Medicare 2027: Parts A, B, C and D, Costs & How to Enroll

Medicare is run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a federal agency. It helps pay for hospital care, doctor visits, prescriptions and other medical services. It does not cover everything: most routine dental, vision and hearing care and long-term custodial care are not included in Original Medicare.

• People 65 or older who are U.S. citizens or have been legal permanent residents for at least five years in a row
• People under 65 who have received Social Security disability benefits for 24 months
• People of any age with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure)
• People with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), as soon as their disability benefits begin

Medicare Part A is hospital insurance. It covers inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care after a hospital stay, hospice and some home health care.

Medicare Part B is medical insurance. It covers doctor visits, outpatient care, preventive services, lab tests and medical equipment.

Medicare Part C, better known as Medicare Advantage, lets you get Parts A and B, and usually Part D, through a private plan approved by Medicare.

Medicare Part D covers prescription drugs. You can get it as a stand-alone plan or as part of a Medicare Advantage plan.

• Initial Enrollment Period: seven months around your 65th birthday, starting three months before your birthday month.
• General Enrollment Period: January 1 to March 31 each year if you missed your first chance. Coverage starts the month after you sign up, and penalties may apply.
• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 to December 7, 2026, to join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: January 1 to March 31, 2027, for one change if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan.
• Special Enrollment Periods: for events such as losing employer coverage or moving.

If you plan to buy a Medicare Supplement plan, your separate six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period starts when you are 65 and enrolled in Part B.

If you already receive Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits, you are usually enrolled in Parts A and B automatically, and your Medicare card arrives about three months before your 65th birthday. Otherwise, sign up with Social Security online at ssa.gov, by phone or in person.

If you are still working with coverage from an employer with 20 or more employees, you can usually delay Part B without a penalty. You then get eight months to sign up after that coverage or employment ends.