Open Enrollment Season
The two enrollment windows that decide an agent's year. Dates, countdowns, and how to be ready before they open.
Medicare AEP begins (October 15)
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ACA Open Enrollment begins (November 1)
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ACA Open Enrollment
November 1 through January 15
The annual window when anyone can enroll in or change Marketplace health coverage. Enroll by December 15 for coverage starting January 1; enroll between December 16 and January 15 for coverage starting February 1. A few state-based exchanges extend or shift these dates.
What to do before November 1
- Complete Marketplace registration and this year's FFM certification early; the training portal slows down in October.
- Renew carrier appointments and confirm your commissions schedules for the new plan year.
- Pull your book of business and flag every client whose plan is being discontinued or whose carrier is exiting their county.
- Preview next year's rates and plan designs as soon as the window-shopping period opens (late October).
- Set up your calendar link and block appointment slots; OEP appointments book fast and no-shows cost real money.
- Update your Agent on Record profile so prospects who research you during OEP find current information.
How to prepare your clients
- Email your book in mid-October: remind them OEP is coming, ask about income changes, new doctors, and new prescriptions.
- Tell subsidy clients to update projected income; APTC amounts change with the new benchmark plans and a stale estimate creates tax-time surprises.
- Warn clients not to auto-renew blindly. The benchmark plan changes, so 'doing nothing' can silently raise their net premium.
- Collect current medication lists and provider names before appointments so plan comparisons take minutes instead of an hour.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Missing the December 15 cutoff for January 1 effective dates, leaving clients with a coverage gap month.
- Quoting premiums without checking whether the client's doctors are in next year's network.
- Ignoring CSR eligibility and putting a subsidy-eligible client in a Bronze plan when an enhanced Silver would cost less to use.
- Letting clients keep a plan whose formulary dropped their medication.
- Waiting until November to start outreach; by then every agent in the county is calling the same clients.
Medicare Annual Enrollment
October 15 through December 7
AEP is when anyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, with changes effective January 1. It is the busiest stretch of the Medicare agent's calendar and the window when plan changes for the coming year get decided.
What agents can do during AEP
- Enroll clients in a new Medicare Advantage plan, or switch them between MA plans.
- Move clients from Original Medicare into Medicare Advantage, or back the other way.
- Add, drop, or change standalone Part D prescription drug plans.
- Note: Medigap is not tied to AEP. Supplement changes can happen any time of year, subject to underwriting outside protected windows.
How to reach existing Medicare clients
- Send your annual review invitation in late September, before the ANOC letters land and the phone starts ringing.
- Ask every client to bring their Annual Notice of Change; the plan differences for next year are spelled out in it.
- Follow CMS marketing rules: get Scope of Appointment consent before discussing plan specifics, and record calls where required.
- Prioritize clients whose plans are exiting their county; they have guaranteed issue rights worth explaining early.
AEP preparation checklist
- Complete AHIP (or equivalent) certification and every carrier's annual recertification before October.
- Order enrollment kits and confirm your ready-to-sell status shows in each carrier portal.
- Build a first-look summary of next year's plan changes in your counties as soon as carriers release them (October 1).
- Schedule your existing book first; new prospects fill the gaps, not the other way around.
- Prepare a drug-lookup workflow (Medicare.gov plan finder) so formulary checks are fast and documented.
This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute insurance advice. Coverage availability and rates vary by state. Consult a licensed insurance professional. Educational content only. Not insurance advice. Coverage and rates vary by state and carrier. Verify agent licensing at nipr.com.