Timing
Your Medicare Supplement open enrollment window in Maryland
For a Medicare Supplement, timing does more work than almost any other choice. One six-month window decides whether you can buy any plan without health questions. Here is how it works, what changes when you are still working, and what your options look like once it closes.
The six months that matter most
Your Medigap open enrollment period lasts six months and begins when you are 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B. During it, a company must sell you any Supplement plan it offers in your area, at the same rates it charges others your age, whatever your health history. Maryland does not have a yearly open enrollment period for Supplements, so this window is the one that counts.
It starts once, and it does not restart. If you let it lapse and apply later, companies may ask about your health. They can decline you or charge more, which is called medical underwriting.
How it lines up with turning 65
Your Initial Enrollment Period for Medicare lasts seven months: the three months before your birthday month, the birthday month itself and the three months after. Clever 64-year-olds often use that stretch to learn the options before anything starts. A common path looks like this:
- About three months before you turn 65: start learning what Medicare covers and what you would pay.
- Your Part B start month: your Supplement open enrollment begins when Part B starts and you are 65 or older.
- The six months after that: compare plans and apply while health questions cannot be used against you.
If you are still working at 65
Plenty of people keep working past 65, including around Naval Air Station Patuxent River and its contractors, and stay on employer coverage. If that coverage is a good fit, you may choose to delay Part B. Because the Supplement window starts when you enroll in Part B, delaying Part B also delays your guaranteed window. That works in your favor if you plan it, and against you if you do not, so we like to talk through the dates before you decide. Whether you should delay Part B depends on the size of your employer and the details of its plan, which we can help you sort out.
When you can still buy or switch after the window
- Guaranteed issue rights. Certain events give you a right to buy specific plans without health questions, for example losing certain kinds of other coverage. These rights usually have a short deadline, often 63 days, so move quickly once you know.
- Trial rights. If you drop a Supplement to try Medicare Advantage for the first time, you get a single 12-month period to get a Supplement back if the same company still sells it. If it is not available, you may be able to buy certain other policies depending on state law and when you became eligible for Medicare.
- A birthday window. Maryland law provides an additional enrollment window tied to your birthday for some people who already have a Supplement and want to move to a plan with equal or lesser benefits. It has conditions, so please call us to confirm whether it applies to you before you rely on it.
- Under 65 on Medicare. If you qualify for Medicare because of a disability, Maryland has separate rules for the first months after you enroll in Part B. These rules changed recently, so we check the current details with you.
Outside these situations, switching usually means medical underwriting. Before you drop any coverage, talk with us so nothing lapses.
Why this window is not the same as October through December
Every fall, from October 15 to December 7, people can change Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. That is the Annual Enrollment Period, and it is happening now. It does not give you a new Supplement open enrollment. If your question is about a Supplement, the dates on this page are the ones that apply. If your question is about a drug plan, see our Supplement and Part D page.
Common questions
How long is the Medigap open enrollment period in Maryland?
It is six months. It begins when you are 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B. During it, you can buy any Supplement plan sold in your area without medical underwriting.
Does Maryland have a yearly Medigap open enrollment?
No. Maryland does not have a yearly open enrollment period for Supplements, so the window that follows your Part B start is the most important one.
Should I cancel my Supplement before joining a Medicare Advantage plan?
Please talk with us first. Dropping a Supplement can be hard to undo, and you may face health questions if you want it back. We explain your options before you cancel anything.
Not sure where you are in your window?
Tell us your birthday and the month your Part B started, and we will work out your dates with you. There is no cost for the conversation, and no pressure to buy. Call (410) 896-1212, or see how the plans differ on our plan comparison page.