What Is Medigap Open Enrollment?
Quick Answer
Medigap open enrollment is the 6-month window starting when a person is 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During the window, any Medigap policy can be purchased with no medical underwriting. After it closes, Nevada generally allows insurers to underwrite.
Medicare has exactly one window where every supplement is for sale to every applicant at standard rates, health history irrelevant. It opens once, runs six months, and closes quietly — no reminder letter, no second chance built in.
When does the window open and close?
It opens the month a person is both 65 or older and enrolled in Part B, and runs exactly 6 months. Two timing details matter:
- The trigger is Part B, not the birthday. Someone delaying Part B for qualifying employer coverage delays the window too — it waits, fully intact, until Part B begins.
- It never repeats. The October 15 to December 7 annual period returns every year; this window does not.
What protection does the window actually provide?
Inside the window, insurers must sell any Medigap policy with no medical underwriting — no health questions determining acceptance, no rate-ups for medical history. A cancer survivor and a marathon runner buy the same policy at the same standard rate. After the window closes, Nevada generally allows underwriting: applications can be declined or surcharged based on health. Narrow exceptions exist, most notably trial rights for first-year Medicare Advantage enrollees, but the reliable guarantee lives inside the 6 months.
Why does this window shape the whole Advantage-versus-Medigap decision?
Because it makes the two paths asymmetrical. Advantage enrollment reopens every autumn for life. Guaranteed-acceptance Medigap generally happens once — and the people who most want a supplement later, after a diagnosis or a network fight, are the ones underwriting screens out. Choosing Advantage inside the window is a legitimate choice; it just should be made knowing the Medigap door may lock behind it. The full weighing of that trade sits in the Advantage versus Medigap comparison for Nevada.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Medigap open enrollment start?
The window opens the month a person is both 65 or older and enrolled in Part B, and runs for 6 months. Delaying Part B for qualifying employer coverage delays the window along with it.
Does Medigap open enrollment happen every year?
No. Unlike the October 15 through December 7 annual enrollment period, the Medigap window occurs once, tied to the Part B start date, and does not repeat.
What happens if someone applies for Medigap after the window?
Nevada generally allows medical underwriting after the window closes, meaning insurers can decline the application or charge more based on health history. Limited protections, such as first-year Advantage trial rights, are the exceptions.
Can a Medigap plan be purchased during the window while trying Medicare Advantage?
The two paths are exclusive — Medigap pairs with Original Medicare, not with an Advantage plan. First-year Advantage enrollees hold limited trial rights that preserve a protected return to Medigap.
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