In addition to when you first join Medicare, you can also enroll during:

Annual election period (Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 each year)

During this enrollment period:

• You can join, switch or leave any Medicare Advantage plan.
• You may return to Original Medicare and buy a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan.
• Your changes take effect Jan. 1.

Medicare Advantage disenrollment period (Jan. 1 to Feb. 14 each year)

• If you don’t like the Medicare Advantage plan you enrolled in, you can go back to Original Medicare and choose a stand-alone Part D plan (PDF, 268KB).

Note: You can't join or switch a Medicare Advantage plan.

• The effective date of your disenrollment request will occur the first of the following month.

Special enrollment period

• Some people, such as those with Medicaid (www.adsa.dshs.wa.gov) or Extra Help (www.ssa.gov), or someone whose

Updated 01/18/2013