By law, nearly every Medicare Part A and Part B recipient is entitled to a Medicare Advantage plan. There is only one health question, which is related to End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) or kidney failure. Everyone else is entitled to a plan, as long as they live in the area where the plan is offered.

In the fall of 2011, the Annual Election Period (AEP) will change to October 15 to December 7 (note: this is different from prior years, when the AEP ran from November 15 through December 31; please note the new, earlier close of AEP and don't forget to enroll). During the AEP, all Medicare recipients have an election period to change their Medicare insurance, with essentially no restrictions other than qualification. One change from prior years is that the Affordable Care Act eliminated the Open Enrollment Period that occurred each year from January 1 –March 31 and created the MA Disenrollment Period that takes place January 1 –February 14. This change is effective beginning in 2011. This period allows a beneficiary to drop an MAPD and enroll in a PDP with Original Medicare (and apply for a Medicare Supplement, or Medigap, plan).

In addition, there are a number of Special Election Periods (SEPs) that recipients are entitled to outside of the AEP and OEP. For more information, see the list of the most common SEPs.

In order to enroll in a plan, you must submit an application and have that application accepted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Assuming there are no questions on your application, enrollments submitted October 15–December 7 during the AEP will be effective January 1, and enrollments at all other times will be effective the 1st of following month.

Many people like help deciding which plan is a good choice for them. Plans vary widely from company to company and from place to place, and when comparing plans between companies it’s important to compare the fine print—not just the premiums. That’s what Aon Hewitt Navigators Insurance Services Inc. (formerly known as Senior Educators Insurance Services) was created for—to provide free, professional assistance to Medicare recipients to help them choose appropriate coverage. To request help now, please fill out the short informational form here so a licensed agent can be well informed about your healthcare preferences. Or simply give us a call to speak with a licensed agent now!

If you prefer to do the research by yourself, we’ve created a number of tools to help you do so. First, we have created our Top 10 Tips for Navigating Medicare, which captures a very high-level perspective on what to consider based on our years of experience. Second, we have created a plan comparison engine that shows you a list of the plans available in your area. To access that tool, enter your zip code on the side of this page and click the “Find Plans” button. We hope that if you find a plan through our tools, you’ll enroll through our organization, as this is what allows us to provide excellent, professional and impartial information and help.