California Medicare · Switching Coverage
How to switch from Medicare Advantage to a Medigap plan
✓ Evergreen guide · reviewed October 2026
You can move from Advantage back to Original Medicare plus a Medigap plan ... and you have about a six-month window, October through March, to do it. Here's the timetable, and the one thing that really makes or breaks it.
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The timetable: a six-month window
- In the fall, we apply for your Medigap plan first. You can apply for Medigap any time of year, so we get your approval in hand before changing anything else.
- Once you're approved, during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) we enroll you in a stand-alone Part D drug plan and set your return to Original Medicare for January 1.
- We notify your Advantage carrier so the plan ends December 31 ... and your Medigap + Part D begin January 1, with no gap.
Applying for Medigap first is the whole trick: you never drop what you have until the new coverage is locked in.
Your switch window runs about six months: October through March
OctNovDecJanFebMar
Oct 15 – Dec 7
Jan 1 – Mar 31
AEP ... set Original Medicare + Part D + Medigap for a Jan 1 start MA Open Enrollment ... you can still disenroll from Advantage to Original Medicare
Apply for your Medigap plan first (allowed any time of year). The clean path is a January 1 switch during the Oct 15 – Dec 7 window, but if you miss it you can still leave Advantage from Jan 1 to Mar 31 ... so you effectively have about six months. The Medigap health questions still apply unless you have a guaranteed-issue right.
The catch almost everyone hits
Getting out of Advantage is easy. Getting into Medigap is the real step.
⚠️ Outside a guaranteed-issue window, buying a Medigap plan usually requires medical underwriting. If your health has changed, you can be rated up or declined. That's why we confirm your Medigap approval before you drop anything.
📅 One clarification people get wrong: you can also disenroll from Advantage back to Original Medicare during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (Jan 1 – Mar 31), not just switch plans. But the gating factor is still your Medigap approval ... the window doesn't waive the health questions.
Why the order matters
The disenrollment window is rarely the hard part ... Medigap approval is. Leading with the Medigap application means you're never caught having left Advantage with nowhere underwritten to land. If your health makes underwriting a concern, we'll tell you up front and look at whether a guaranteed-issue right applies to you.
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A few minutes with Dennis on this topic.
Common questions
▸ When can I switch from Advantage to Medigap?
The cleanest path is to apply for Medigap in the fall and use the Annual Enrollment Period (Oct 15–Dec 7) to move to Original Medicare + Part D for January 1. You can also disenroll during Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment (Jan 1–Mar 31). Either way, buying Medigap usually requires underwriting unless you have a guaranteed-issue right.
▸ Will I be denied Medigap because of my health?
Outside a guaranteed-issue window, it's possible. That's why we confirm your Medigap approval before you drop Advantage, so you're never left exposed.
▸ Do I need a separate drug plan?
Yes. Original Medicare + Medigap doesn't include drugs, so you add a stand-alone Part D plan ... we set it up as part of the switch and time it to the same January 1 start.
▸ What does your help cost?
Nothing. We're licensed California Medicare agents and our help is free.
Related help & next steps
Switch without the risk
A free review with a licensed California Medicare agent ... we'll confirm your Medigap options and timing before you change a thing.
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