Medicare open enrollment ends Dec. 7: what to check about home health and hospice before you switch plans

Medicare's annual Open Enrollment Period runs October 15 to December 7; this year's window ends Monday, December 7, 2026. According to Medicare.gov, during this window you can:

• Join, drop or switch Medicare Advantage plans, with or without drug coverage
• Move from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or the other way around
• Join, drop or switch a Medicare drug plan if you're in Original Medicare

Coverage from changes made in this window starts January 1, 2027, and the plan must receive your request by December 7.

Two other windows to know

• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, January 1 to March 31, applies only if you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan. You can switch to another Advantage plan, or drop yours and return to Original Medicare, which also lets you join a separate drug plan.
• Special Enrollment Periods depend on life events, such as moving, losing or changing coverage, getting Medicaid or getting Extra Help with drug costs.

If someone in your family uses home health care

Under Original Medicare, Medicare.gov says you pay nothing for covered home health services (there is a 20% charge for durable medical equipment after the Part B deductible). To qualify, you must be homebound, need part-time or intermittent skilled care, and have a provider who ordered the care and a Medicare-certified agency to provide it. Our home health coverage explainer walks through the rules.

If you're in, or thinking about, a Medicare Advantage plan, Medicare.gov says to check with the plan about its home health benefits. Our own suggested questions for any plan you're considering (these are not from Medicare.gov):

• Is your current home health agency in the plan's network?
• Does the plan require approval before home health starts or continues?
• What will you pay, if anything?

If hospice may be ahead

Medicare's hospice benefit is covered by Part A. Medicare.gov says you qualify when you have Part A, your hospice doctor and your regular doctor (if you have one) certify that you're terminally ill with a life expectancy of six months or less, you accept comfort care instead of care to cure the illness, and you sign a statement choosing hospice.

Medicare.gov says you pay nothing for hospice care from a Medicare-approved provider, with some exceptions it lists. You may pay a copayment of up to $5 per prescription for outpatient drugs for pain and symptom management, and 5% of the Medicare-approved amount for inpatient respite care. You may also have to pay room and board if you live in a facility such as a nursing home. Medicare.gov has a separate section, "What if I'm in a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare health plan?", for people in those plans; we did not summarize it here, so read it on the page.

Free, unbiased help

Medicare.gov points to your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for free, personalized health insurance counseling, and says SHIPs aren't connected to any insurance company or health plan. The same page says to check that a plan covers your prescriptions and the benefits you need, ask your doctors and pharmacies whether they're in network, and review premiums, deductibles and estimated yearly drug costs. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

We don't recommend specific plans.

Related: Does Medicare cover home health care? · The hospice election statement addendum

Sources

• Medicare.gov, Joining a plan
• Medicare.gov, Home health services
• Medicare.gov, Hospice care

Related: our Medicare jurisdictions and MACs guide.

Related: our Illinois home health and hospice hub.

It is general information, not clinical, billing or legal advice.*

Drafted with AI assistance from primary sources and reviewed by Monsaur Othman before publication. Read how we use AI, our editorial policy and our corrections policy.

Informational only, not medical, billing or legal advice. Check with your plan, a SHIP counselor or 1-800-MEDICARE about your own coverage.