Medicare Plans
Medicare Open Enrollment San Antonio, TX
Medicare open enrollment San Antonio residents rely on falls between October 15 and December 7 each year. It's the one stretch when almost anyone on Medicare can switch plans without a qualifying event, and whatever you pick takes effect January 1.
It's also when mailers, TV spots and cold calls flood in. Skip the noise, pull up your own drug list and doctors, and make one clear-eyed decision instead of reacting to an ad.
- October 15 through December 7 every year
- Every change takes effect January 1
- Recheck your drug list and your provider network
- Free plan reviews for Bexar County seniors
What's allowed
What you can change during open enrollment
- Move from Original Medicare into a Medicare Advantage plan
- Drop a Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare
- Swap one Medicare Advantage plan for another
- Add, cancel, or change a standalone Part D drug plan
Medigap runs on its own clock
Medicare Supplement plans sit outside open enrollment entirely. In Texas you can apply for a Medigap plan whenever you like, but once your one-time guaranteed window closes, carriers can ask health questions.
Prepare
A quick check beats an endless comparison
- 1
Open your Annual Notice of Change
It arrives every September and spells out next year's premium, copays, drug tiers, and any network changes.
- 2
Refresh your prescription list
Doses shift, new drugs get added. Bring the current version, since this drives most of the cost swing.
- 3
Recheck your doctors and hospital system
Confirm Methodist Healthcare, Baptist Health System, or your clinic against next year's directory, not this year's.
- 4
Decide before Thanksgiving
December 7 doesn't move. Applications filed in the last days leave no room to fix a mistake.
Other windows
Missed December 7? Here's what's left
Advantage members get a second window from January 1 to March 31 for one change, either to a different Advantage plan or back to Original Medicare with a Part D plan attached. Beyond that, you'd need a Special Enrollment Period triggered by something like moving out of a plan's service area, say from Loop 410 out to Boerne, or losing employer coverage.
Brand new to Medicare? Your Initial Enrollment Period around turning 65 applies instead. Unsure which window you're in? Read up on switching Medicare plans.
Book a free San Antonio open enrollment review
We meet with San Antonio clients every fall, whether a change makes sense this year or not.