Definition · Pharmacy, Medicare enrollment, and access

Annual Enrollment Period (AEP)

The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is the yearly Medicare window, October 15 to December 7, for changing Medicare Advantage and Part D coverage. Beneficiaries can join, switch, or drop plans, or move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Changes take effect January 1. Medicare.gov calls it Open Enrollment, while brokers and plans usually say AEP.

What the Annual Enrollment Period is

AEP runs every year from October 15 through December 7. During it, a beneficiary can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. They can also move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. The last choice made before December 7 is the one that counts, and coverage starts January 1.

Marketing for the next plan year may start October 1, under 42 CFR 422.2263. For contract year 2027, CMS rules for agents and third-party marketing organizations apply to marketing that begins October 1, 2026. Sales calls must be recorded and kept for 6 years. The disclaimer comes before any benefits discussion, and cold calling is banned.

AEP is short, so the work is volume. Rivvi has run AEP outreach for community pharmacies, capturing the Scope of Appointment up front before any plan discussion. It is a HIPAA-compliant AI workspace with an action layer for calls, texts, and web chat. Teams use it to reach people who asked to hear about their options.

Questions

The Annual Enrollment Period, answered

When is the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period?

AEP runs from October 15 to December 7 every year. Changes made during AEP take effect January 1 of the next year. Plan marketing for the next year can start October 1, two weeks before enrollment opens.

What can you change during AEP?

You can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan or a Part D drug plan. You can also move from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage, or back. If you make more than one change, the last one made before December 7 takes effect.

AEP vs OEP: what is the difference?

AEP, October 15 to December 7, is open to everyone with Medicare and allows almost any plan change. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 to March 31, is only for people already in Medicare Advantage. It allows one change.

Can agents cold call during AEP?

No. CMS bans unsolicited phone calls, robocalls, texts, and voicemails to beneficiaries at any time of year. Agents can return calls and call people who asked to be contacted, such as through a business reply card. A Scope of Appointment must be completed before the sales appointment.

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Annual Enrollment Period (AEP)

What the Annual Enrollment Period is

The Annual Enrollment Period, answered

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