Medicare Advantage

One Medicare Advantage Change Allowed in Rapid City, Jan–March

RAPID CITY, S.D. — If the plan you picked during fall enrollment isn't fitting the way you hoped, you still have room to move. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31, giving people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan a second chance each year to make one change.

One More Chance to Adjust Your Coverage

Think of it as a course correction. The busier Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) is when most people compare and switch plans. But if you started the new year and realized your doctor isn't in-network, your medications aren't covered the way you expected, or the plan just isn't a good match, this window exists for you.

What You Can Change Between January 1 and March 31

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (often shortened to MA-OEP) is more limited than fall enrollment. During this window, if you are currently enrolled 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 do this, you can also add a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan.

You can make one change during this period, and the change takes effect the first day of the following month.

What You Cannot Do During This Window

This is where a lot of Rapid City readers get tripped up. The MA-OEP is not a do-over for everyone. During January 1 – March 31, you cannot:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan (if you weren't already in one).
• Join a stand-alone Part D drug plan if you're staying in Original Medicare and didn't have one before.
• Switch from one stand-alone Part D plan to another.

Those kinds of moves generally belong to the fall Annual Enrollment Period or to a Special Enrollment Period triggered by a life event like moving or losing other coverage.

Why People in Pennington County Use This Window

Rapid City is in Pennington County, where residents have a wide range of Medicare Advantage plans to choose from. With that many options, it's common to sign up in the fall and then discover in January or February that something isn't right — a specialist at Monument Health isn't in-network, a prescription costs more than expected at the pharmacy counter, or the plan's rules for referrals don't fit how you use care.

The MA-OEP gives you time to actually use your plan for a few weeks before deciding whether to keep it.

A Few 2026 and 2027 Numbers Worth Knowing

Whether you stay put or switch, some program-wide changes are worth factoring into your decision for 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for 2026. Once your drug spending reaches that limit, you pay $0 for covered drugs for the rest of the year.
• The Part D deductible cannot exceed $615 in 2026.
• The coverage gap (donut hole) is gone as of 2025 — 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 payments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy.
• IRMAA surcharges (higher Part B and Part D premiums for higher earners) begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

These are program-level facts set by Medicare, not features of any one plan.

How to Compare Plans Without Getting Overwhelmed

If you're weighing a change, the most reliable place to start is the Plan Finder at medicare.gov. Enter your ZIP code and your prescriptions, and you can see how different plans in Pennington County would treat your specific drugs and providers.

You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24/7. For unbiased, one-on-one help from a trained counselor in South Dakota, contact SHIINE (Senior Health Information & Insurance Education), which is South Dakota's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Their counselors do not sell insurance.