Editorial Review Status
Reviewed for: Medicare open enrollment deadlines, plan options, and current benefit rules.
Elder care regulations, costs, and local provider availability change frequently. We commit to regular audits to ensure Gen X families have the most accurate data for the NW Chicago suburbs.
Disclaimer: This guide is educational only and is not legal, financial, medical, or tax advice. Confirm details with a qualified professional before making decisions.
If your mom’s Medicare Advantage plan sent her a letter this fall about “2027 plan changes,” or you’ve started seeing Medicare commercials again during every commercial break, that’s not a coincidence — it’s Open Enrollment season. This is the one window each year when your parent can actually change their Medicare coverage, and it closes fast. Here’s what the window actually covers, what it costs to get wrong, and where to get free help in the Chicago suburbs if you’d rather not do this alone.
What is Medicare Open Enrollment, and when is it?
Medicare’s Annual Open Enrollment Period — sometimes called Fall Open Enrollment or AEP — runs October 15 through December 7 every year. Any change made by December 7, 2026 takes effect January 1, 2027. If your parent submits more than one change during the window, only the last one before the deadline actually counts, so it’s fine to reconsider, but keep track of what the final choice was.
What can you actually change during this window?
This is the one period that allows movement in every direction:
- Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare
- Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to a different one
- Join a standalone Part D prescription drug plan, switch to a different one, or drop it entirely
What it does not cover: Medigap (Medicare Supplement) changes. Medigap runs on separate medical-underwriting rules — outside your one-time 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period (which starts when your parent first has Part B at 65 or older) or a specific guaranteed-issue event, an insurer can medically underwrite, charge more, or deny a Medigap application. If your parent has Medigap and is happy with it, this window doesn’t touch that policy at all.
Isn’t there another Medicare enrollment period in the spring?
Yes, and mixing the two up is one of the most common Medicare mistakes families make. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31, but it only applies to people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, and it allows exactly one change: switching to a different Medicare Advantage plan, or dropping Medicare Advantage to go back to Original Medicare plus a standalone Part D plan. It does not let someone move from Original Medicare into Medicare Advantage, and it does not let someone on Original Medicare switch Part D plans. The fall window (October 15–December 7) is the one that matters for most decisions, because it’s the only one open to everyone in every direction.
Why bother if your parent’s plan is already working fine?
Because “working fine” can quietly stop being true on January 1 without anyone telling you directly. Medicare Advantage and Part D plans are allowed to change their premiums, covered drugs, drug tiers, and provider networks every year — and sometimes a plan is discontinued entirely. Medicare’s own guidance is blunt about this: costs and benefits can change every year, which is exactly why they recommend an annual review instead of assuming auto-renewal is safe. Two things are worth checking even for a plan your parent has had for years: whether their actual doctors and hospitals are still in-network for the coming year, and whether their actual prescriptions are still covered — and at the same cost tier — under the plan’s updated drug list.
What will Medicare cost in 2027?
Anything your parent picks between October 15 and December 7 is their coverage for 2027, so the 2027 numbers are the ones that matter.
- Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026. Once your parent’s out-of-pocket costs for covered drugs reach $2,400, they pay nothing more for covered Part D drugs for the rest of the year.
- Part D deductible: no plan can charge more than $700 in 2027, up from $615. Some plans charge less or have no deductible.
- Standalone drug plan premiums may rise. A federal program that held down premiums for standalone Part D plans in 2025 and 2026 ends after this year. Check the 2027 premium on your parent’s Annual Notice of Change instead of assuming it stayed the same.
- Part B: the 2027 Part B premium and deductible haven’t been announced yet. For 2026, the standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month and the deductible is $283. We’ll add the 2027 figures when Medicare releases them.
Sources: Medicare.gov, How much does Medicare drug coverage cost?; Medicare.gov, Medicare costs; CMS, Part D 2027 bid information.
For this year’s Social Security, Medicaid, and other benefit figures in one place, see our 2026 benefit numbers guide. For paying for care beyond what Medicare covers, see our financial planning topic hub.
One more cost worth knowing about: the Part D late enrollment penalty. If your parent goes 63 days or more in a row without Part D or other creditable drug coverage after first becoming eligible, Medicare adds a penalty to their Part D premium for as long as they have drug coverage. It’s 1% of the national base beneficiary premium for each full month they went without coverage. That base premium is $41.33 in 2027, up from $38.99 in 2026, so the penalty can grow a little each year. People who get Extra Help don’t pay this penalty. It’s a real reason not to skip drug coverage even if your parent doesn’t take many prescriptions right now.
How do you actually compare plans without losing a weekend to it?
