Medicare Open Enrollment in Arizona (for 2027 coverage)

When is Medicare open enrollment for 2027?

The Annual Enrollment Period (often called "open enrollment") runs from October 15 to December 7, 2026. Every change you make takes effect on January 1, 2027. The dates are set by federal law and are the same in Arizona as everywhere else. You can make changes as many times as you like during the window; the last one you make by December 7 is the one that counts.

What you can change during open enrollment

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare.
• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another, with or without drug coverage.
• Join, switch or drop a standalone Part D drug plan.

Open enrollment doesn't change your Part A or Part B enrollment, and it isn't a window for Medigap (see below). For every enrollment window, see Medicare enrollment periods.

What to check in your Annual Notice of Change

If you're in a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, your plan must send an Annual Notice of Change by September 30 that lists what changes for next year. If you haven't read it, find it now. Check these five things:

1. Doctors and hospitals. Are your doctors, specialists and preferred hospitals still in the plan's network for 2027? Networks in the Phoenix and Tucson areas can differ a lot from those in rural counties.
2. Drugs. Is each of your prescriptions still on the plan's drug list (formulary), on the same tier, with the same rules such as prior authorization?
3. Pharmacies. Is your pharmacy still in network, and still a preferred pharmacy if the plan uses them?
4. Costs. Compare the premium, deductibles, copays and the out-of-pocket limit for 2027 with what you pay now.
5. Service area. Is the plan still offered in your county? If the plan is leaving your county, your notice will say so, and a different letter explains your options.

What changes in Arizona for 2027

Some Medicare Advantage plans are ending

Several companies end Medicare Advantage plans in Arizona for 2027: three stop selling regular plans in some counties, and others end some plans while keeping others. If your plan is one of them, you should have received a letter. You have more time than other people to choose: a special enrollment period lets you pick a new Medicare Advantage or Part D plan through February 28, 2027. Choose by December 31, 2026 so your new plan starts January 1 with no gap. If you don't choose, you'll be in Original Medicare without drug coverage on January 1. You may also have a federal right to buy certain Medigap policies without health questions, up to 63 days after your plan coverage ends (March 4, 2027, for a plan ending December 31). See which counties are affected on Arizona plans ending in 2027.

How many plans Arizona has for 2027

CMS's 2027 plan data show 89 Medicare Advantage plans open to everyone with Medicare somewhere in Arizona, from 16 companies, plus 9 standalone Part D drug plans that are offered statewide. What you can join depends on your county: Maricopa County has 52 Medicare Advantage plans open to everyone, Pima County 52, Yavapai County 20 and Apache County 7. Special needs plans, which are limited to people with certain conditions, AHCCCS or care needs, are counted separately. See your county on Medicare in your Arizona county.

Part D costs change on January 1

Part D has a yearly cap on what you pay out of pocket for covered drugs. In 2026 the cap is $2,100. CMS raised the Part D out-of-pocket cap and the standard deductible for 2027; see Medicare costs in 2027. Insulin covered by your plan still costs no more than $35 for a month's supply. Part D no longer has a coverage gap ("donut hole").

After December 7: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period

If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, 2027, you get one more change between January 1 and March 31, 2027: switch to another Medicare Advantage plan, or leave Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare and join a Part D plan. The change starts the first day of the next month. This window can't be used to move from Original Medicare into Medicare Advantage or to switch between standalone drug plans.

Special enrollment periods that run alongside open enrollment

• Your plan is ending in your county: through February 28, 2027 (above).
• AHCCCS or Extra Help: you can change to a standalone drug plan, or from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare with a drug plan, once a month. With full AHCCCS benefits you can also join an integrated D-SNP once a month where one is offered. See AHCCCS and Medicare.
• Moving to Arizona, out of Arizona or to an Arizona county your plan doesn't serve. See moving within Arizona.
• Losing job-based coverage, moving into or out of a nursing home, and other events listed on Medicare enrollment periods.

