Medicare Advantage

Greensboro Medicare Advantage: Your Jan. 1–March 31 Window

Guilford County has 97 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 15 plans are not coming back, 14 are new, and 41 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 16 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Greensboro, not which plan to pick.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — If you have a Medicare Advantage plan and you're already second-guessing the choice you made during fall enrollment, the calendar is on your side. From January 1 through March 31, 2027, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period gives you one clean chance to change course before your 2027 coverage locks in for the rest of the year.

This window is narrower than the fall Annual Enrollment Period, and it plays by different rules. Knowing which dates apply to you — and what happens if you let them pass — is the difference between a quick fix and waiting until next fall.

Which window are you actually in?

Medicare has two back-to-back enrollment periods each cycle, and they are easy to mix up.

The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs October 15 through December 7, 2026. That is the wide-open window when anyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop an Advantage or Part D plan. Whatever you choose then takes effect January 1, 2027.

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP) runs January 1 through March 31. It is a do-over window, but only for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1. If you're on Original Medicare with or without a stand-alone drug plan, this window is not for you.

Source: CMS — Medicare enrollment periods (medicare.gov).

What you can change between January 1 and March 31

If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can do one of the following during MA OEP:

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

That's the list. You get one change, not unlimited swaps. The new coverage begins the first day of the month after your new plan receives the enrollment request, so acting earlier in the window means your new coverage starts sooner.

What you can't do in this window

MA OEP is often misunderstood, so it helps to be clear about what's off-limits:

• You cannot use it to join a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time if you were on Original Medicare on January 1.
• You cannot use it to join, switch, or drop a stand-alone Part D drug plan unless the change is tied to leaving or joining a Medicare Advantage plan.
• You cannot use it to enroll in a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy. Medigap has its own rules, and outside your initial guaranteed-issue window, medical underwriting may apply in North Carolina.

The Greensboro picture

Greensboro is in Guilford County, where Medicare Advantage and Part D plan availability is set at the county level by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. That means every Guilford County resident has the same menu of plan choices, whether you live near downtown, off Battleground Avenue, or out toward Summerfield.

If you want to see how many plans and carriers serve the county for 2027, the plan finder at medicare.gov shows the count — 81 Medicare Advantage plans from 13 carriers in Guilford County — and lets you filter by the drugs and providers that matter to you.

What happens if you miss March 31

If March 31 comes and goes without a change, your current Medicare Advantage plan generally stays in place for the rest of 2027. Your next scheduled chance to switch is the Annual Enrollment Period beginning October 15, 2027, for coverage starting January 1, 2028.

There are exceptions. Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs) can open outside these windows when life changes — for example, if you move out of your plan's service area, lose other creditable coverage, qualify for Extra Help or Medicaid, or your plan leaves the Medicare program. If you think a life event might qualify you, call 1-800-MEDICARE before assuming you're stuck.

A few 2027 program facts worth knowing before you decide

Whatever plan you're weighing, these program-level numbers apply across the board in 2027:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027. Once your covered drug spending reaches that amount, you pay nothing more for covered Part D drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027. Individual plans may set a lower deductible.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone. Part D now has three phases, not four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. You can opt in to spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA. Higher-income beneficiaries pay income-related surcharges on Part B and Part D; for 2026, these start above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Where to get personal help in Greensboro

Because plan details vary and your prescriptions, doctors, and budget are personal, use official, unbiased resources before you switch:

• Medicare.gov — compare plans available in Guilford County using the Plan Finder.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — 24/7 help, including confirming whether a life event qualifies for a Special Enrollment Period.
• North Carolina SHIIP — the State Health Insurance Information Program offers free, one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers. It is North Carolina's SHIP.