Medicare’s own Plan Finder tool at medicare.gov is the official way to do this, and it’s more useful than it sounds if you go in prepared. Before starting, have three things ready: your parent’s ZIP code, their Medicare number, and an actual list of every prescription they currently take, including dosage. The tool will show estimated total annual cost per plan — not just the premium — factoring in their specific drugs and preferred pharmacy. Premium alone is close to meaningless without that context; a $0-premium plan with a parent’s blood pressure medication in an expensive tier can cost more over a year than a plan with a $40 monthly premium and better drug coverage. One practical wrinkle: plans and SHIP counselors often need your parent on the call or written authorization before they’ll discuss coverage details with you — our guide to powers of attorney for aging parents explains how to put that authority in place ahead of time.
Where to get free, unbiased help in the Chicago suburbs
You don’t have to do this alone, and you don’t have to pay anyone to help. Illinois SHIP (Senior Health Insurance Program) is a free, state-run counseling service — counselors aren’t affiliated with any insurance company and don’t sell policies — reachable at 1-800-252-8966 or ilaging.illinois.gov/ship. Locally, AgeOptions, the Area Agency on Aging for suburban Cook County, provides SHIP counseling directly at 1-800-699-9043 or 708-383-0258. For DuPage and Lake County residents, AgeGuide is the Area Agency on Aging and connects callers to SHIP counseling at 1-800-528-2000; DuPage residents can also reach County Community Services directly at 630-407-6500.
The other reason this season matters: it’s peak scam season
October through early December is also the busiest time of year for Medicare-related fraud, according to both Medicare.gov and the National Council on Aging. A few rules worth passing on to your parent directly: Medicare and legitimate SHIP counselors never cold-call asking for a Medicare number, never charge a fee to “help enroll,” and never threaten that coverage will be cancelled if someone doesn’t act immediately. If a caller does any of those things, it’s a scam — hang up, and report it to the SHIP hotline above.
Before December 7: a quick checklist
- Pull together the current list of every prescription, dosage, and pharmacy your parent uses
- Confirm your parent’s doctors and any hospital they use are still in-network for next year, under their current plan
- Check the plan’s 2027 drug formulary for each actual prescription, not just whether the plan “covers prescriptions” in general
- Compare total estimated annual cost, not just the monthly premium, using the Medicare Plan Finder
- If a change makes sense, submit it before December 7 — and if you change your mind, resubmit before the deadline, since only the last submission counts
- If anything is confusing or you’re not sure a plan switch is worth it, call Illinois SHIP or your county’s Area Agency on Aging before deciding
- Never give a Medicare number to an unsolicited caller, no matter how official they sound
For the step-by-step version built around your parent’s Annual Notice of Change letter, use our 7-step plan review checklist.
Rules for benefits and legal documents vary by situation and change over time. This is general information — consider talking with an elder law attorney or your local Area Agency on Aging for guidance specific to your family.
Figures on this page were checked against Medicare.gov and CMS on October 8, 2026. The 2027 Part B premium and deductible will be added when Medicare announces them. Confirm current numbers with Medicare.gov or your parent’s plan before making decisions.
FAQ
What’s the deadline to change Medicare coverage this year?
December 7, 2026. Changes made by that date take effect January 1, 2027.
Can my parent switch their Medigap (supplement) plan during this window?
No. Medigap isn’t part of Medicare’s Annual Open Enrollment Period and has its own medical-underwriting rules outside specific protected windows. If your parent wants to change a Medigap policy, that’s a separate conversation with an insurance counselor.
What happens if we don’t do anything by December 7?
Your parent’s current plan generally continues into next year, but its premium, covered drugs, drug tiers, and provider network can all change on January 1 without your parent taking any action — which is exactly why it’s worth a quick check even when nothing feels wrong.
Can my parent switch from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage during the January–March window instead?
No. The January 1–March 31 Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period only applies to people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, and it allows just one change. Moving from Original Medicare into Medicare Advantage, or switching Part D plans while on Original Medicare, both require the fall window instead.
How much will Medicare cost in 2027?
For 2027, the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 and no Part D plan can have a deductible over $700. The 2027 Part B premium and deductible haven’t been announced yet. For 2026 they are $202.90 a month and $283.
Where can we get free help choosing a plan in the Chicago suburbs?
Illinois SHIP (1-800-252-8966) is free and not affiliated with any insurer. Suburban Cook County residents can also call AgeOptions directly at 1-800-699-9043; DuPage and Lake County residents can call AgeGuide at 1-800-528-2000.
How do I know if a call about my parent’s Medicare is a scam?
Legitimate Medicare and SHIP counselors never cold-call for a Medicare number, never charge a fee to enroll, and never threaten to cancel coverage. Any of those is a hang-up-and-report situation.
None of this requires becoming a Medicare expert by December 7 — it just requires ten honest minutes checking whether your parent’s actual doctors and actual prescriptions are still covered the way they think they are. If you’re also sorting out the difference between Medicare and Medicaid for a parent who might qualify for both, our Medicare vs. Medicaid guide walks through that, and our Medicare eligibility checker can help confirm where your parent stands before you call anyone. Our Medicare topic hub has more on all of this if you want to keep digging.