My Medicare Advantage plan is ending: what to do
Written by the My Plan Compass team. Last reviewed October 29, 2026, against Medicare.gov.
If your Medicare Advantage plan is leaving Medicare, your plan mails you a Plan Non-Renewal Notice in October. You need a new plan for next year. Choose one by December 7 and it starts January 1, with no gap. You can still choose one until the last day of February, but if you have not joined a new Medicare Advantage plan when your current one ends, you are moved to Original Medicare.
Sources: Medicare.gov: Plan Non-Renewal Notice and Medicare.gov: Special Enrollment Periods.
What to do, step by step
- Read the letter. It says when your plan ends.
- List your doctors, your prescriptions and the pharmacy you use.
- Compare the plans offered where you live against that list.
- Join a new plan by December 7 so it starts January 1.
If you miss December 7
- You have a special window from December 8 to the last day of February to join another Medicare Advantage plan or a drug plan.
- Until you join one, you have Original Medicare. It does not include a drug plan, so join one quickly if you take prescriptions.
- If you get Extra Help, Medicare also writes to you, and may place you in a drug plan if you do not choose one yourself.
If you want to go back to Original Medicare
Because your plan is leaving, you have a guaranteed right to buy a Medigap policy, a supplement to Original Medicare. The insurance company cannot turn you down or charge you more because of your health. You can apply as early as 60 days before your plan coverage ends and no later than 63 days after it ends. This right does not apply if you join another Medicare Advantage plan. Keep the letter from your plan, because the Medigap company may ask for it. Your state may give you more rights. Source: Medicare.gov: When can I buy Medigap?
Your plan is not leaving, just changing?
Then you get an Annual Notice of Change instead. What to check in it.
This guide is general information, not advice about your situation. We are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.