Difference between Open Enrollment, Annual Enrollment and General Enrollment

Per CMS Medicare and You Handbook 2024, the Medicare Open OEP, or Annual Enrollment Period (AEP), begins on October 15 and runs through December 7th of every year. These periods and regulations should not be confused with the Medicare General Enrollment Period (GEP) and Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, which begin January 1st and run through March 31st every year. These periods have major differences and can be confusing depending on who you are speaking with and their level of knowledge of the Medicare enrollment time frames and terminology.

• You can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan during the Open Enrollment Period (October 15th""December 7th) each year.
• If you join a Medicare Advantage Plan between October 15th - December 7th, you can switch back to Original Medicare or change to a different Medicare Advantage Plan during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1st - March 31.
• When plan changes are made to your Medicare account in Annual or Medicare Open Enrollment (October 15th through December 7th), the changes don't take effect until January 1st of the following year.
• When plan changes are made to your Medicare account in General Enrollment or Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment (January 1st until March 31st), the changes take effect on the first day of the following month, ending on April 1st.
• The Annual Enrollment or Medicare Open Enrollment period allows Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries to change Advantage plans, enroll in or leave an Advantage plan, and go back to Original Medicare.
• If the beneficiary decides to leave a Medicare Advantage Plan and go back to Original Medicare, they will also need to obtain a prescription drug plan (additional fee), which satisfies Part D of Original Medicare and possibly a Medigap Supplement plan (additional fee) to help cover medical bills.