Medicare and Annual Enrollment Season: What You Need to Know
September 17, 2025
Each year, Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Season, from
October 15 through December 7,
gives beneficiaries the chance to review and update their coverage. With so many options, rules, and deadlines, it can feel overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be. Whether it is your first time or you are seeking a trusted advisor, Desmond Insurance is here to educate and guide. We believe confident, informed decisions about healthcare coverage should be easily accessible and straightforward.
Understanding Medicare
- Part A (Hospital Insurance): Helps cover inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care, hospice care, and some home health services.
- Part B (Medical Insurance): Covers doctor visits, outpatient care, preventive services, and durable medical equipment.
- Part C (Medicare Advantage): Offered through private insurers, these plans bundle Part A, B, and often D into one. They may also include additional benefits, such as dental, vision, or wellness programs.
- Part D (Prescription Drug Coverage): Helps reduce prescription costs, also through private insurers.
What is the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP)?
What changes can be made during AEP?
- Choose to move from Original Medicare (Parts A & B) to a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan, or switch back.
- Select a new Medicare Advantage plan if your current one no longer meets your needs.
- Enroll in, drop, or switch a Part D Prescription Drug Plan .
- Review your current plan to ensure it continues to meet your needs. If your health has changed or your prescription costs have increased, contact your provider to discuss updating your plan.
Why Should You Review Your Plan?
- Plans can change. Premiums, deductibles, copays, and benefits may be adjusted annually. A plan that worked last year may not be suitable this year.
- Drug formularies may change. A prescription that was covered affordably this year could be more expensive—or not covered at all—next year.
- Provider networks can change. Doctors, hospitals, or specialists may join or leave a plan's network, which can affect where you can receive care.
- Your health needs may change. Updates to your health, medications, or lifestyle may mean your current plan is no longer the best.
How Desmond Insurance Can Help
Contact Us Today!
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Shannon Desmond Walz, Vice President of Desmond Insurance, has been named to the Board of Directors of Big I Kentucky, the state association representing independent insurance agencies across the Commonwealth. Big I Kentucky supports its members through legislative advocacy, education, professional development, and industry resources that strengthen independent agencies and the clients they serve
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