Arizona Medicare Supplement: Open Enrollment and Under 65 (2026)

An Arizona Medicare Supplement insurer can't use medical underwriting during your one-time six-month window, which starts the first month you're 65 or older and have Part B.1 During that federal Medigap Open Enrollment Period, you can enroll in any Medigap policy an insurer offers, and the insurer can't charge you more because of pre-existing health problems.1 Arizona law adds its own layer on top of the federal floor: an Arizona statute lets Medigap insurers file an early enrollment discount that shrinks over time and must be explained to every applicant.2

In This Guide

• Your Arizona Medigap Open Enrollment Window at 65
• Can You Get a Medicare Supplement in Arizona If You're Under 65?
• What Arizona Law Adds to Federal Medigap Rules
• How Arizona Medigap Is Priced, and the Early Enrollment Discount
• Switching Arizona Medigap Plans and Guaranteed-Issue Rights
• Which Medicare Supplement Plans Are Sold in Arizona
• Arizona Medigap and Medicare Advantage
• Arizona Medigap at a Glance
• Where to Get Free Medigap Help in Arizona
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

Your Arizona Medigap Open Enrollment Window at 65

Section 1882 of the Social Security Act, the federal Medigap law, protects a Medigap application submitted before or during the six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period. For those applicants, Section 1882(s)(2)(A) says a Medigap issuer may not deny or condition a policy, or discriminate in its pricing, because of health status, claims experience, receipt of health care, or a medical condition.1

Medicare.gov describes what you can do during the Medigap Open Enrollment Period:

• Pick any policy: you can enroll in any Medigap policy, and an insurance company can't refuse to sell you any of the policies it offers.
• No underwriting: the insurer can't use medical underwriting to accept your application or deny you coverage because of pre-existing health problems.
• No health surcharge: an insurance company can't charge you more because of pre-existing health problems.1

The Medigap Open Enrollment Period is a one-time enrollment period and doesn't repeat every year the way the fall Medicare Open Enrollment Period does. Once your Medigap window closes, an insurer may charge more, fewer policies may be available, and the insurer is allowed to deny a policy to someone who doesn't meet its medical underwriting requirements.1 Brevy's guide to the Medigap open enrollment period covers the federal rule in more depth.

Can You Get a Medicare Supplement in Arizona If You're Under 65?

Sometimes. Medicare's March 2026 guide Choosing a Medigap Policy says federal law generally doesn't require insurance companies to sell Medigap policies to people under 65. The same Medicare guide lists the states that, at the time of printing, require insurers to offer at least one kind of Medigap policy to people with Medicare under 65, and Arizona does not appear on that list.2

Medicare.gov warns that people under 65 who have Medicare because of a disability or end-stage renal disease (ESRD) might not be able to buy a Medigap policy until they turn 65.1 For an Arizonan under 65 on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Medicare, Medicare's Choosing a Medigap Policy guide describes three things that still apply:

• Voluntary sales: some insurance companies may voluntarily sell Medigap policies to people under 65 even in a state not on Medicare's list, though those policies will probably cost more than policies sold to people over 65 and probably use medical underwriting.
• Federal guaranteed-issue rights: some of the federal guaranteed-issue rights are available to people with Medicare under 65.
• A fresh window at 65: a person who already has Part B still gets a Medigap Open Enrollment Period on turning 65, when insurers can't refuse to sell any Medigap policy because of a disability or other health problem, or charge a higher premium based on health status than they charge other people who are 65.2

Which federal guaranteed-issue situations fit an under-65 Arizonan depends on how their prior coverage ended, so a family in that position should read Brevy's guide to Medigap guaranteed issue rights and confirm the details with an Arizona SHIP counselor before applying.

What Arizona Law Adds to Federal Medigap Rules

Arizona's Medigap statute is A.R.S. §20-1133. Medicare's Choosing a Medigap Policy guide says Medigap policies must follow federal and state laws designed to protect buyers, and A.R.S. §20-1133 is where Arizona's version of those protections starts.2

• Federal alignment: A.R.S. §20-1133(A) directs Arizona's insurance director to adopt rules needed to comply with the federal Medicare supplement law, 42 U.S.C. §1395ss, so that Arizona keeps its full authority to regulate minimum standards for Medigap insurance.
• Licensed providers: under A.R.S. §20-1133(C), a Medigap policy may not exclude services from any type of properly licensed health care provider when the provider's services are eligible for Medicare reimbursement and the specific services would be covered by Medicare.
• Benefit floor: A.R.S. §20-1133(C) also says the scope of benefits in a Medigap policy may not be less than the minimum level of benefits established by federal law.2

A.R.S. §20-1133(B), the statute's early enrollment discount subsection, is about price, so it is covered in the next section.2

How Arizona Medigap Is Priced, and the Early Enrollment Discount

Medicare's March 2026 Choosing a Medigap Policy guide says each Medigap policy can be priced in one of three ways: community-rated, issue-age-rated, or attained-age-rated. Under attained-age rating, the Medigap premium is based on your current age, so the premium goes up as you get older. Medicare's guide adds that the cost of a Medigap policy may also depend on whether the insurance company offers discounts.2

