Open Enrollment 2027
Every date that matters this fall
Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period and ACA Open Enrollment fall weeks apart and follow different rules. Here is the whole calendar in one place, what to have ready before it opens, and how to handle it yourself if you would rather not talk to anyone.
—days
October 15, 2026 — mark it now, because the window closes December 7.
Two Different Windows
Which one applies to you
Medicare Annual Enrollment (AEP)
October 15 – December 7, 2026
You have Medicare, or you will by January 1, 2027.
- Join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage plan
- Join, switch or drop a Part D prescription plan
- Return to Original Medicare from an Advantage plan
Medigap is not part of AEP. Outside your one-time six-month Medigap open enrollment window, a Medigap insurer can ask health questions and decline you.
ACA Open Enrollment
November 1, 2026 – January 15, 2027
You are under 65 and buy your own health insurance.
- Enroll in a 2027 Marketplace plan for the first time
- Switch to a different plan or metal tier
- Update your income so your subsidy is calculated correctly
December 15 is the date that actually matters. Enroll after it and coverage does not start until February 1 — you would be uninsured for January.
The Calendar
Every date, in order
Medicare AEP opens
October 15, 2026
The first day you can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for 2027. Plans may not market 2027 benefits before October 1, so this is when the real comparison starts.
ACA Open Enrollment opens
November 1, 2026
Marketplace plans for 2027 go on sale at healthcare.gov. Wyoming and Utah both use the federal Marketplace, so residents of either state apply in the same place.
Medicare AEP closes
December 7, 2026
The hard deadline. Whatever plan you hold on December 8 is your plan for 2027 unless a Special Enrollment Period or the Jan 1 – Mar 31 Advantage window applies to you.
ACA deadline for January 1 coverage
December 15, 2026
Enroll in a Marketplace plan by this date and coverage starts January 1, 2027. Enroll after it and your start date slips to February 1 — a full month uninsured.
2027 coverage begins
January 1, 2027
New Medicare plan choices and January-effective Marketplace plans take effect. Fill one prescription early to confirm the pharmacy has your new coverage on file.
ACA Open Enrollment closes
January 15, 2027
Last day to enroll in or change a 2027 Marketplace plan. Coverage from a plan chosen between December 16 and this date begins February 1, 2027.
Medicare Advantage window closes
March 31, 2027
If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you get one change between January 1 and this date — switch to another Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare. This window is not open to everyone.
Before It Opens
What to have ready
Gather these in September and the enrollment itself takes about twenty minutes instead of a frustrating afternoon.
- Your Medicare number, or Social Security numbers for everyone in the household for a Marketplace application
- Every prescription — generic name, dosage and how often you take it
- Your preferred pharmacy, since the same plan prices drugs differently by pharmacy
- The doctors and hospitals you want to keep, written down by name
- Your Annual Notice of Change, which your current plan mails each September and which lists exactly what is changing
- Your best estimate of next year's household income if you are applying through the Marketplace
Not Yet Published
What nobody knows yet
CMS publishes the 2027 Part B premium, the deductibles and the IRMAA income brackets in the fall, usually in November. Medicare Advantage and Part D plans cannot market their 2027 benefits until October 1.
That means any site quoting you a 2027 premium today is guessing. We would rather say so than fill the gap with a number. Every figure on this site is a verified current-year amount until the real 2027 releases land, and this page will be updated within days of them publishing.
Free Help
You do not have to use an agent
Medicare's own Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare lists every plan in your ZIP code, including ones no agent is appointed with. It is the most complete tool that exists and it costs nothing.
1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is staffed around the clock. Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program offers free one-on-one counseling and sells nothing at all — Wyoming's is the Wyoming State Health Insurance Information Program, Utah's runs through the Utah Department of Insurance.
The same plan costs the same whether you enroll through an agent, through Medicare directly, or on your own. Carriers set premiums; using an agent does not add to them.
Want a second pair of eyes before December 7?
A review takes about half an hour and costs nothing. Or skip the appointment and compare plans yourself — both links carry no obligation.
Call (307) 218-5013