A qualifying life event can open a Special Enrollment Period to change your Medicare coverage outside the normal windows. Here's exactly what applies when a 5-star plan is available.
Quick answer: If a Medicare Advantage plan, Medicare Cost plan, or Medicare drug plan with an overall 5-star quality rating is offered in your area, you can switch to it. You can use this Special Enrollment Period once between December 8, 2025 and November 30, 2026.
Switch to a Medicare Advantage plan, Medicare Cost plan, or Part D drug plan that has an overall 5-star rating from Medicare. You can use it only one time during the window.
Your new 5-star plan generally starts the first day of the month after you enroll.
Anyone with Medicare who has a 5-star-rated Medicare Advantage, Cost, or Part D plan available in their area. Star ratings are published every fall on Medicare's Plan Finder.
Our free enrollment finder walks through your situation and points you to the right Medicare window — no signup, no email.
Open the Enrollment Finder →Medicare publishes overall star ratings each fall. Look for plans showing a 5-star overall rating in your ZIP code on the official Medicare Plan Finder. If one is offered where you live, you can switch to it once between December 8, 2025 and November 30, 2026.
No. The 5-star Special Enrollment Period can be used only once during the annual window. Other life events (moving, losing coverage) may give you separate chances to change plans.
Special Enrollment Periods are short and event-driven — miss one and the client waits months. A dated SEP log is the difference between a saved client and a lost one. This page is free to share. The Medicare SEP Tracker gives you a ready-made spreadsheet to log every client's qualifying event and deadline so nothing slips.
See the Medicare SEP Tracker on Etsy →These windows are based on U.S. government Medicare enrollment rules: