You can leave a Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare, but whether you can also buy a Medigap policy without a health screening depends entirely on timing. Two federal protections control that timing: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, which lets you make one change between January 1 and March 31, and the 12-month trial right, which guarantees you a Medigap policy if you return to Original Medicare during your first year in an Advantage plan. This guide lays out both, the 63-day guaranteed-issue window, and the underwriting risk that applies once those windows close.
The two windows for switching
There are two annual chances to change how you receive Medicare, and they do different jobs. The fall Annual Election Period (October 15 to December 7) is when most people join, switch, or drop a plan for the coming year. The second window is specific to people already in an Advantage plan.
The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 to March 31 every year. During it, if you are already enrolled in an Advantage plan, you may make one change: switch to a different Advantage plan, or drop Advantage and return to Original Medicare with a standalone Part D drug plan. It is separate from the fall window and limited to one change per year. You cannot use it to join Advantage for the first time if you are in Original Medicare; it only works for people already in an MA plan.
The Medicare Advantage trial right
This is the protection that matters most, because it is the one that keeps your Medigap options open.
The trial right applies when you join an Advantage plan for the first time, either at your first eligibility for Medicare or by dropping a Medigap policy to try Advantage. It gives you a 12-month trial. If you leave the Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare within those 12 months, you get a guaranteed-issue right to buy a Medigap policy with no medical underwriting. The insurer cannot turn you down or charge you more based on your health.
The detail that trips people up: the trial right is tied to your first time in Advantage, not to any later switch. Someone who has cycled through Advantage before doesn't get a fresh 12-month trial each time they enroll.
The 63-day guaranteed-issue window
Leaving an Advantage plan under the trial right opens a limited window to buy Medigap without underwriting. That window is generally 63 days from the date your Advantage coverage ends. Buy within it and the guaranteed-issue protection holds; let it lapse and you may face underwriting.
The trial right is not the only event that opens a 63-day guaranteed-issue window. The same protection applies in other qualifying circumstances, including when your Advantage plan leaves Medicare or stops serving your area, or when you move out of the plan's service area. In each case the clock runs about 63 days from the loss of coverage.
| Situation | Guaranteed-issue Medigap? | Window |
|---|---|---|
| Return to Original Medicare within 12 months of first joining Advantage (trial right) | Yes | About 63 days from when MA coverage ends |
| Your Advantage plan leaves Medicare or exits your service area | Yes | About 63 days from loss of coverage |
| You move out of the plan's service area | Yes | About 63 days from the move |
| You drop Advantage during the MA Open Enrollment Period (Jan 1 to Mar 31), no qualifying event, past your trial year | Not guaranteed | Insurer may apply underwriting |
The warning: why the first decision matters
Outside these protected windows, switching from Advantage back to Original Medicare does not guarantee that a Medigap insurer will accept you. The insurer can apply medical underwriting, review your health history, and either deny you a policy or charge a higher premium based on your conditions. The one nationwide exception to underwriting most people get is the six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period that starts when you are both 65 and enrolled in Part B; once that has passed, your guaranteed access depends on hitting one of the windows above.
This is the reason the initial choice between Advantage and Original Medicare carries so much weight. If you enroll in Advantage at 65 and stay past your trial year, then later decide you want Original Medicare with a Medigap policy, you may find that no insurer will sell you one at a price you can afford, or at all. The door to underwriting-free Medigap is widest at the start and narrows with time. (A few states set their own rules that are more generous than the federal floor, so confirm your state's protections before you assume underwriting applies.)
Frequently asked questions
No. You can switch Advantage plans during the fall Annual Election Period (October 15 to December 7) or make one change during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 to March 31). Outside those windows you generally need a Special Enrollment Period tied to a qualifying event.
No. The trial right gives you the right to buy a Medigap policy guaranteed-issue, but you still have to apply within the roughly 63-day window after your Advantage coverage ends. The protection is the no-underwriting guarantee, not automatic enrollment.
You can still return to Original Medicare during the MA Open Enrollment Period, but you lose the guaranteed-issue protection for Medigap. An insurer may apply medical underwriting and can deny you or charge more based on your health, unless your state offers broader protections.
If you dropped a specific Medigap policy to try Advantage for the first time and you return to Original Medicare within 12 months, you can get that same policy back, provided the insurer still sells it. If it no longer offers that policy, you can buy certain standardized Medigap plans guaranteed-issue instead.
Learn More
- What Is Medicare? Parts A, B, C, and D explained
- Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage
- Medigap (Medicare Supplement) explained
- Medicare enrollment periods and the late penalties
Find personalized help deciding between Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare at brevy.com.
The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.