Medicare Annual Enrollment Period in Arizona

Medicare Initial Enrollment Period (IEP)

Your seven-month Medicare IEP starts three months before your 65th birth month, includes the month of your 65th birthday, and then continues for another three months after your birth month.

During this time, you can enroll in Original Medicare, Parts A and B, and you can add plan C (Medicare Advantage), or a Medicare Supplement plan (Medigap) with a Part D stand-alone drug plan.

A chart showing the medicare initial enrollment period.

Calendar representing Medicare AEP in Arizona

Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): October 15 – December 7

From October 15 to December 7 every year, you may enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan or switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
You may also drop your current Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare during this period.

During AEP, you may also join, switch or drop a Medicare Part D plan.

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31

If you're already enrolled in a Part C plan, you may switch Medicare Advantage plans or drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare during this period which lasts from January 1 to March 31 every year.

If you return to your Original Medicare during this period, you'll also be able to join a Medicare prescription drug plan, Part D.

A chart showing the medicare advantage open enrollment period.

A graphic showing the period of enrollment for gep.

General Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31

The General Enrollment Period is for individuals that did not enroll in Parts A or B when they were first eligible or if they lost their part B due to non-payment of their Part B premiums. You can sign up between January 1–March 31 each year. Your coverage starts July 1. You might pay a monthly late enrollment penalty if you don’t qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

Medicare Special Enrollment Periods (SEP)

You may potentially be granted a Medicare Special Enrollment Period (SEP) depending on your specific circumstances. You could qualify for a Medicare SEP at any time of the year.

Metro Valley Insurance can help you find out if you qualify for a Medicare Special Enrollment Period (SEP).

Special Situations

If you have health insurance through a job and still working — You can sign up for Part A and Part B any time as long as:

You have group health plan coverage.
You or your spouse (or a family member if you’re disabled) is working for the employer that provides your health coverage.

You have 8 months to sign up after you or your spouse (or your family member if you’re disabled) stop working, or you lose group health plan coverage (whichever happens first).

Although, most clients will enroll into Part A when they are first eligible because for most the premium is $0 and provides secondary Hospitalization coverage.

Your 8-month Special Enrollment Period starts when you stop working. However, you will want to reach out to Metro Valley Insurance when you decide to retire, so we can make sure you do not have a lapse in coverage!

If you have enrolled into Part A only and need to add Part B, use this form here to do so.