Arizona law gives Medigap insurers one specific discount option. A.R.S. §20-1133(B) sets these rules for an early enrollment discount on a Medigap policy sold in Arizona:

1. An insurer may file rates that include an early enrollment discount.
2. The discount must diminish over a period of time.
3. The discount is available only to enrollees who buy the plan within the early enrollment period the insurer designates.
4. Insurers must disclose to all applicants how the early enrollment discount will diminish over time.2

A.R.S. §20-1133(B) is permissive: an insurer "may file" rates with an early enrollment discount, and Brevy doesn't list any insurer's discount amount or duration.2 When a Medigap quote shows an early enrollment discount, ask the insurer for its required disclosure of how the discount shrinks, and compare the later-year price with other quotes rather than the first-year price alone. Brevy's explainer on how Medigap premiums are priced walks through the three rating methods.

Switching Arizona Medigap Plans and Guaranteed-Issue Rights

Medicare.gov says that, in most cases, you won't be able to switch your Medigap policy outside your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period except in specific situations when you have a guaranteed-issue right. Medicare.gov adds that switching outside the open enrollment period may mean paying more for the new Medigap policy and answering some medical questions.3 Medicare.gov's answers about switching Medigap describe federal rights only, and Medicare notes you may have additional rights under state law.3,1

Dropping a Medigap policy carries a real risk. Medicare.gov warns that if you drop your Medigap policy, you might not be able to get it or any policy back later.3

Which Medigap plans a guaranteed-issue right lets you buy depends on the situation that triggered it, so this guide doesn't list plan letters. Brevy's national guide to Medigap guaranteed issue rights sets out the federal situations, and Medicare's Understanding Medicare Advantage Plans booklet notes that some states provide additional special rights to buy a Medigap policy, with the State Insurance Department as the place to check.4

Which Medicare Supplement Plans Are Sold in Arizona

Medicare's 2026 Choosing a Medigap Policy guide charts the standardized Medigap plans as Plans A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M and N. All insurance companies that sell Medigap policies must offer at least Medigap Plan A.2

Plans C and F are no longer available to people new to Medicare, because Medigap plans sold to people new to Medicare on or after January 1, 2020 aren't allowed to cover the Part B deductible. People new to Medicare on or after January 1, 2020 have the right to buy Medigap Plans D and G instead of Plans C and F; Plans D and G give the same benefits as C and F but don't cover the Part B deductible.2 For the Plan C and Plan F rule, Medicare's guide treats you as new to Medicare if you turned 65 on or after January 1, 2020, and get Medicare Part A on or after January 1, 2020.2

The Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (DIFI) publishes a list of the active insurance companies marketing Medigap policies in Arizona and the plans each one offers, on its senior resources page.2 To weigh the two most-compared letters, see Brevy's Plan G vs Plan N comparison.

Arizona Medigap and Medicare Advantage

A Medigap policy works only alongside Original Medicare. Medicare's Understanding Medicare Advantage Plans booklet says you can't use Medigap to pay your Medicare Advantage plan's copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, and premiums.4

• Illegal sales: if you're in a Medicare Advantage plan, it's illegal for anyone to sell you a Medigap policy unless you're switching back to Original Medicare, and Medicare says an attempted sale to someone not planning to leave the plan should be reported to the State Insurance Department.4 Brevy's guide to Medigap sales to Medicare Advantage members explains the federal rule.
• Dropping Medigap for Medicare Advantage: in most cases, if you drop your Medigap policy to join a Medicare Advantage plan, you may not be able to get the same policy back.4
• The trial right: someone who joins a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time and isn't happy with it has a federal trial right to buy a Medigap policy and a separate Medicare drug plan if they return to Original Medicare within 12 months of joining the plan.4 Brevy's guide to switching between Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare covers the trial right step by step.

Arizona Medigap at a Glance

The table below summarizes how federal law, Medicare's guides and A.R.S. §20-1133 apply to each Medigap situation in Arizona.1,2,3,4

Where to Get Free Medigap Help in Arizona

Arizona's State Health Insurance Assistance Program, Arizona SHIP (official page), sits in the Division of Aging and Adult Services at the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES). DES describes Arizona SHIP as a free health benefits counseling service for Medicare beneficiaries, federally funded by the Administration for Community Living and not affiliated with the insurance industry.2

• Arizona SHIP helpline: the Confidential SHIP Assistance Helpline is 1 (800) 432-4040.2
• County SHIP/SMP offices: for questions about specific Medicare plan benefits or help choosing a plan, DES points Arizonans to the SHIP/SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) office in the county where they live.2
• Medigap buying help: Medicare's Choosing a Medigap Policy guide says a SHIP can give free help with buying a Medigap policy.2

For questions about the Medigap policies sold in your area, rights specific to your state, or insurance-related problems, Medicare's guide says to call your State Insurance Department; in Arizona, DIFI's senior resources page carries the Medigap company list and a link to Medicare's buying guide.2 For Original Medicare questions, 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048) is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays.5

For the rest of Arizona's Medicare choices, including Medicare Advantage and Part D, see Brevy's guide to Medicare plans and coverage in Arizona.

Learn More

Find personalized help comparing Medigap options in Arizona 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.