Medicare Special Enrollment Periods: When You Can Change Plans

A Medicare Special Enrollment Period (SEP) lets you join, switch or drop Medicare Advantage or Medicare drug coverage outside the usual enrollment periods when certain things happen in your life. Each situation has its own rules about what you can change and how long you have. For a move, you usually have 2 months after the event.

Here’s how SEPs work, a table of common situations, and how to use one without missing your window.

How a Medicare Special Enrollment Period works

The main time to change plans is Annual Enrollment, October 15 – December 7, with new coverage starting January 1. If you’re already in a Medicare Advantage plan, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 – March 31, gives you one more change.

A Special Enrollment Period covers the rest of the year when something changes for you. It’s tied to a specific event, such as a move or a change in your other coverage. The window opens because of that event and closes after a set time.

Plan SEPs and the Part B SEP are different

Most SEPs are about Medicare Advantage and drug plans. There’s also a separate Special Enrollment Period for signing up for Part B if you delayed it because you had coverage from a current job. We cover that one in our article on Medicare and employer coverage.

Common situations and what you can do

Moving and losing employer coverage are two of the situations Medicare Special Enrollment Periods are most often used for. Here is what you can generally do in each common case.

Situation	What you can generally do	Good to know
You move to a new address outside your plan’s service area	Join a Medicare Advantage or drug plan that serves your new address	You usually have 2 months after the move
You move to a place with new plan options	Switch to one of the plans available at your new address	You usually have 2 months after the move
You return to the US after living outside the country	Join a Medicare Advantage or drug plan	Ask Medicare how long your window lasts
You move into or out of a nursing home or other institution	Join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or drug plan	Ask Medicare which rules apply to you
You lose job-based coverage	Join a Medicare Advantage or drug plan; sign up for Part B if you delayed it	Part B: 8 months after the job or the coverage ends, whichever is first. Drug coverage: generally 63 days after creditable coverage ends to avoid a late penalty.
You have, gain or lose Medi-Cal or Extra Help	With Medi-Cal or Extra Help, switch to Original Medicare with a drug plan, or change drug plans, once a month	With full Medi-Cal, you can also join an integrated plan once a month. Changes start the first day of the next month. If you lose Medi-Cal or Extra Help, ask Medicare how long you have to make a change.
Your plan leaves your area, or Medicare ends its contract	Choose another Medicare Advantage or drug plan	Ask Medicare how long your window lasts
A plan with a 5-star rating is available in your area	Switch into that 5-star plan	One switch per year, between December 8 and November 30
You’re released from jail	Join a Medicare Advantage or drug plan	Ask Medicare how long your window lasts
You were affected by a FEMA-declared emergency	You may get extra time to make an enrollment change	Ask Medicare whether this applies to you

These are common examples, not a complete list. The length of each window and the changes allowed vary by situation, so confirm your SEP with Medicare before you count on it.

A closer look at three common SEPs

The Medicare SEP for moving

If you move out of your plan’s service area, you need a plan that serves your new address. If you move within the area but have new plan options, you can choose one of them. Either way, you usually have 2 months after the move to make your change.

The 5-star Special Enrollment Period

If a plan with a 5-star quality rating is available in your area, you can switch into it once per year, between December 8 and November 30. This SEP only lets you move into a 5-star plan.

Medi-Cal and Extra Help

Since 2025, people with Medi-Cal or Extra Help can change once a month: into Original Medicare with a stand-alone drug plan, or from one stand-alone drug plan to another. People with full Medi-Cal can also join an integrated plan once a month, such as a Medi-Medi Plan. Changes start the first day of the next month.

How to use a Medicare Special Enrollment Period

1. Write down the date of the event. That might be your move date, the date your coverage ended, or the date on a letter from your plan.
2. Keep paperwork that shows what happened. A letter from your employer or plan, or proof of your new address, can help if you’re asked about your situation.
3. Confirm your window. Call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) or the plan you want to join and ask how long you have.
4. Compare plans that serve your address. Check each plan against your doctors, prescriptions and pharmacy.
5. Enroll before the window closes. Ask when your new coverage will start so you know there’s no gap.

HICAP, California’s Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program (1-800-434-0222), can also help you sort out your options at no charge.

If no Special Enrollment Period applies

You may still have a chance to make a change:

• Annual Enrollment, October 15 – December 7. Anyone with Medicare can join, switch or drop coverage, and changes start January 1. See our Annual Enrollment 2027 guide.
• The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 – March 31. If you’re already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can make one change: switch to another Medicare Advantage plan, or drop to Original Medicare and, if you want, join a stand-alone drug plan. You can’t use it to move from Original Medicare into Medicare Advantage or to switch stand-alone drug plans.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change my Medicare plan outside open enrollment?

Yes, if a Special Enrollment Period applies to you, such as after a move or a change in your Medi-Cal or Extra Help. If you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can also make one change between January 1 and March 31. Otherwise, you’ll generally wait for Annual Enrollment, October 15 – December 7.

How long is the SEP for moving?

You usually have 2 months after the move to make a change. Call Medicare to confirm your exact window. Before you choose, compare the plans that serve your new address.

What is the 5-star Special Enrollment Period?

It lets you switch into a plan with a 5-star quality rating if one is available in your area. You can use it once per year, between December 8 and November 30. It only lets you move into a 5-star plan.

Does COBRA count for the Part B Special Enrollment Period?

No. COBRA and retiree coverage don’t count as coverage from current employment. The 8-month Part B window starts the month after your job or your job-based coverage ends, whichever comes first, even if you take COBRA.

Talk with a licensed Boomers agent

A licensed Boomers agent can go over the Medicare plans we represent in your area and check them against your doctors and prescriptions.

Find a licensed agent near you · See upcoming Medicare events

Or call 1-800-815-1943 (TTY 711), Monday – Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM Pacific.

Sources

• Special Enrollment Periods (Medicare.gov)
• Joining a plan (Medicare.gov)
• Working past 65 (Medicare.gov)
• Avoid late enrollment penalties (Medicare.gov)
• Medicare & You 2027 handbook (Medicare.gov)
• Medicare Counseling (HICAP) (California Department of Aging)