You do not have to do anything to keep your Medicare plan. Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Part D prescription drug plans all renew automatically each year as long as you remain eligible and keep paying any premiums. What you should do is read the notice your plan mails you every fall, because premiums, copays, covered drugs, and provider networks can all change on January 1, and staying enrolled in the same plan does not mean staying under the same terms.
How Automatic Renewal Works
Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) stays in effect year after year with no annual sign-up. As long as you are eligible and pay any applicable premiums, coverage continues.
Medicare Advantage and Part D plans work the same way. If your plan is still offered in your area and you keep paying premiums, your coverage rolls into the next calendar year without any paperwork. If you receive Extra Help with drug costs, that continues too, though your subsidy level is reviewed annually and can change.
The One Piece of Mail You Should Read
Every September, your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan sends you an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). It arrives before the October 15 open enrollment window opens, and it lists every change taking effect the following January: premium increases, new deductibles or copays, adjustments to the out-of-pocket maximum, drugs added or removed from the formulary, and any doctors or pharmacies leaving the network.1Medicare.gov. Plan Annual Notice of Change (ANOC)
Small formulary changes matter more than they look. A drug that moves to a higher cost tier or picks up a prior authorization requirement can cost hundreds of dollars over the year. Network changes hit the same way: if your doctor or preferred pharmacy is no longer in network, you either pay more to keep seeing them or switch providers. Fifteen minutes with the ANOC is the single most useful thing you can do even if you intend to stay put.
When You Will Be Forced to Take Action
A few situations override automatic renewal. If any of these apply, you will get a specific notice and a specific window to act.
- Your plan is discontinued. If your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan stops operating in your area, the plan sends a non-renewal notice in October and you get a special enrollment period to pick a new one. If you do not choose, you go back to Original Medicare without prescription drug coverage.2Medicare.gov. Plan Non-Renewal Notice
- You move out of the plan’s service area. Medicare Advantage and Part D plans have defined geographic areas. A move to a county or state where your plan is not offered means enrolling in a new plan, with a special enrollment period of at least two months after the move.3Medicare.gov. Special Enrollment Periods
- You lose eligibility for a Special Needs Plan. SNPs serve people with specific chronic conditions, institutional care needs, or dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility. If you no longer meet the qualifying conditions, you lose enrollment and may qualify for a special enrollment period to join another plan.4Medicare.gov. Special Needs Plans (SNP)
- Your Extra Help status changes. CMS reviews Extra Help eligibility every year. If you lose full Extra Help or your copayment level shifts, you receive a notice in the fall explaining the change and your options.5Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare Open Enrollment
Each of these triggers its own notice and its own deadline. If a letter arrives from your plan or from CMS about any of them, do not set it aside. Missing the window can leave gaps in coverage.
What Changes in 2026 Even If You Don’t
Standard Medicare costs shift every year regardless of what your plan does. For 2026, the standard Part B premium is $202.90 per month, up from $185.00 in 2025, and the annual Part B deductible rises to $283 from $257.6Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 2026 Medicare Parts A and B Premiums and Deductibles These increases apply to everyone on Original Medicare whether or not they also carry a Medicare Advantage plan.
On the drug side, the standard Part D deductible for 2026 is $615, and the annual out-of-pocket cap on Part D spending is $2,100.7Medicare.gov. Medicare and You Handbook 2026 Once your true out-of-pocket drug spending hits that cap, your plan covers the rest for the remainder of the year. The cap, part of the Inflation Reduction Act, replaced the old coverage gap that could leave beneficiaries paying thousands out of pocket.
Medigap Renews Too, but Switching Later Is Harder
If you have a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy alongside Original Medicare, the renewal picture is a little different. Medigap plans are guaranteed renewable, meaning your insurer cannot cancel your policy as long as you pay the premium. Coverage continues year to year with no action.
What Medigap does not have is an annual open enrollment period like Medicare Advantage and Part D. Your best window to buy or switch a Medigap policy is the one-time, six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period that begins the month you turn 65 and are enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurers must sell you any policy they offer at standard rates regardless of your health.8Medicare.gov. Get Ready to Buy After that window closes, insurers can use medical underwriting to decide whether to sell you a policy and what to charge, unless a specific event gives you guaranteed issue rights, such as losing employer coverage or having your Medicare Advantage plan leave your area.9Medicare.gov. Buying a Medigap Policy
The practical result: if your Medigap plan works, staying put is usually the right call, because switching later can be difficult and expensive if you have health conditions. Do review your annual premium notice, though. Medigap premiums do go up over time.
If You Decide to Switch
If reviewing the ANOC or comparing costs convinces you to move, Medicare gives you specific windows.
- Open Enrollment Period, October 15 through December 7. The main window for switching Medicare Advantage plans, joining or dropping a Part D plan, or moving between Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare. Changes take effect January 1.10Medicare.gov. Open Enrollment
- Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 through March 31. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to a different one or drop back to Original Medicare and add a standalone Part D plan. You get one change during this window.11Medicare.gov. Joining a Plan
- Special Enrollment Periods. Triggered by specific life events like moving, losing other coverage, or changes in institutional or dual-eligible status. Each event has its own timeline.3Medicare.gov. Special Enrollment Periods
Outside these windows, you generally cannot change your Medicare Advantage or Part D coverage. That is why the fall review is worth the time. If December 7 passes without action, you are locked into your current plan until the following October at the earliest, unless a qualifying event opens a special window.