Medicare Supplement

Coconut Creek at 65? Your Medigap Safety Net Lasts 6 Months

# Coconut Creek's one guaranteed Medigap window: what to know before Part B…

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. — If you're approaching 65 in Broward County, there's one Medicare deadline that quietly carries more weight than the rest. It isn't the Annual Enrollment Period in the fall, and it isn't the Medicare Advantage window in the spring. It's the six-month stretch that begins the month your Medicare Part B coverage starts — the only time federal law guarantees you can buy a Medigap policy without being judged on your health history.

Miss that window, and the rules change in ways many new enrollees don't see coming.

What the six-month window actually is

Medigap — also called Medicare Supplement Insurance — is private coverage that helps pay some of the out-of-pocket costs Original Medicare leaves behind, like coinsurance and copayments. It only works alongside Original Medicare (Parts A and B), not Medicare Advantage.

The Medigap Open Enrollment Period is a one-time, six-month window set by federal law. It starts the first month you are both 65 or older AND enrolled in Medicare Part B. So if your Part B coverage begins on July 1, your Medigap window runs July through December.

During those six months, you have what's called a "guaranteed issue" right. That means:

• An insurer must sell you any Medigap policy it offers in Florida.
• It cannot charge you more because of past or current health problems.
• It cannot make you wait for coverage to start (though a limited pre-existing condition waiting period can apply in some cases if you didn't have prior creditable coverage).

Why it's called the "one guaranteed" window

Medicare has many enrollment periods, but most of them apply to Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans. Medigap plays by different rules. Outside your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, Florida insurers are generally allowed to use medical underwriting. That means they can look at your health, ask questions, and either:

• Charge you a higher premium,
• Add a waiting period, or
• Turn you down altogether.

There are a few narrow "guaranteed issue" situations later in life — for example, if you lose certain other coverage — but they're limited and time-sensitive. For most people, this six-month window is the only time the door is fully open.

What changes after the window closes

Once your six months pass, buying a Medigap policy in Florida is no longer automatic. You can still apply, but the insurer decides whether to accept you and at what price. People who develop chronic conditions in their late 60s sometimes discover — too late — that they can no longer switch from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare with a Medigap policy on affordable terms.

That's why the choice you make at 65 matters. Enrolling in Medicare Advantage first and later trying to move to Original Medicare plus Medigap is possible, but the Medigap portion isn't guaranteed after your initial window (outside of specific trial-right rules).

How this fits into Coconut Creek's Medicare landscape

Coconut Creek is in Broward County, where Medicare enrollees have a wide range of Medicare Advantage and Part D plan choices each year during the Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7). But plan availability at the county level is separate from Medigap. Medigap policies in Florida are regulated at the state level, and the same standardized plan letters (Plan G, Plan N, and so on) offer the same core benefits no matter which insurer sells them.

For 2026, a few program-wide numbers are also worth knowing as you plan:

• Part D has a new $2,100 out-of-pocket cap.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone; Part D now has three phases.
• The optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year.
• IRMAA surcharges begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

These figures apply to Part D and Original Medicare — not to Medigap premiums, which vary by insurer.

Steps to take before your Part B start date

1. Confirm the month your Part B coverage begins. That sets your Medigap clock. 2. Compare the standardized Medigap plan letters at medicare.gov to understand what each covers. 3. Decide, before your window opens, whether Original Medicare + Medigap or Medicare Advantage fits your situation. 4. If you want Medigap, apply during the six-month window — not after. 5. For personalized help, call Florida SHINE, Florida's State Health Insurance Assistance Program. Their counselors are free and don't sell insurance.