Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: What Concord Can Change by March 31

CONCORD, N.H. — From January 1 through March 31, people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan have a second window to fix a coverage choice that isn't working. It's called the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, and it's different from the fall Annual Enrollment Period that just closed on December 7. If your new plan started this month and something feels off — a doctor isn't in the network, a prescription isn't covered the way you expected, or the plan simply isn't a good match — you have until March 31 to make one change.

What this enrollment window is for

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, often shortened to MA OEP, is a do-over — not a first chance. It exists because coverage decisions made in the fall don't always play out the way people expected once January arrives and they start actually using their plan.

According to CMS, if you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you get one opportunity between then and March 31 to change course. The change takes effect the first day of the month after the plan receives your enrollment request.

What you can change

During the MA OEP, you may:

• 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 return to Original Medicare, add a stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.

What you cannot change

This window is narrower than the fall Annual Enrollment Period. During the MA OEP, you may not:

• Join a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time if you currently have Original Medicare.
• Switch from one stand-alone Part D drug plan to another if you're on Original Medicare.
• Enroll in a Part D plan for the first time if you don't already have drug coverage.

You also only get one change during this window. Once your switch takes effect, the door closes until a Special Enrollment Period or the next Annual Enrollment Period in the fall.

Concord-area context

Concord is in Merrimack County, where several insurance carriers offered Medicare Advantage plans in 2026; the 2027 lineup is described in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. Availability, provider networks, and drug formularies are set at the county level, so two neighbors in the same city generally see the same plan choices, but a friend across a county line may not. The official plan finder at medicare.gov lets you enter your ZIP code and your prescriptions to see what's available where you live.

A few 2027 program facts worth knowing

Whether you stay put or switch, some Medicare rules are changing for 2027 and apply across the board:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your drug spending hits that limit, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The old coverage gap, or "donut hole," was eliminated in 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs into monthly payments instead of paying large amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA income-related surcharges for Part B and Part D begin above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

How to make a change

If you want to switch or return to Original Medicare, you generally don't need to cancel your old plan first — enrolling in the new one, or enrolling in a stand-alone Part D plan after leaving Medicare Advantage, triggers the change automatically. You can:

• Compare and enroll at medicare.gov.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; TTY 1-877-486-2048.
• Get free, unbiased local help from ServiceLink, New Hampshire's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), which serves Concord and the rest of Merrimack County.