5 things to know about enrolling in a Medicare prescription drug plan:
In order to qualify for Medicare Part D coverage, you first must be enrolled in Medicare Part A and/or Part B.
Once you are eligible, you need to apply during a Part D enrollment period. If you do not sign up for a Part D plan when you are first eligible and you do not have creditable coverage, you may be required to pay a monthly late enrollment penalty once you do enroll.
If you already have a Medicare Advantage plan, you may not be eligible for a Part D plan, depending on the type of plan you are enrolled in. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage, you can't add a standalone prescription drug plan.
Enrollment period | Dates | What you can do during this period |
Initial Enrollment Period | Starts 3 months before the month you turn 65 Ends 3 months after the month you turn 65 |
Sign up for a Medicare Part D plan |
Medicare Open Enrollment Period (aka Annual Enrollment) | Starts October 15 Ends December 7 |
- Sign up for a Medicare Part D plan - Switch Medicare Part D plans - Leave a Medicare Part D plan |
Special Enrollment Period | Depends on your personal situation | Depends on your personal situation |
You must wait for an enrollment period to sign up for, make changes to, or leave a Medicare Part D plan.
If you need prescription drug coverage, it is important to enroll in a Part D plan during your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) or when you are first eligible. If not, you may face a late penalty.
If your IEP ends and there is a period of 63 days or more in a row when you do not have creditable prescription drug coverage, you may have a late enrollment penalty added to your monthly premium for as long as you have Medicare prescription drug coverage.
Drug coverage is creditable if it pays – on average – at least as much as the standard Medicare prescription drug coverage.
Find your personal situation below to determine when you can enroll in, leave, or make changes to a Part D prescription drug plan.
If none of these situations apply to you, you may be able to qualify for a special enrollment period depending on your personal situation.
You can join a Medicare prescription drug plan during your Initial Enrollment Period.
Your IEP is 7 months long. It starts 3 full months before the month you turn 65. It continues through the month of your 65th birthday, and then for another 3 full months.
Example: You turn 65 on June 5. Your IEP starts on March 1 (3 full months before June) and ends September 30 (3 full months after June).
If you are enrolling during your IEP, your coverage will start at the following times:
You can enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan between April 1 and June 30.
You can enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan after you have been getting Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits for 21 full months. After that point, you have 7 full months to enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan.
You can make changes to your current Part D plan, switch plans, or drop your prescription drug coverage entirely during the annual fall Open Enrollment Period, which runs from October 15 to December 7 each year.
If you make changes during this time, your new coverage will begin on January 1 of the following year.
In addition to the situations outlined above, you also may be able to add, change, or drop Part D plan coverage under special circumstances that qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period. The following are a few examples of situations that could qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period:
Medicare.gov provides details for each Special Enrollment Period.
Are you looking to enroll in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan?
p>To compare plans where you live, you can call to speak with a licensed insurance agent. You can also compare plans online for free.
Or call TTY Users: 711 to speak with a licensed insurance agent. We accept calls 24/7!
You can also compare Part D plans and enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan online when you visit MyRxPlans.com.
Compare your Medigap plan options by visiting MedicareSupplement.com
Visit site