Switching Plans Has Real Risks —
Most People Don't Know This

The short version

Talk to a licensed agent before dropping Medicare Advantage or canceling a Medigap plan. If health has changed since you first enrolled, you may not be able to get coverage back at the price you had.

Your one and only guaranteed Medigap window

Starting the month your Part B becomes effective. After this, every Medigap application is subject to underwriting — denials and rate-ups become possible.

After your 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment, you can be denied a Medigap plan or charged more for health conditions. The only "guaranteed issue" right after that is in narrow circumstances — like a trial right or losing a plan.

January–March, you only get ONE change. Use it carefully. If you drop Advantage and go back to Original Medicare, you may not be able to get a Medigap plan because of underwriting (see above).

If you joined a Medicare Advantage plan when you first became eligible — and you switch back to Original Medicare within 12 months — you have a one-time guaranteed-issue right to a Medigap plan. Miss this 12-month window and underwriting kicks in.

Medicare Advantage plans can change premiums, networks, drug formularies, and benefits each January. The plan you chose last year may not be the same plan this year. AEP exists so you can compare and switch — but only in that window.