Your Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment Period is a one-time, 6-month window that starts the month you turn 65 and are enrolled in Part B. During it, insurers must sell you any plan they offer at the standard rate regardless of health history. Outside that window, buying a Medigap policy in most states means answering health questions and possible rate-ups or denial.
Your Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment Period starts the first month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B, and runs for 6 months. Insurers can't deny you or charge more based on health during this window.
Outside your one-time Open Enrollment window, most states allow medical underwriting for Medigap applications, meaning you can be charged more, have a waiting period applied, or be denied coverage entirely based on health history. A few states have additional guaranteed-issue protections or annual windows; the rules vary enough that it's worth checking your specific state rather than assuming.
There are also separate guaranteed-issue rights tied to specific events, like losing employer coverage or a Medicare Advantage plan leaving your area, that can open a new window outside the main one.
The whole value of the Open Enrollment window is that it doesn't matter whether you're healthy or not. Waiting until a health issue comes up to shop for Medigap is exactly when underwriting can work against you. Guy times this conversation around your 65th birthday specifically so you don't miss it.
The first day of the month you're both 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B. It runs for 6 months from that date and doesn't repeat.
Federal law doesn't guarantee an Open Enrollment window for under-65 Medicare beneficiaries, but many states require insurers to offer one anyway. This varies significantly by state, so it's worth checking your specific situation.
Generally only during specific guaranteed-issue situations (such as your insurer leaving the market) or in the handful of states with annual guaranteed-issue rules. Otherwise, switching later typically requires new underwriting.
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