Medicare Advantage

Medicare in Davenport: Your 2026 Enrollment Dates and Deadlines

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Scott County had 38 Medicare Advantage plans available for 2026, and the 2027 lineup is detailed in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. The calendar matters just as much as the choices. Missing a Medicare enrollment window can lock you out until the next one, and in some cases it can cost you extra for life. Here's how the deadlines line up this fall for the roughly 30,617 people age 65 and older living in Scott County.

The window most Davenport readers are asking about

The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs October 15 through December 7 every year. This is when almost anyone with Medicare can:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or the other way around.
• Change from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
• Join, drop, or switch a Part D prescription drug plan.

Any change you make during AEP takes effect January 1 of the following year. If you're happy with your current coverage, you don't have to do anything — your plan generally rolls over. But it's still smart to read the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mails each September, because premiums, drug lists, and provider networks can shift.

Davenport is in Scott County, where 10 carriers offered Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage for 2026; the 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. That's a lot of moving parts to compare in a short window, so many people start in mid-October rather than waiting until Thanksgiving.

A second chance in the new year

If you sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan and it isn't the right fit, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31. During those three months, you can:

• Switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan.
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan if one is available to you).

You only get one change during this window, and it's only open to people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1. If you're on Original Medicare, this window doesn't apply to you.

Turning 65 in Davenport? Your personal deadline

Your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) is a seven-month window built around your 65th birthday: the three months before your birthday month, your birthday month, and the three months after.

This is the window to sign up for Part A and Part B and, if you want it, a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Miss it, and two things can go wrong:

• Part B late enrollment penalty. Your monthly Part B premium can increase by 10% for each full 12-month period you were eligible but didn't sign up — and that surcharge usually lasts as long as you have Part B.
• Part D late enrollment penalty. If you go 63 days or more without "creditable" drug coverage after becoming eligible, you may owe a Part D penalty for as long as you have drug coverage.

If you're still working at 65 and covered by an employer group health plan, different rules apply — check with Medicare or your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) before you delay.

Special Enrollment Periods: when life doesn't wait for October

You don't always have to wait for AEP. Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs) can open after certain life events, including:

• Moving out of your plan's service area (for example, moving away from or into Scott County).
• Losing employer or union coverage.
• Qualifying for Medicaid or Extra Help with drug costs.
• Your plan leaving Medicare or making other major changes.

SEPs usually last about two months from the event, so don't sit on them.

How the dates interact — and where drug costs fit in

The dates work together like this: your IEP gets you into Medicare, AEP each fall lets you fine-tune your coverage, and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period gives you one course correction in the new year. SEPs fill in the gaps when life changes.

Whatever you pick, a couple of program-level 2026 numbers apply to everyone with Part D drug coverage: the maximum deductible is $615, and once you hit $2,100 in out-of-pocket drug spending, you're done paying for covered drugs for the rest of the year. The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025. If drug bills hit hard early in the year, ask about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which spreads your out-of-pocket drug costs into monthly installments.

Higher-income enrollees should also note that IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D premiums begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.