Medicare Advantage

Medicare Annual Enrollment Period: What Burlington Can Do by Dec. 7

BURLINGTON, Iowa — If you signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan during last fall's Annual Enrollment Period and are having second thoughts, you still have time to adjust course. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31, giving people already enrolled in an Advantage plan one more window to make a change before the choice is locked in for the year.

Here's what Burlington residents can — and cannot — do during this window, plus the program figures worth knowing before you decide.

Who this window is for

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, sometimes shortened to MA-OEP, is a targeted do-over. It's only for people who are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1.

If you are on Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) and a stand-alone Part D drug plan, this window does not apply to you. You would have needed to make plan changes during the Annual Enrollment Period, which ended December 7.

What you can change between Jan. 1 and March 31

During MA-OEP, you get one change. You can:

• Switch from your current Medicare Advantage plan to a different Medicare Advantage plan.
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare. If you do this, you can also join a stand-alone Part D drug plan.

Whatever change you make takes effect the first day of the month after the plan gets your request. So a switch made in February would generally begin March 1.

What you cannot do in this window

MA-OEP is narrower than the fall enrollment period. During January through March, you cannot:

• Switch from Original Medicare into a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time.
• Join, switch, or drop a stand-alone Part D plan if you're staying on Original Medicare.
• Make more than one change. Once your switch takes effect, this window is closed for you.

If none of the allowed changes fit your situation, you generally have to wait for the next Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

Burlington and Des Moines County: know the local landscape

Burlington sits in Des Moines County, and Medicare Advantage plan availability is set at the county level. That means the plan menu for anyone with a Burlington ZIP code is the same as for neighbors elsewhere in Des Moines County. When you compare options at medicare.gov, entering your ZIP code will pull the county's full list of Advantage and Part D plans.

If you're not sure whether your doctors in the Burlington area are in a plan's network, call the plan directly and ask before you switch. Networks can change from year to year, even under the same plan name.

Program figures worth knowing before you choose 2027 coverage

A few program-level figures may shape your decision:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered Part D drugs reaches the annual cap, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year. The cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. This applies whether your drug coverage is stand-alone or built into an Advantage plan.
• Part D deductible: No Part D plan can charge a deductible higher than $615 in 2026 or $700 in 2027.
• Coverage gap: The old "donut hole" is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: If drug costs hit hard in one month, you can opt in to spread your Part D out-of-pocket costs across the calendar year in monthly payments. It doesn't lower your total, but it smooths the timing.
• IRMAA: Higher-income beneficiaries pay an income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D. For 2026, the surcharge starts above $109,000 in income for a single filer, based on your 2024 tax return.

Before you make the switch

A few questions worth thinking through:

• Are your regular doctors and preferred Burlington-area hospitals in the new plan's network?
• Are all of your prescriptions on the new plan's formulary, and at a tier you can afford?
• Does the plan cover the extras you actually use — not just the ones that look good on paper?
• If you're leaving Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare, will you be able to get a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy? In many cases, medical underwriting applies outside your initial Medigap window, which can affect acceptance or price.

For a neutral, no-cost review of your options, Iowa's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIIP) has trained counselors who can sit down with you. They do not sell plans.