Medicare Supplement

Turning 65 in Alpharetta? Your Medigap clock starts now

Turning 65 in Alpharetta is a milestone — and for anyone thinking about a Medigap policy, it also starts a clock. The day your Medicare Part B coverage begins, so does a six-month window that federal law reserves just for you. Miss it, and the rules for buying a Medigap plan change in ways many people don't see coming.

Here's what Fulton County residents should understand before that window closes.

What the six-month window actually is

The Medigap Open Enrollment Period is a one-time, federally protected six months. It starts the first month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B. If your Part B begins July 1, your window runs July through December.

During those six months, you have what's called a "guaranteed issue right." Any insurer licensed to sell Medigap in Georgia must:

• Sell you any Medigap policy they offer.
• Charge you the same rate they'd charge a healthy person your age.
• Cover pre-existing conditions (a short waiting period can apply if you didn't have prior creditable coverage).

This is the only stretch of time when every Medigap door is guaranteed to be open.

Why this window is different from everything else

Medicare has several enrollment periods — the Annual Enrollment Period from October 15 to December 7, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 to March 31, and various special enrollment events. Those windows apply to Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans.

Medigap is different. It's regulated mostly at the state level and, outside of a handful of narrow guaranteed-issue situations, insurers are not required to accept you at all after your one-time window closes.

That's the piece many Alpharetta readers say catches them off guard: there's no annual "do-over" for Medigap the way there is for Advantage or Part D.

What changes after the six months end

Once your window closes, Georgia insurers can generally use medical underwriting when you apply for a Medigap plan. That means they can look at your health history and:

• Charge you a higher premium based on your health.
• Impose a waiting period for pre-existing conditions.
• Decline to issue a policy at all.

There are limited exceptions — for example, certain guaranteed-issue rights kick in if an employer plan ends or a Medicare Advantage plan leaves your area. But these are narrow, time-sensitive, and not a substitute for using your original six-month window.

How this fits with the rest of Medicare in Fulton County

Alpharetta is in Fulton County, where residents have a full menu of Medicare choices: Original Medicare (Parts A and B), Medicare Advantage plans (Part C), stand-alone Part D drug plans, and Medigap policies that pair with Original Medicare.

A few 2026 program-level facts worth knowing as you plan:

• Part D has a new $2,100 annual out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs.
• The Part D deductible is capped at $615.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year.
• IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D premiums begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Remember: you cannot combine Medigap with a Medicare Advantage plan. Choosing between those two paths is a separate decision, and it's worth thinking through before your Medigap window opens.

Practical steps before the clock runs out

• Confirm the exact month your Part B coverage starts — that's the start of your six months.
• Compare the standardized Medigap plan letters (Plan G, Plan N, and so on). Benefits within a letter are the same across insurers; premiums are not.
• Ask whether the insurer uses "community-rated," "issue-age," or "attained-age" pricing, since that affects how premiums change over time.
• If you're still working past 65 and have employer coverage, talk with your benefits office before delaying Part B, so you don't accidentally shorten or delay your Medigap window.