Leaving Medicare Advantage during October 15–December 7 does not, by itself, guarantee you can buy a Medigap policy without health questions.

You can always return to Original Medicare during open enrollment. But a Medigap insurer can ask health questions and decline you unless you have a guaranteed-issue right. Find your situation in the table below, then apply from 60 days before your plan ends to 63 days after — and line up Part D at the same time.

• Do I have a right?
• Deadlines
• Which plans?
• Birthday rule
• State exceptions
• No right?
• Part D
• Documents

→ Use the Medigap Rights Checker.

And the detail most guides skip: different rights unlock different plans.

Can You Switch From Medicare Advantage to Medigap?

Yes, you can — but the insurer may ask health questions unless you have a guaranteed-issue right.

If you want to switch from Medicare Advantage to Medigap, there are two separate steps. First, you leave your plan and return to Original Medicare during an enrollment period that allows it. Second, you buy a Medigap policy under Medigap’s own rules. Open enrollment helps with the first step. It does not settle the second.

Medigap works only with Original Medicare. Insurers generally can’t sell you a policy while you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan, unless you’re switching back and your plan will end before the Medigap policy starts. You can apply before your plan ends and ask the policy to start when it does.

Choosing between plans is a different job. For that, see Medicare Advantage Plans: Costs, Benefits & Picks and How to Compare Medicare Advantage Plans. If a denied claim is part of why you’re leaving, these may help: How to File a Health Insurance Appeal and Denied by an Algorithm?

Why Open Enrollment Doesn’t Guarantee Medigap

Open enrollment controls when you can leave a Medicare Advantage plan; it doesn’t control whether a Medigap company must accept you.

From October 15 to December 7, you can change from a Medicare Advantage plan back to Original Medicare, with or without a drug plan. Changes take effect January 1. From January 1 to March 31, people already in a Medicare Advantage plan can make one change: switch plans or return to Original Medicare. That change takes effect the first of the month after the plan gets your request. Neither period creates a Medigap guarantee on its own.

Medigap has its own one-time window. Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period lasts six months and starts the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older. It doesn’t repeat each year. Outside it, and without a guaranteed-issue right, a company may charge more, offer fewer options, or deny you based on your health.

For context, CMS’s September 28, 2026 release projects about 34 million people in Medicare Advantage plans in 2027. That figure comes from plan projections, which CMS says have tended to understate actual enrollment (CMS press release). A KFF analysis estimated that roughly nine in ten Medicare Advantage enrollees age 65 and older, about 22.4 million people as of 2022, lacked Medigap guaranteed-issue protection beyond the trial period (KFF).

Your Federal Guaranteed-Issue Rights

Federal law gives you a guaranteed-issue right in specific situations, and each right unlocks a different set of plans.

In these situations the insurer must sell you a policy, must cover your pre-existing conditions without a waiting period, and can’t charge you more because of your health. Medicare.gov also calls these “Medigap protections.” You only have the right if you switch to Original Medicare, not if you join another Medicare Advantage plan.

*Plans C and F are no longer available to people new to Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. If you were eligible before that date but hadn’t yet enrolled, you may still be able to buy them. People new to Medicare on or after January 1, 2020 have the right to buy Plan D or G instead, which give the same benefits except the Part B deductible.

If more than one situation fits you, you can choose the right that works best. Some older charts and insurer pages also list Plans K and L for these rights. The March 2026 federal guide does not, so ask your SHIP whether any insurer in your state would offer them to you.

The 60-Day / 63-Day Window

You can apply as early as 60 days before your Medicare Advantage coverage ends and no later than 63 days after it ends.

1. Day −60: earliest to apply
2. Plan ends: your last day of Medicare Advantage coverage
3. Day +63: last day to apply

Example: if your coverage ends December 31, 2026, your window runs from November 1, 2026 through March 4, 2027. The checker above does this math for you.

Medigap can’t start until your Medicare Advantage coverage ends. Ask the insurer to start the policy when your plan ends so you have no gap. Generally, a Medigap policy begins the first day of the month after you apply, so applying early helps.

If your plan is leaving Medicare and you don’t choose another Medicare Advantage plan during open enrollment, you’re automatically enrolled in Original Medicare. If you want Medigap, don’t wait for that to happen. Apply early.

Trial Rights: Your First Year in Medicare Advantage

A trial right lets you try Medicare Advantage once and still buy Medigap if you change your mind within the first year.

There are two versions. In the first, you joined Medicare Advantage (or a PACE program) when you were first eligible for Part A at 65. If you decide within a year to switch to Original Medicare, you can buy any Medigap policy sold in your state. In the second, you dropped a Medigap policy to join Medicare Advantage for the first time. If you leave within a year, you can buy back the same policy if the same insurer still sells it. If not, you can buy Plan A, B, C*, D, F*, or G.

Both use the same 60-days-before to 63-days-after window. Medicare.gov notes your rights may last an extra 12 months in certain circumstances, so contact your state insurance department if you’re close to the one-year mark.

Your Plan Is Leaving for 2027: What to Do Now

If your plan is leaving Medicare or your area for 2027, you’ll usually get a Plan Non-Renewal Notice in the mail in October, and you have a federal Medigap right.

