The calendar at a glance
| Date | What happens | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| By September 30 | Medicare Advantage and drug plans send the Annual Notice of Change for 2027 | Anyone in an Advantage or Part D plan |
| October 1 | 2027 Medicare plans appear on Medicare.gov’s Plan Finder. Federal Medicaid money narrows for many non-citizens: New York continues their Medicaid with state funds, but the Medicare Savings Program ends for them | Medicare; lawfully present immigrants |
| Early October | Plans that are ending send non-renewal notices | People whose Advantage plan is leaving |
| Around October 8 | New Medicare star ratings published | Medicare |
| October 15 | Medicare annual enrollment opens; the full Evidence of Coverage is due | Medicare |
| November 1 | NY State of Health open enrollment opens for 2027 | Marketplace |
| December 7 | Medicare annual enrollment closes | Medicare |
| December 8 | Special windows open: plans that left (to the end of February) and 5-star plans (to November 30, 2027) | Medicare |
| December 15 | Last day to choose a marketplace plan that starts January 1 | Marketplace |
| January 1, 2027 | New plan year everywhere; deductibles and out-of-pocket counters reset | Everyone with a plan |
| January 4, 2027 | Medicare eligibility changes for non-citizens outside the new federal list | Lawfully present immigrants on Medicare |
| January 1 to March 31 | Medicare Advantage open enrollment; General Enrollment Period for Part B | Medicare |
| By January 31 | NY State of Health sends Form 1095-A; marketplace open enrollment closes | Marketplace |
| End of February | Special window for people whose Medicare plan left closes | Medicare |
| April 15, 2027 | Federal tax returns due; the premium tax credit for 2026 is reconciled on Form 8962 | Marketplace enrollees with a credit |
October: read before you choose
October is for reading, not buying. If you have Medicare through an Advantage plan or a drug plan, the Annual Notice of Change tells you what your plan becomes on January 1. Four lines decide whether to act: what you pay, the drug list, the network, and the service area. How to read it.
A different letter, a non-renewal notice, means the plan is ending. It comes with its own window, and in New York a supplement is open to you at any time anyway. If your plan is leaving.
For households with someone on Medicare and someone who is not, October is also the month to write down both calendars. People mix them up every year because December 7 and December 15 are so close together, and they are run by different agencies with different help lines.
November and December: two seasons at once
Medicare, October 15 to December 7. Change an Advantage plan, a drug plan, or move between Advantage and Original Medicare. Doing nothing renews your plan on its new terms. What the fall window decides.
The marketplace, November 1 to January 31. For people buying their own coverage through NY State of Health. Choose by December 15 for a January 1 start. Premiums approved for 2027 are higher, and the enhanced federal credits that lowered them in earlier years have expired, so the price you saw last year is not the price this year. Open enrollment for 2027 · What changed for 2027.
Year-round, whatever the date: Medicaid, the Essential Plan and Child Health Plus. If your income qualifies, you do not wait for any of the dates above.
January 1, 2027: what resets and what changes
Every plan year starts over on January 1. Deductibles and out-of-pocket counters go back to zero, new drug lists apply, and networks can change. For Medicare, the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400. The first-week checklist.
Federal law also changes who can receive marketplace tax credits from January 1, 2027: eligibility narrows to lawful permanent residents, certain Cuban and Haitian entrants and citizens of the Compact of Free Association nations. Because the same federal money helps fund the Essential Plan, the change reaches that program as well. Lawfully present immigrants in 2027.
Medicaid for adults 19 to 64 in the expansion group is also changing under federal law, with work and community engagement requirements and more frequent renewals. What New York has said about it.
January to April: the windows that remain, and tax season
January 1 to March 31. People in a Medicare Advantage plan get one more change, including a return to Original Medicare. The one change you still get. People who missed Part B can sign up in the General Enrollment Period, with coverage from the first of the next month. Missed Part B?
By January 31. NY State of Health sends Form 1095-A to everyone who had a marketplace plan in 2026. You need it to file. What to check on it.
April 15. If you received an advance premium tax credit in 2026, your return reconciles it on Form 8962. For tax year 2026, the limit that used to cap how much a household with income under 400% of the poverty level had to repay no longer applies, so an income change you did not report can cost more than it would have before. How the credit is reconciled.
Questions people ask
When is Medicare open enrollment for 2027?
October 15 to December 7, 2026. Changes take effect January 1, 2027.
When is open enrollment on NY State of Health?
November 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Choose a plan by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1.
Is there a deadline for Medicaid or the Essential Plan?
No. Both, and Child Health Plus, take applications in any month of the year.
I am in a Medicare Advantage plan and regret it. Is it too late after December 7?
No. From January 1 to March 31 you get one change, including a return to Original Medicare with a drug plan.
When will I get my Form 1095-A?
NY State of Health sends it by January 31 to everyone who had a marketplace plan in the previous year.
Why might I owe money at tax time?
If you received advance tax credits and your 2026 income turned out higher than estimated, you repay the difference on Form 8962. For tax year 2026 there is no longer a cap on that repayment.
In this section
Your Medicare Annual Notice of Change: The Four Lines to Check Before December 7
Your Medicare plan's Annual Notice of Change arrives by September 30. The four lines that decide whether to act before December 7, and what to do with each.
Your Medicare Advantage Plan Is Leaving: What the October Letter Means in New York
A non-renewal letter means your Medicare plan ends December 31. The window runs to the end of February, and in New York a supplement is open to you anyway.
January to March in a Medicare Advantage Plan: The One Change You Still Get
From January 1 to March 31, people in a Medicare Advantage plan get one more change. What it allows, what it does not, and why New York makes going back easier.
Missed Medicare Part B? The January Window, and the Route Around It
Missed your first chance at Part B? The General Enrollment Period runs January 1 to March 31. When coverage starts, what the penalty costs, and the savings-program route.
What Resets on January 1, 2027, and the First-Week Checklist
Deductibles, out-of-pocket counters, drug lists and networks start over on January 1. What else changes in 2027 in New York, and what to check in the first week.
Form 1095-A From NY State of Health: What It Is and Why the 2026 Return Is Different
Had a marketplace plan in 2026? Form 1095-A arrives by January 31 and feeds Form 8962. Why the 2026 return is the first with no cap on repaying the credit.
Sources
- NYS Department of Health — GIS 26 MA/14, non-citizen coverage in Medicaid (September 29, 2026) (checked 2026-09-30)
- Medicare & You 2027 — the official handbook (checked 2026-09-29)
- Medicare.gov — special enrollment periods (checked 2026-09-29)
- Medicare.gov — Plan Annual Notice of Change (checked 2026-09-29)
- NY State of Health (checked 2026-09-29)
More in The Health Coverage Calendar for New Yorkers, October 2026 to April 2027
- January to March in a Medicare Advantage Plan: The One Change You Still Get — From January 1 to March 31, people in a Medicare Advantage plan get one more change. What it allows, what it does not, and why New York makes going back easier.
- Missed Medicare Part B? The January Window, and the Route Around It — Missed your first chance at Part B? The General Enrollment Period runs January 1 to March 31. When coverage starts, what the penalty costs, and the savings-program route.
- What Resets on January 1, 2027, and the First-Week Checklist — Deductibles, out-of-pocket counters, drug lists and networks start over on January 1. What else changes in 2027 in New York, and what to check in the first week.
This page explains how the system works. It is not medical advice. More.