Medicare Annual Enrollment 2026: Key Dates and What’s Changing for Florida Seniors
Medicare Annual Enrollment for 2026, often called AEP, runs October 15 through December 7, 2026. Changes you make take effect January 1, 2027, not this year. Florida seniors should review their Annual Notice of Change, check their drug list and doctor network, and get a free plan review before the December 7 deadline.
If you’re in Lake City, Live Oak, Lake Butler, Jasper, Branford, High Springs, Gainesville, or anywhere else in North Central Florida, this is the window that decides what your Medicare coverage looks like for all of next year. It’s worth eight weeks of your attention.
When Is Medicare Annual Enrollment in 2026?
Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period, often shortened to AEP, opens October 15 and closes December 7, 2026. Medicare.gov confirms this window every year, and it doesn’t shift for weekends or holidays.
Here’s the part people miss: the plan you pick during this fall window doesn’t start right away. It takes effect January 1, 2027. When you’re comparing coverage in October and November, you’re really shopping for next year, not this one.
Every fall, our Lake City office fills up with neighbors who set aside their plan mailer with good intentions and never got around to opening it. By the time they call in early December, the choices left are thinner than they’d like.
What Is Changing for the 2026 AEP?
Two numbers are worth knowing before you start comparing plans. The standard Medicare Part B premium rose to $202.90 a month for 2026, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The yearly cap on what you pay out of pocket for Part D, the federal program that covers your prescriptions, landed at $2,100, per CMS’s Part D program instructions.
Beyond the numbers, carriers reshuffle their plan lineups every year. Some drop a plan from a county. Some change which pharmacies count as preferred. Some swap which specialists sit in network. None of that shows up unless you read the Annual Notice of Change your current plan mails you each September.
We commonly see people assume their plan renews exactly as it was last year. It rarely does.
That matters more in a smaller market like ours. When a carrier pulls back or changes a plan here, it can narrow your options faster than it would somewhere with dozens of competing plans.
What Should You Review Before You Enroll?
Before AEP closes, walk through three things.
Start with your Annual Notice of Change. It spells out next year’s premium, deductible, and any coverage that’s disappearing.
Next, check your drug list against the plan’s formulary. A medication covered this year can move to a higher tier, or drop off the list, without much warning.
Then confirm your doctors and hospital are still in network. This matters most if you’re on a Medicare Advantage plan with a defined provider list.
If you lean on prescription coverage, do the same check against your Part D plan before AEP closes.
None of this takes long once you know what to look for. Most of it takes longer alone than it does with someone reading the paperwork alongside you.
When Should You Call a Licensed Agent?
Call before the crowd does. Late October through mid-November gives you options; the first week of December gives you whatever is still open.
A free plan review with a licensed agent from our Lake City team walks through your medications, your doctors, and your budget, then matches that against what’s actually available across Columbia County and the rest of North Central Florida.
Get your free review before the window closes, or call us at (386) 222-3030.
This costs you nothing. Carriers pay the broker, not the client, so the review is free whether you enroll with us or not.
Our agents are licensed to sell Medicare coverage in Florida, and our team includes a Registered Social Security Analyst (RSSA®), which comes in handy when your Medicare timing and your Social Security timing need to line up. We’re also members of NABIP, the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals.
What Can You Change During Annual Enrollment?
During AEP, you can move in almost any direction. Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or go the other way. Swap one Medicare Advantage plan for another. Add, drop, or change a Part D drug plan.
What you can’t do here is enroll in or change a Medigap policy, sometimes called Medicare Supplement insurance, on the same guaranteed terms. Medigap runs on its own six-month window tied to when you first enroll in Part B, not to AEP.
If you’re already on a Medicare Advantage plan and miss this window, you get one more shot. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31, and it allows just one change: you can switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or drop yours and return to Original Medicare.
Not sure whether you actually need help sorting through this, or whether you could manage it on your own? We wrote a full breakdown of what a broker does and why it doesn’t cost you anything.
What Happens If You Miss the December 7 Deadline?
If December 7 passes and you haven’t acted, your current plan typically renews on its own. That’s fine if your plan is still a good fit. It’s a problem if your drug isn’t covered anymore, or your surgeon just left the network.
Outside of AEP, most people are locked out until the following fall unless they qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, triggered by things like moving or losing employer coverage.
Missing your very first Medicare enrollment window is a different, costlier mistake. Going without Part D or Part B coverage when you’re first eligible can mean a permanent premium penalty. Here’s how those late enrollment penalties work and how to avoid them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between AEP and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period?
AEP runs October 15 through December 7 and is open to anyone with Medicare. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31 and only applies if you’re already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, limited to one plan change.
Can I switch from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare during AEP?
Yes. AEP lets you drop a Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare, and add a standalone Part D plan at the same time if you want drug coverage.
Do I need to do anything if I want to keep my current plan?
Not technically, since most plans auto-renew. But we’d still read your Annual Notice of Change first. Premiums, networks, and drug coverage can shift year to year even when you don’t change a thing.
Is it free to work with a Medicare broker during Annual Enrollment?
Yes. Insurance carriers pay licensed brokers directly, so a plan review through our Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage specialists doesn’t cost you anything, whether you’re comparing plans for the first time or checking your current one.
Is Annual Enrollment the same as my Initial Enrollment Period?
No. Your Initial Enrollment Period is the seven-month window built around your 65th birthday, when you first sign up for Medicare. AEP is a separate, recurring fall window for anyone already on Medicare who wants to change coverage.
Annual Enrollment gives you eight weeks to get this right, not eight weeks to get it perfect on your own. If you’d rather talk it through with someone local, reach out to our team or call (386) 222-3030 before December 7.
