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Your Medigap open enrollment window
A six-month window when you first have Part B, plus a Maryland birthday window every year after that.
Your Medigap open enrollment window
Timing decides whether health questions apply
Medicare Supplement plans come with a window in which carriers have to accept you no matter your health. Use it, and the process is simple. Miss it, and a carrier may ask health questions, which is called medical underwriting, and may decline or charge more. Maryland also adds a second, yearly window that many residents do not know about. Here is how both work.
Your first window: the six-month open enrollment period
Your Medigap open enrollment period lasts six months. It starts the first month you are both 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B. During that time, a carrier cannot refuse to sell you a plan or charge you more because of your health. You choose the plan letter, and the standardized benefits apply regardless of the carrier.
This window happens once. It does not begin until Part B starts, so people who delay Part B because they are still working can have it start later. If you are turning 65 soon, tell us your birthday and we will work out when yours opens.
Maryland's yearly birthday window
Since July 1, 2023, Maryland gives Supplement policyholders a once-yearly open enrollment period that includes their birthday and the 30 days after it. During it, you may switch to a Supplement policy of equal or lesser benefits without medical underwriting, and you do not have to stay with your current carrier. If you were underwritten and charged less than the preferred rate, you are entitled to the preferred rate during this period. Carriers must send each policyholder a notice of this right between 30 and 60 days before the birthday.
What counts as equal or lesser? Generally, a plan is lesser or equal unless it includes a significant benefit your current plan lacks, or the same benefits with reduced cost-sharing for you. The Maryland Insurance Administration publishes a chart of which plans qualify, and we use it to check your options. For example, someone with Plan G can generally move to Plan N, but Plan N to Plan G would not qualify because it adds benefits.
This rule helps if your premium has crept up and you want to see what other carriers charge for the same plan letter. It does not help if you want more coverage than you already have.
Other times you may have guaranteed access
Certain life events give you guaranteed issue rights, which let you buy a plan without health questions. Common ones include losing employer or retiree coverage, a Medicare Advantage plan leaving your area, and, in some cases, a trial period after first joining an Advantage plan. Each has its own timing and paperwork, so call us before assuming a window applies. Never cancel coverage before the new coverage is confirmed.
A simple timeline
| When | What opens |
|---|---|
| Three months before 65 | Your Medicare enrollment period begins. This is a good time to talk with us. |
| Month you are 65 and in Part B | Your six-month Medigap open enrollment period starts. |
| Each year, birthday plus 30 days | Maryland birthday window for equal or lesser benefits. |
| Life event, such as losing group coverage | Possible guaranteed issue rights. Ask us. |
Supplement or Advantage first?
If you start with a Medicare Advantage plan and later want a Supplement plan, you may face health questions unless a guaranteed issue right applies. That is not a reason to avoid Advantage, which suits many people. It is simply a reason to decide on purpose. Talk with us before dropping any coverage, so there is never a gap.
Next, see how Maryland Supplement pricing works, or compare the plan letters. To check your own dates, call (410) 896-1212.
Check your dates