Medicare Advantage
How Idaho Falls Residents Can Switch Medicare Advantage
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — If you signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan last fall and it's not fitting the way you hoped, you still have time to change course. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs from January 1 through March 31, giving you a second chance to make one switch before your coverage is locked in for the rest of the year.
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Key takeaways
- The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31 each year, including in Idaho Falls.
- You can use it to switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or drop your Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).
- You get one change during this window, and it takes effect the first of the month after the plan receives your request.
- If you're happy with your current coverage, you don't have to do anything.
This window is separate from the fall Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7). It exists so people who are already in a Medicare Advantage plan can adjust course after seeing how their new coverage actually works in real life — at the pharmacy, at the doctor's office, and with any specialists they need.
Who this window is for
This period is only for people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1. If you have Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) with or without a stand-alone Part D drug plan, this window does not apply to you — you'd need to wait for the fall Annual Enrollment Period or qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.
If you just aged into Medicare and picked an Advantage plan, you're included too. Many first-time enrollees use these three months to fine-tune a choice they made quickly.
What you can — and cannot — do
During January 1 – March 31, you can:
- Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another Medicare Advantage plan.
- Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare.
- If you go back to Original Medicare, add a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan.
What you cannot do in this window:
- Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan.
- Join a stand-alone Part D plan if you're staying on a Medicare Advantage plan (unless it's one that doesn't include drug coverage).
- Make more than one change. You get one move, and it sticks.
A note worth remembering: leaving Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare doesn't automatically give you a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy. In most states, including Idaho, insurers can use medical underwriting outside of your original guaranteed-issue window. Talk that through before you switch.
By the numbers
Medicare Part B premium, 2006–2026
The standard monthly Part B premium has climbed from $88.50 in 2006 to $202.90 in 2026. Hover any point for that year’s premium.
Source: CMS. Standard premium shown; in some hold-harmless years many existing enrollees paid less. Confirm at Medicare.gov.
By the numbers
How people get Medicare in Bonneville County
(MA penetration in Bonneville County)
MA penetration from CMS enrollment data; Medigap share is an estimate. U.S. average is about 54% Medicare Advantage. These are area-level figures, not plan-specific.
What's changing in 2027 that might matter to your decision
A few program-level updates for 2027 are worth weighing as you look at your coverage:
- The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for 2026. Once your covered drug spending hits that amount, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
- The Part D deductible cannot exceed $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027).
- The old "donut hole" coverage gap has been eliminated as of 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
- The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter. You have to opt in.
- IRMAA income-related surcharges for Part B and Part D begin above $109,000 for single filers in 2026.
The local picture in Idaho Falls
Idaho Falls is in Bonneville County, where Medicare Advantage and Part D plan availability is set at the county level by the federal Medicare program. That means every Medicare-eligible resident in Bonneville County sees the same menu of plans on Medicare's Plan Finder, regardless of neighborhood. If you're comparing options, use your ZIP code on medicare.gov to pull the current list for your address.
For personalized help — free and unbiased — Idahoans can call the state's Senior Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) program, Idaho's official SHIP. Counselors can walk through your specific drugs, doctors, and budget without steering you to any particular plan.
How to make a smart switch, not a rushed one
Before you change plans, pull together:
1. Your current list of prescriptions with dosages. 2. The doctors and specialists you want to keep seeing. 3. Any planned procedures or therapies for the year.
Then run those through Medicare's Plan Finder at medicare.gov, or ask a SHIBA counselor to help. The plan that looked cheapest on paper isn't always the one that fits your actual health needs — and once your March 31 change is in, you generally can't switch again until fall.
Key dates
Medicare enrollment periods at a glance
- Around your 65thInitial Enrollment PeriodA 7-month window around the month you turn 65 — your first chance to sign up.
- October 15 – December 7Annual Enrollment PeriodAnyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
- January 1 – March 31Medicare Advantage Open EnrollmentIf you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can make one change.
- January 1 – March 31General Enrollment PeriodFor people who missed their first chance to sign up for Part B.
- VariesSpecial Enrollment PeriodTriggered by life events like moving or losing other coverage.
Dates are set by Medicare and apply nationwide. Confirm your personal windows at Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.
Explore
When can you enroll? An interactive year
Enrollment windows are federal and the same nationwide. Confirm your personal dates at Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.
Explore
The parts of Medicare
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
When exactly is the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period?
Can I use this window to join Medicare Advantage for the first time?
How many changes can I make?
Where can I get free, unbiased help in Idaho Falls?
- CMS — Medicare enrollment periods (medicare.gov)
For personalized answers, contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local SHIP.
Also for Idaho Falls
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This page was last updated: October 9, 2026.