What is the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January to March?

Quick Answer

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31 each year. During this time, people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.

Detailed Explanation

If you enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan during the fall and then had second thoughts, or if your plan changed in ways that no longer work for you, this period gives you one chance to make a switch. Between January 1 and March 31, you can move from one Medicare Advantage plan to another, or drop your Medicare Advantage plan entirely and go back to Original Medicare. If you go back to Original Medicare during this window, you can also join a standalone Part D plan, which covers prescription drugs. One important distinction: this period is only for people who are already in a Medicare Advantage plan. If you currently have Original Medicare, this period does not allow you to join a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time. That opportunity comes during the fall Open Enrollment Period, which runs October 15 through December 7. Any changes you make during January through March take effect the first of the following month.

How This Applies in Utah

Utah has several Medicare Advantage carriers, including SelectHealth, Regence BlueCross, UHC, Humana, Aetna, Devoted Health, and others. Plan availability varies by county, so if you are considering a switch, confirming which plans are available in your area is an important first step.

What This Means For You

For you, this means if your Medicare Advantage plan is not working out after the new year begins, you have until March 31 to make one change without waiting until fall.

Disclaimer

‍How Resting Sycamore Advisors Uses CMS Data

Our Commitment to Reliable Medicare Information

At Resting Sycamore Advisors, we work to provide accurate, current, and trustworthy information about Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and Special Needs Plans.

To do that, we use data published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which is the official source for Medicare plan and enrollment information.

CMS Data Sources We Rely On

Our Medicare plan pages and comparison tools are powered by CMS datasets, including:

  • Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape Files for annual plan availability and benefit details
  • Plan Benefits Package (PBP) Files for detailed benefit and coverage information
  • Part C and Part D Performance Data for quality ratings and plan performance measures
  • Monthly Enrollment Data for enrollment counts by contract, plan, state, and county

When possible, we link to the original CMS resources so you can review the source material directly.

How Often We Update Our Data

We follow the CMS release schedule and update our website as new data becomes available.

Annual Plan Year Updates (September)

We load new plan year Landscape and PBP files before the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 through December 7). We also monitor CMS.gov for updates or revisions and refresh our content when needed.

Mid-Year Updates

We update enrollment and performance data as CMS publishes revised files, which are typically released monthly or quarterly.

Ongoing Maintenance

We routinely monitor CMS announcements for corrections, reissued files, or other changes and update our pages accordingly.

Each plan page includes a Last Accessed date so visitors can see when the source information was most recently reviewed.

How We Prepare CMS Data for Our Website

CMS data can be difficult to read in raw form. To make it easier to use, we format and organize the data for clarity.

This includes:

  • Standardizing plan identifiers such as contract ID, plan ID, and segment
  • Normalizing terminology so common Medicare terms are presented consistently
  • Organizing plan information by state, county, and ZIP code to match how people shop for coverage

All data values come from CMS. We do not change the underlying values beyond formatting, organization, and presentation.

Version Tracking and Transparency

We keep internal records of the CMS dataset versions used on our site.

Major Version History

  • Current Version: CY2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape Files (v1.0, published October 2025)
  • Prior Version: None. Resting Sycamore Advisors first began publishing structured Medicare plan information in March 2025

If CMS issues corrected or revised files, we update our website to reflect the latest available version.

Important Limitations

Please keep the following in mind:

  • CMS is the official source of truth. For enrollment and coverage decisions, always confirm details with Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.
  • Data timing can vary. Enrollment and performance updates may appear on our website a few weeks after CMS publishes changes.
  • Plan details can change. Plan availability, costs, and benefits may change. Always verify current details directly with the plan provider.

Need Help From Official Medicare Resources?

For personalized Medicare assistance, please use these official resources:

  • Medicare.gov Help Center — https://www.medicare.gov
  • 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) TTY: 1-877-486-2048
  • State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — free local counseling for Medicare beneficiariesIf you want, I can also give you a shorter legal-style version for a footer or /disclaimer page summary.