If you choose to disenroll from Medicare Part A and/or B, you may receive a penalty when you reapply later on. If you have Original Medicare Parts A and B; you can add a Medicare Advantage (Part C), Medicare Prescription Drug (Part D) or a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) during specific enrollment periods. Below are some of the common election periods.
 

• • AEP: It runs from October 15th – December 7th. During this time, you can make changes to your coverage. You can enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan or Prescription Drug plan. You can switch from one Medicare Advantage Plan to another Medicare Advantage Plan or from Part D to another. You can also drop your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan and go back to Original Medicare at this time.

• • OEP: It runs from January 1st – March 31st. This election is only for those who already have a Medicare Advantage Plan and want to change. You can drop your Medicare Advantage Plan and return to Original Medicare with or without a Part D Drug Plan. You can also switch your Medicare Advantage Plan to another Medicare Advantage Plan.

• SEP: A Special Enrollment Period (SEP) allows for you to change your plan outside of the normal election period.