Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage in Little Rock: Jan 1 to March 31 window

Pulaski County has 73 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 16 plans are not coming back, 12 are new, and 31 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 13 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Little Rock, not which plan to pick.

LITTLE ROCK — For people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, a second yearly window opens January 1 and closes March 31. It is shorter than the fall enrollment period, narrower in what it lets you change, and easy to miss if you assume the December 7 deadline was your last chance. In Pulaski County, where Little Rock sits, thousands of residents are in Advantage plans and will have this three-month window to correct a choice that isn't working.

Here is how the timing lines up, what you can and can't do inside each window, and what happens if you let a date slip past.

Two enrollment windows, two different jobs

Medicare gives most people two chances each year to adjust coverage, and they do different things.

The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs October 15 through December 7. This is the broad window. You can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan, and you can join, switch, or drop a stand-alone Part D drug plan. Changes take effect January 1.

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA-OEP) runs January 1 through March 31. It is narrower. It is only for people who are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1. Think of it as a one-time do-over if the plan that started January 1 isn't the right fit.

Source: CMS — Medicare enrollment periods, medicare.gov.

What you can change between January 1 and March 31

Inside the MA-OEP, you can:

• Switch from your current Medicare Advantage plan to a different Medicare Advantage plan.
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare (Parts A and B).
• If you drop back to Original Medicare, add a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan.

You can only make one change during this window, and the new coverage begins the first day of the month after the plan gets your request.

What you cannot do in this window

The January–March window is not a second AEP. During MA-OEP you cannot:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan (if you were in Original Medicare on January 1, this window is not for you).
• Join a stand-alone Part D plan if you are staying in Original Medicare and were already in Original Medicare on January 1.
• Switch from one stand-alone Part D plan to another.

If any of those describe what you need, you generally have to wait for the next AEP in the fall — unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, which is a separate set of rules tied to life events like moving or losing other coverage.

What happens if you miss March 31

If March 31 passes and you took no action, you are locked into your current Medicare Advantage plan for the rest of the year in most cases. The next chance to make routine changes is the fall AEP (October 15–December 7), with those choices taking effect January 1 of the next year.

There are exceptions. Special Enrollment Periods exist for situations like moving out of your plan's service area, losing employer coverage, qualifying for Extra Help, or entering or leaving a nursing facility. If life has changed, call 1-800-MEDICARE before assuming you have to wait.

A few 2026 and 2027 numbers worth knowing while you decide

If drug costs are part of why you're rethinking your plan, keep these program-level figures in mind as you compare:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 for the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments instead of paying large amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA income-related surcharges start above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

These are the same across every plan and every county — they are set by Medicare, not by insurers.

Little Rock context

Little Rock is in Pulaski County, and plan availability is set at the county level, not the city level. Pulaski County residents typically have a wide range of Medicare Advantage plans and stand-alone Part D plans offered by multiple carriers. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you enter your ZIP code and your prescriptions to see what is offered where you live.

For free, unbiased help understanding your options, Arkansas has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — locally called the Senior Health Insurance Information Program — that provides one-on-one counseling at no cost.