Medigap isn't part of open enrollment

Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policies work with Original Medicare and aren't tied to the fall window. You can apply for a Medigap policy any time, but outside your six-month Medigap open enrollment period and federal guaranteed-issue situations, the company can ask about your health and turn you down. Arizona has no Medigap birthday rule or yearly switching right. If you're leaving Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare this fall, apply for Medigap before you switch, unless you have a guaranteed-issue right. See Medigap in Arizona and Can I change Medigap plans in Arizona?

How to compare plans

1. Make a list of your doctors, prescriptions with doses, and pharmacies.
2. Use Medicare's Plan Finder at Medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048), to see plans and estimated drug costs for your ZIP code.
3. Look up plans for your ZIP code on our plan lookup: see plans in your ZIP code.
4. Check each plan's documents, the Summary of Benefits and the Evidence of Coverage, and call the plan to confirm your doctors are in network.

A licensed insurance agent with Benefits Life can review your Annual Notice of Change with you and compare plans from the companies they work with, at no cost to you. Call (602) SENIORS (602-736-4677), TTY 711.

Avoiding scams during open enrollment

Fall is when scam calls about Medicare peak. Medicare.gov says Medicare "will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home." Insurance companies and agents also can't come to your door uninvited or call you about a new plan unless you asked them to; your current plan can contact you as its member.

• Don't give your Medicare Number, Social Security number or bank information to anyone who calls you unexpectedly.
• Don't join a plan over the phone unless you made the call.
• Be wary of anyone who says your Medicare card is expiring or that you'll lose Medicare if you don't act today.
• For help deciding whether something is fraud, call the Arizona Senior Medicare Patrol at 1-800-432-4040, or report it to 1-800-MEDICARE.

Licensed insurance agents in Arizona are licensed by the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (DIFI), where you can check a license or file a complaint.

Your open enrollment checklist

Sources

• Medicare.gov — Joining a health or drug plan (Open Enrollment and Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment)
• Medicare.gov — Your yearly Medicare review (Annual Notice of Change)
• Medicare.gov — Special Enrollment Periods (plan non-renewal, moving, Extra Help)
• CMS — CY2027 Landscape file, November 2026 (Arizona plan and company counts)
• eCFR — 42 CFR 422.62, election of coverage under an MA plan
• eCFR — 42 CFR 422.2264, contact with beneficiaries (unsolicited contact)
• Medicare.gov — When can I buy Medigap? (guaranteed-issue rights)
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. 20-1133, Medicare supplement insurance
• Medicare.gov — Reporting Medicare fraud and abuse
• SMP Resource Center (U.S. Administration for Community Living) — Find your state SMP
• Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions

Frequently asked questions

When is Medicare open enrollment in Arizona for 2027?

The Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 to December 7, 2026, the same dates in every state. Changes take effect January 1, 2027. If you make more than one change, the last one you make by December 7 is the one that counts.

Do I have to do anything if I like my plan?

No. If your plan is renewing, you stay in it automatically. But read your Annual Notice of Change first, because a plan's network, drug list, costs and service area can change from year to year.

My Medicare Advantage plan is ending in my Arizona county. What happens?

You have until February 28, 2027 to choose a new plan, but choose by December 31, 2026 so your new coverage starts January 1 with no gap. If you don't choose, you'll have Original Medicare without drug coverage starting January 1. You may also have a federal right to buy certain Medigap policies without health questions.

Can I change my Medigap policy during open enrollment?

Open enrollment doesn't apply to Medigap. Arizona has no birthday rule or yearly switching right, so outside a guaranteed-issue situation a Medigap company can ask health questions whenever you apply.

What if I miss December 7?

If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you can make one change from January 1 to March 31, 2027. Otherwise you generally wait for next fall, unless a special enrollment period applies, such as a move, AHCCCS or Extra Help, or your plan ending.

Medicare in your Arizona county

Plans, local agents and help, county by county: Apache · Cochise · Coconino · Gila · Graham · Greenlee · La Paz · Maricopa · Mohave · Navajo · Pima · Pinal · Santa Cruz · Yavapai · Yuma