Medicare open enrollment is open right now — and for most San Antonio seniors, it closes December 7, 2026. This is the one time each year you can change your Medicare health and drug coverage for next year. Any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027. If your plan raised its costs, dropped your doctor, or changed which prescriptions it covers, this is your window to do something about it.
The key dates
October 15 – December 7, 2026: Medicare Open Enrollment (also called the Annual Enrollment Period). The plan must receive your request by December 7.
January 1, 2027: Your new coverage starts.
January 1 – March 31, 2027: A narrower second window if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan — you can switch Advantage plans once, or go back to Original Medicare.
What you can change
During open enrollment you can:
- Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan — or back the other way.
- Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
- Join, switch, or drop a Part D prescription drug plan.
- Do nothing. If you are happy with your coverage and your plan is not changing, it continues automatically.
Start with the letter you got in September
Every fall, your plan mails an Annual Notice of Change. It lists exactly what will be different in 2027 — premiums, copays, your drug list, your doctors. If you read one piece of mail this fall, make it that one. A plan that worked fine in 2026 can quietly cost much more in 2027.
Compare total cost, not just the premium
The free comparison tool at Medicare.gov Plan Compare lets you enter your prescriptions, your pharmacy, and your doctors, then shows what each plan would actually cost you over the whole year. A $0-premium plan that puts your medicine on an expensive tier can cost more than a plan with a small premium. Compare the yearly total.
Free, unbiased help right here in Bexar County
You never have to pay anyone to review your Medicare. Trained benefits counselors at the Bexar Area Agency on Aging (part of AACOG) will sit down with you, compare your options, and explain your benefits — at no charge, and they do not sell insurance. Call (210) 477-3275 in Bexar County or (866) 231-4922. Their office is at 2700 NE Loop 410, Suite 101, San Antonio, TX 78217. Texas’s free Medicare counseling program (HICAP) can also be reached statewide at 1-800-252-9240, and Medicare itself answers 24/7 at 1-800-633-4227.
Two money programs with NO December 7 deadline
If paying for Medicare is a stretch, ask the counselors about these — they are open all year:
- Medicare Savings Programs — can pay your Part B premium (and sometimes more) if your income is limited.
- Extra Help — lowers Part D prescription drug costs for people with limited income.
Not sure what else you might qualify for — food help, utility help, rides? Take our free 2-minute benefits checker and get a personalized guide.
Watch out for scams
Medicare will never call you out of the blue to sell you a plan, and real help comparing plans is free. Never pay a fee to “review” or “unlock” your Medicare benefits, and never give your Medicare number to a caller you did not contact first.
Medicare is not the same as the HealthCare.gov Marketplace. If you are under 65 and buy your own insurance, your open enrollment is different — see our ACA open enrollment guide.
Helpful links & phone numbers
- Medicare Plan Compare: medicare.gov/plan-compare
- Medicare (24/7): 1-800-633-4227
- Bexar Area Agency on Aging — free benefits counseling: (210) 477-3275 · (866) 231-4922
- Texas HICAP (free Medicare counseling): 1-800-252-9240
- San Antonio Benefits checker: sanantoniobenefits.com
- Any local help question: dial 2-1-1
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