Medicare in 2026: The Parts, the Prices, the Deadlines

Most people sign up during their 7-month Initial Enrollment Period, which starts 3 months before the month they turn 65 and ends 3 months after it. If you're already getting Social Security benefits, you're usually enrolled in Parts A and B automatically. If you're still working and covered by a group plan based on your or your spouse's current employment, you may be able to delay Part B without a penalty.

Part A is premium-free with 40 work quarters. Part B costs $202.90 a month in 2026 at the standard rate, more at higher incomes. Drug coverage, supplements, and cost sharing add to that. Medicare is subsidized coverage with real costs, priced in the table on this page.

You can sign up during the General Enrollment Period, January 1 to March 31, with coverage starting the month after you enroll. You may also owe late enrollment penalties: the Part B penalty adds 10% to your premium for each full 12-month period you could have had Part B but didn't, and you generally pay it for as long as you have Part B; a separate penalty applies if you go 63 days or more without Part D or other creditable drug coverage. The main exception is a Special Enrollment Period when group health coverage based on your or your spouse's current employment ends: you then have 8 months to sign up for Part B without the penalty. COBRA and retiree coverage don't count as current employment, so they don't protect you.

Original Medicare excludes routine dental, routine vision, hearing aids, and custodial long-term care. Some Advantage plans include limited dental and vision benefits. Long-term custodial care is paid privately, by Medicaid for those who qualify, or by long-term care insurance.

Yes, during Open Enrollment each fall and during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 to March 31, for people already in an Advantage plan. One caution: switching back to Original Medicare is easy, while buying a Medigap policy on the return trip usually means medical underwriting outside protected windows and states.

Medigap is extra insurance that works alongside Original Medicare to pay costs like deductibles and coinsurance, and lets you see any provider who accepts Medicare. Medicare Advantage replaces Original Medicare with a private plan that usually has a network and a yearly out-of-pocket limit. You can't have both at once.

October 15 to December 7 every year. During it you can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, with changes starting January 1. It isn't a guaranteed time to buy a Medigap policy in most states.

Every state has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) with trained counselors who don't sell insurance. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE or use the Plan Finder on Medicare.gov.