7 Medicare Open Enrollment Mistakes Kentuckians Over 65 Make Every Fall

Medicare open enrollment started Thursday, according to Medicare.gov.

Whatever you pick now starts Jan. 1.

These are the Medicare open enrollment mistakes many Kentuckians over 65 make every fall.

Note: This is general information, not medical or insurance advice. Plan details and dollar amounts are subject to change, so confirm the current details with Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.

1. Autopilot Renewals

The Medicare plan you picked last year can look different in January, since Medicare Advantage and drug plans typically change from one year to the next.

Your plan sends you an Annual Notice of Change that lists the changes coming to your coverage and costs in January.

If your plan still fits and is still offered, you don’t need to do anything.

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a nonprofit health policy research organization, found that 65% of Medicare beneficiaries nationwide didn’t compare their coverage options during open enrollment for 2024 coverage.

Kentucky has 123 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, up from 114 in 2026, according to a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fact sheet.

2. Choosing on Premium Alone

Premiums are only one piece of what a Medicare plan costs you.

About 4 million people in stand-alone Part D drug plans who don’t get Extra Help paid no monthly premium in 2026.

If you’re one of them, you’ll face a higher premium in 2027 whether you keep your plan or switch, KFF’s analysis found.

In Kentucky, CMS says the average monthly Medicare Advantage premium is $4.90 for 2027, down from $10.02 in 2026.

CMS also says that in 2027, every Kentuckian with Medicare will have access to a Medicare Advantage plan with a $0 monthly plan premium.

Deductibles and cost sharing for services vary by plan too.

Your Medicare drug plan can charge a deductible of up to $700 in 2027, up from $615 in 2026.

3. Skipping the Drug List Check

Your Medicare drug plan can change its drug list, called a formulary, during the year.

Your plan’s coinsurance for a drug may rise when the manufacturer raises its price.

Medicare.gov says to check a plan’s drug list for the medicines you take before you join, and its Plan Finder shows which plans cover them.

Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs reaches $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026, you pay nothing more for covered drugs that year.

4. Overlooking Network Changes

If you’re in Original Medicare, you can use any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare, anywhere in the U.S.

A Medicare Advantage plan can limit you to a network of doctors and hospitals.

That network can change from one year to the next.

As of 2026, Medicare’s Plan Finder lets you search for your doctors and see which Medicare Advantage plans list them, but those listings can be out of date.

A Medicare Advantage plan generally has to send affected members written notice before it drops a provider from its network.

The notice has to come at least 45 days ahead for a primary care or behavioral health provider and 30 days ahead for other specialists.

Certain significant network changes can also open a Special Enrollment Period, which is a window to switch plans.

5. Leaving Medigap Behind

If you drop Medigap, a supplement to Original Medicare, for a Medicare Advantage plan, you may not be able to get the same policy back.

You can buy certain Medigap policies if you joined a Medicare Advantage plan when you first became eligible at 65 and return to Original Medicare within a year of joining.

After that, outside a few exceptions, insurers can deny you a policy because of certain medical conditions.

KFF estimates insurers could deny Medigap to 74% of Medicare Advantage enrollees in 2023 because of a pre-existing condition.

Kentucky’s birthday rule lets people who already have Medigap switch to a different insurer for the same plan within 60 days of their birthday.

It doesn’t let anyone without a policy buy one.

If you want to switch back, contact a few Medigap insurers directly to see whether you could buy a policy.

6. Letting Drug Coverage Lapse

Your drug coverage doesn’t always follow you from a Medicare Advantage plan to Original Medicare.

After you switch during open enrollment, you may need to join a separate drug plan.

You may owe a Part D late enrollment penalty if, after your Initial Enrollment Period ends, you go 63 days or more in a row without drug coverage that counts.

The penalty is 1% of the national base premium, $38.99 in 2026, for each full month you went without coverage.

The catch is that you generally pay it for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage, even if you switch plans.

The base premium can go up each year, and the penalty can rise with it.

7. Missed Deadlines

Medicare open enrollment runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, and the plan has to receive your request by then for coverage to start Jan. 1.

After Dec. 7, you can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan only during certain enrollment periods.

One runs Jan. 1 through March 31, and it’s only for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan.

A Special Enrollment Period covers only certain situations, such as moving to an address outside your plan’s service area or leaving employer coverage.

Medicare Savings Programs

If your income and resources are limited, Medicare Savings Programs can help pay your Medicare premiums, and Extra Help can lower your Part D drug costs.

Medicare.gov says to apply for a Medicare Savings Program even if you don’t think you qualify.

Your state makes that call.

In Kentucky, you apply through your local office of the Department for Community Based Services.

Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) can help you apply for free.

Extra Help

Most Medicare Savings Programs also come with Extra Help.

In 2026, a single person can qualify for Extra Help with income up to $23,940 and resources up to $18,090.

You can apply for Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs at the same time.