Medicare Advantage

How Gloucester Township Can Change Medicare Advantage Plans

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. — If you sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan this fall and it isn't fitting the way you hoped once 2027 begins, you get one more chance to change course. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31, 2027, and it gives current Advantage members a fresh window to switch plans or move back to Original Medicare.

This period is narrower than the fall Annual Enrollment Period, and the rules about who can use it — and what changes are allowed — trip up a lot of people. Here's what South Jersey readers should know before the March 31 deadline.

Who this window is for

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (often called MA-OEP) is only for people who are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan as of January 1. If you have Original Medicare — Parts A and B directly through the federal program — this window doesn't apply to you, even if you'd like to join an Advantage plan now.

That's the most common point of confusion. The fall Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) is the wide-open window when almost anyone with Medicare can make changes. The January–March window is a more limited do-over, built specifically for Advantage members.

What changes you can make

If you qualify, you can do one of the following between January 1 and March 31:

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

You only get to make one change during this period, and the change takes effect the first day of the month after the plan receives your enrollment.

What you cannot do in this window

There are a few things this period does not allow:

• You cannot switch from one stand-alone Part D drug plan to another if you're on Original Medicare.
• You cannot join a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time if you have Original Medicare.
• You cannot use this window to buy a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy with guaranteed acceptance — those rules are separate and, in most states including New Jersey, medical underwriting may apply outside of your initial Medigap open enrollment.

If you're considering going back to Original Medicare and adding a Medigap policy, talk to a SHIP counselor first so you understand the underwriting rules in New Jersey.

Why 2027 makes this window worth using

A few program-level changes are reshaping how drug coverage works in 2027, and they're worth factoring in if you're second-guessing your plan choice:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026. Once your covered drug spending reaches that amount, you pay $0 for covered drugs for the rest of the year.
• The Part D deductible can be no more than $615 in 2026.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. You have to opt in.
• IRMAA surcharges — extra Part B and Part D premium amounts for higher earners — begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

If any of these changes affect the math on your current plan, the January–March window is your chance to act.

How to decide whether to switch

Before making a change, gather a few things:

1. Your current plan's 2027 Evidence of Coverage or Annual Notice of Change. Plans send these documents out in the fall; they explain what changed for the new year. 2. A current list of your prescriptions and dosages. Drug formularies change annually, and a drug that was covered this year may sit in a different tier in 2027. 3. The names of your doctors and preferred hospitals. Advantage plan networks can shift year to year.

Then use the Plan Finder at Medicare.gov to compare plans side by side, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), which is open 24/7. Gloucester Township is in Camden County, where — as in the rest of New Jersey — you can also get free, one-on-one help from a SHIP counselor. In New Jersey, SHIP is run through the Division of Aging Services and is not tied to any insurance company.

Watch out for high-pressure sales

Because the January–March window is a legitimate enrollment period, it's also a time when marketing calls and mailers pick up. Medicare rules prohibit agents from making unsolicited door-to-door visits or unwanted phone calls. If someone pressures you to make a decision on the spot, that's a red flag. You can report suspected marketing violations to 1-800-MEDICARE.