the county level. Chicago is in Cook County, where the plans offered can differ from those in DuPage, Lake, or Will counties across the border.

If you think you might qualify for an SEP, call 1-800-MEDICARE before you assume you're locked in.

A quick timing checklist

• October 15 – December 7: Anyone can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Coverage starts Jan. 1.
• January 1 – March 31: If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one switch — to another Advantage plan or back to Original Medicare (with the option to add Part D).
• Rest of the year: Changes are generally only allowed with a Special Enrollment Period.

Because 2027 also brings program-wide updates — including a $2,400 annual out-of-pocket cap on Part D drug costs and a maximum Part D deductible of $700 — it's a reasonable year to double-check that your drug coverage still lines up with the medications you actually take.