Medicare Advantage

Jan.–March: Your Medicare Advantage Switch Window

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — If you looked at your Medicare Advantage plan in January, opened the mail, and thought, "This isn't quite what I signed up for," you are not stuck. From January 1 through March 31, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period gives people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan a chance to make one change.

North Charleston seniors get a second chance to adjust their coverage

It is a quieter enrollment window than the fall — no commercials, fewer reminders — but for Lowcountry retirees who want to fine-tune their coverage before spring, it matters.

What the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period actually lets you do

This window is narrower than the fall Annual Enrollment Period. During January 1 – March 31, if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can:

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

You can only make one change during this period, and it takes effect the first day of the month after the plan gets your request.

What you cannot do in this window

This is where readers get tripped up. The January–March window is not for everyone. You cannot:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan (unless another special right applies).
• Join a Part D drug plan if you are staying on Original Medicare and did not have one on January 1.
• Switch from one stand-alone Part D plan to another.

Those moves belong to the fall Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 – December 7, according to CMS (medicare.gov).

The local picture in Charleston County

North Charleston sits in Charleston County, and that is the level where Medicare sets plan availability. When you compare options on Medicare's Plan Finder, you will see the full list of Medicare Advantage and Part D plans offered to Charleston County residents — the same menu whether you live near Park Circle, Ashley Phosphate, or out toward the airport.

If you want to know exactly how many plans and carriers serve the county this year, the official count is on medicare.gov when you enter your ZIP code.

2026 rules worth knowing before you switch

Before you change plans, keep a few program-level facts in mind for 2026:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100. Once your covered drug spending hits that amount, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D deductible maximum: $615. Plans can charge less, but not more.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone — Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA (the income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D) kicks in above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

These figures apply nationwide, regardless of which plan you choose.

How to make a smart move — not a rushed one

Before switching, pull out your plan's Evidence of Coverage and check three things:

1. Your doctors. Are the specialists and hospitals you use still in-network under any plan you are considering? MUSC Health, Roper St. Francis, and Trident are the major systems in the North Charleston area, and networks change year to year. 2. Your prescriptions. Every plan has a formulary. A drug that was covered last year may sit on a different tier — or not be covered at all — this year. 3. Your travel. If you spend part of the year outside South Carolina, ask how the plan handles care away from home.

For unbiased help, South Carolina's SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program), called SC Thrive / GetCareSC, offers free one-on-one counseling. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).