1. Read the notice and write down your coverage end date. Keep the letter and the envelope.
2. Decide your direction: another Medicare Advantage plan, or Original Medicare with Medigap and a drug plan. For the first, see our guide to comparing plans.
3. If you choose Medigap, run the checker above and call your SHIP to confirm your right and your plan options.
4. Apply for Medigap early. Ask for the policy to start when your plan ends.
5. Line up Part D to start the same day. See Don’t Forget Part D.
6. Don’t drop your current coverage until you’re approved in writing and your drug plan is lined up.

State Rules, Sorted by Type

Some states add their own protections, but most state rules help people who already have Medigap, not people leaving Medicare Advantage.

Federal rights are the floor. States can add more. We sort the state rules by what they do, because “guaranteed issue” means different things in different places. Sources are the NAIC chart (May 11, 2026) unless noted. Tap a state to open its note.

Medigap Birthday Rule States: 2027 Table

Fifteen states have an active birthday rule in 2026 and New Mexico joins on January 1, 2027, which makes 16; these rules generally help people who already have Medigap, not people leaving Medicare Advantage.

No Guaranteed-Issue Right? Your Options

Without a right, an insurer may ask health questions, charge more, or say no, but you still have choices.

Stay in Medicare Advantage or switch plans

You can compare other Medicare Advantage plans during open enrollment or, if you’re already in a plan, during January–March. See How to Compare Medicare Advantage Plans.

Return to Original Medicare without Medigap

This is allowed. Original Medicare generally has no yearly cap on what you pay, and you typically owe 20% coinsurance on many services, while most Medicare Advantage plans have a cap. For how deductibles and out-of-pocket costs work, see How Health Insurance Works.

Apply for Medigap with health questions

You can apply before your plan ends and ask for the policy to start when it does. The insurer decides whether to offer you a plan and at what price. Ask whether there’s a waiting period for pre-existing conditions. Medicare.gov says such a waiting period can be up to 6 months, and recent creditable coverage can shorten or remove it. Apply early: if you’re leaving during open enrollment, you’ll want the decision before the December 7 deadline to leave your plan.

Check your state’s rules

Run the checker and read the state rules. A state right may apply even when no federal right does.

Ask your SHIP before you drop anything

State Health Insurance Assistance Programs give free, unbiased counseling. Find yours at shiphelp.org.

Don’t Forget Part D

If your Medicare Advantage plan included drug coverage, leaving it ends that coverage, so you need a standalone Part D plan that starts the same day.

Medigap plans sold after 2005 don’t include drug coverage. You may owe a Part D late enrollment penalty if, at any time after your Initial Enrollment Period, you go 63 or more days in a row without Part D or other creditable drug coverage. Medicare.gov says the penalty is 1% of the national base beneficiary premium ($38.99 in 2026) for each full uncovered month, and you generally pay it as long as you have Part D. People who get Extra Help don’t pay it.

Open enrollment (October 15–December 7) lets you join a drug plan starting January 1. If you drop Medicare Advantage during January–March, you can add a standalone drug plan then. CMS projects the average standalone Part D premium will rise from $35.09 in 2026 to $36.00 in 2027 (CMS).

Documents and Scripts

Gather proof of your right before you apply, and use the scripts below when you call.

Documents to keep

• Plan Non-Renewal Notice (and the envelope)
• Disenrollment confirmation
• Proof of move, if you moved out of the service area
• Your Medicare Advantage enrollment date
• Prior Medigap policy and its termination letter, if you use a trial right
• Part D confirmation

Call scripts

SHIP call script

I'm leaving my Medicare Advantage plan on [date]. Do I have a federal or state guaranteed-issue right for Medigap in [state], which plans can I buy, and what proof do I need?

Insurer application script

I'm applying under my guaranteed-issue right because [reason]. Please confirm no health questions apply and the policy's start date.

Cover note for your application

Date: [date]
To: [Insurer name], Medigap enrollment
Re: Medigap application under a guaranteed-issue right

I am applying for Medigap Plan [letter] under a guaranteed-issue right because [reason, for example: my Medicare Advantage plan is leaving my area].
My Medicare Advantage coverage ends on [date]. Please start my Medigap policy when that coverage ends.

Enclosed proof:
- [Plan Non-Renewal Notice dated ___]
- [Disenrollment confirmation]
- [Other documents]

Please confirm in writing that no health questions or waiting periods apply, and tell me my start date.

[Your name]
[Your phone number]

What Medigap Will — and Won’t — Cost You

Medigap premiums vary by plan, insurer, where you live, and how the insurer sets prices.

You pay the Medigap premium in addition to your monthly Part B premium. Each policy is priced one of three ways. Community-rated policies charge generally the same premium regardless of age. Issue-age-rated policies base the premium on your age when you buy. Attained-age-rated policies rise as you get older. In most states, all plans with the same letter offer the same basic benefits, so price is the main difference. Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin standardize their plans differently.

Higher-income households pay extra on Part B and Part D premiums. See IRMAA 2026 Brackets. Medigap generally doesn’t cover long-term care, vision or dental care, hearing aids, glasses, or private-duty nursing. For long-term care, see Is Long-Term Care Insurance Worth It?

Ask insurers how they price the policy, whether premiums have risen recently, and what discounts apply. Your SHIP can often share a state rate guide.

FAQ

This article is general information, not insurance or legal advice. Medicare and state rules change. State data last verified October 5, 2026. Last updated October 5, 2026.