Countdown until Medicare Annual Enrollment opens
Until AEP opens October 15, 2026
This counts down to when the federal review window opens. It is not a sales deadline. You can review and stay.
The costliest Medicare mistakes I see are not “picked the wrong Advantage plan.” They are people who were still working, followed a mailer, and enrolled in Part B when they did not need it yet. Or skipped it when they did.
October 15 is Annual Enrollment for people who already have Medicare. Working past 65 is a different decision.
Count the employees first
Job-based coverage from an employer with 20 or more employees: you can often delay Part B without a late-enrollment penalty. Medicare sits second. When the job or the coverage ends, a Special Enrollment Period usually opens.
Fewer than 20 employees: different rules. Medicare is often supposed to come first. Delaying Part B can mean a surcharge you pay for as long as you have Part B. HR scripts get this wrong. A postcard will not get it right.
Part A and Part B are not one button
Plenty of people take premium-free Part A at 65 even while they work. Hospital billing is simpler that way. Part B is the monthly premium, and that is the piece you might delay. “Just sign up for Medicare” hides that split.
Higher earners can also see income-related premiums on Part B and Part D, two years later. A large income year now can show up in Medicare costs later. That is a planning talk, not a sales call.
Three clocks, not one
IEP is the seven months around 65. AEP is the fall window to change Advantage or Part D. Leaving employer coverage is usually an SEP. Using AEP to “catch up” after you delayed Part B the wrong way is not how the penalty works.
Bring employer size, whose job the coverage is on, and your 65th birthday month. Thirty minutes is enough to map delay vs enroll.
Book a free consult or send a message. Call 702-627-2605. By calling the number above, you will be connected to a licensed insurance agent.
No plan prices, extra benefits, or carrier names on this page. Those belong in a comparison after we know your doctors and drugs.