Medicare Advantage

Auburn's Jan. 1–March 31 Medicare Advantage Window: Key Dates

AUBURN, Maine — If you signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan last fall and are already second-guessing the choice, the calendar is on your side. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31, giving people who are already in an Advantage plan one more chance to switch before the year settles in.

This article focuses on the dates: which window applies to which change, what happens if you miss one, and how the fall and winter enrollment periods fit together.

Two different windows, two different rulebooks

People often blur the fall and winter periods together, but they follow different rules.

The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs October 15 through December 7 every year. This is the broad window when almost anyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan or a Part D drug plan. Changes made during AEP take effect January 1.

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP) runs January 1 through March 31. It is narrower. You can only use it if you are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1. If you are in Original Medicare on that date, this window is not for you.

What you can change between Jan. 1 and March 31

During MA OEP, if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you may:

• Switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage).
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare.
• If you go back to Original Medicare, join a stand-alone Part D drug plan.

You get one change during this window. Whatever you pick takes effect the first day of the month after the plan receives your request. So a switch made in February takes effect March 1; a switch made in March takes effect April 1.

What you cannot do in this window

MA OEP is not a do-over for everyone. During January 1 – March 31, you generally cannot:

• Switch from Original Medicare into a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time.
• Join a stand-alone Part D plan if you are staying with Original Medicare and did not have drug coverage before.
• Make more than one change.

Those moves usually have to wait for the fall AEP — or a Special Enrollment Period, if you qualify.

If you miss the deadlines

Missing March 31 is not the end of the world, but your options shrink. Most people will then wait until October 15 to make changes for the following year.

You may still be able to change plans mid-year if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Common triggers include moving out of your plan's service area, losing other coverage, qualifying for Extra Help or Medicaid, or your plan leaving Medicare. SEPs have their own timelines, usually tied to the date of the life event.

How this looks in Auburn

Auburn is in Androscoggin County, where Medicare Advantage and Part D plan availability is set at the county level, not the city level. That means the menu of plans a neighbor across town sees is the same one you see. The deadlines above apply the same way in Auburn as anywhere else in Maine.

For personalized help — including free, unbiased counseling — Maine's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) is called Maine SHIP and can walk you through your specific situation.

A few dates worth writing down

• October 15 – December 7: Annual Enrollment Period. Broadest window.
• January 1: Coverage from AEP changes begins. Also the first day you can use MA OEP if you are in an Advantage plan.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. One change allowed.
• April 1: The last effective date for a change made during MA OEP (if requested in March).

A few program-level figures are worth knowing as you compare drug coverage: the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027, and the Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly amounts.