Enrollment for most people is at age 65 but some people delay enrollment into Part B when they are still working.  When they retire and enroll in Part B, they will be eligible for their Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment for 6 months.

For some people with disability they can qualify for Medicare early.  These people still receive the initial six-month open enrollment period starting with the Part B effective date.  When they turn 65 later, they will receive a second six-month window to enroll.

If your open enrollment period has passed, the insurance company will require you to answer all the health questions on the application.  You can be either approved or denied coverage based on your health.  That’s why it’s important to enroll in the Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment period.   If for some reason you are in poor health and can’t get a Medicare Supplement then you have other options and a Medicare Advantage plan may be the best choice for you.

Many people get these times confused.  As mentioned above Medicare Open Enrollment is for those people turning 65 who have a six-month window to enroll without health questions or being denied coverage.  But if you are over 65 you can still apply for any Medicare Supplement anytime during the year but you will have to answer the health questions and go through the medical underwriting of the insurance company.

Annual Enrollment Period called (AEP) is an Annual 8-week period that occurs each year from October 15th – December 7th.  This time applies to Part D drug plans and Medicare Advantage Plans.  During this time, you can join or leave your Part D drug plan, switch to another drug plan and the same also applies with a Medicare Advantage Plan.  AEP is the only time you can leave your Medicare Advantage plan if you want to go back into original Medicare and get a Medicare Supplement plan.  If you move out of the Medicare Advantage and into a Medicare Supplement you will still be required to go through the health questions and pass the medical underwriting.