When can I Enroll in a Plan?

Enrollment Periods

There are only a limited amount of times a person can make a decision to enroll in a PDP. They are:

• The Initial Enrollment Period (IEP)- When a person first because eligible for Medicare there is a 7 month period when they can enroll in a PDP. 
  
  
• They can enroll in a PDP 3 months prior to the month of their Medicare effective date(usually the month of a person’s 65^th birthday), the month of their 65th Birthday or Medicare eligiblity, or 3 months after he/she first becomes eligible for Medicare. 
   
• If a person qualifies for Medicare due to a disability they have this same 7 month period to join a PDP around the month Medicare becomes effective. Those with disabilities will also have this enrollment period around the month of their 65^th birthday.

The only other time during the year a person can join, change or drop a PDP is during the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP).   

• The AEP each year is from November 15 to December 31 for a plan to start January 1^st of the upcoming year. 

Generally, a person is “locked in” with the plan they choose for the calendar year. To join, change, or drop a PDP outside of these enrollment periods, a person would need to qualify for a Special Election Period (SEP). 

Please refer to Enrollment Periods section for more information on the periods listed above.