Kentucky's Medigap birthday rule gives you one 60-day window a year, beginning on your birthday, to move your Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan to a cheaper insurer with no medical underwriting. If your premium just went up, this is how you take the same coverage to a lower-priced company without your health being used against you.

In This Guide

How Kentucky's Medigap Birthday Rule Works

Kentucky created this right in 806 KAR 17:570 Section 14, the regulation implementing KRS 304.14-525, enacted as House Bill 345 in the 2023 legislative session and effective January 1, 2024.

In plain terms: each year, the guaranteed-issue window begins on your birthday and runs for 60 days. During it, you can apply for the exact same Medigap plan you already carry, but with a different insurance company, and that company cannot use your health against you. You are not required to answer health questions, including about your tobacco use, height and weight, and a company that still sells your plan letter to new enrollees cannot refuse you or charge you more because of a medical condition.

This matters because Medigap premiums for the same lettered plan can vary greatly from one company to another, and under attained-age pricing they rise automatically as you get older. Plan G covers the same set of benefits no matter which company sells it, so two Plan G policies are interchangeable on coverage even when their prices are not. The birthday rule is your once-a-year chance to move to a lower price on the coverage you already have, without the medical underwriting that would otherwise apply outside your federal Medigap Open Enrollment Period.

The timing point to get right: the 60 days start on your birthday, not before it. If you let the window close, you wait until next year.

Kentucky Medigap Birthday Rule at a Glance

Question Answer
Who qualifies Anyone who already holds a Kentucky Medigap policy, regardless of age
When the window opens A 60-day period that begins on your birthday and ends 60 days after your birth date, once a year
What you can switch to The same standardized plan letter you currently hold (for example, Plan G to Plan G)
Which insurers A different insurance company than your current one
Health questions None required, including tobacco use, height and weight
Can the insurer deny you or charge more for health No, as long as it still sells your plan letter to new enrollees

What the Kentucky Birthday Rule Does Not Let You Do

The birthday rule is a plan-for-plan replacement, and that boundary is strict. You can only move to the same plan letter you already have. If you hold Plan G, you can move to another company's Plan G; you cannot use this window to switch to Plan N, Plan F, or any other letter, and you cannot use it to add or drop benefits.

The rule also doesn't force a company to sell you a plan letter it no longer offers to new enrollees. That limit bites hardest on Plans C, F and high-deductible F, which the Kentucky Department of Insurance says are only available to people eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. If you hold one of those, ask each company whether it still sells your letter before you count on a switch.

It also does not apply if you do not yet have a Medigap policy. The birthday rule is a right for current policyholders. If you are new to Medicare, your main window to buy without health questions is the federal Medigap Open Enrollment Period, the six months that begin when you are both 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B. For the difference between Medigap and Medicare Advantage, see our guide to Original Medicare versus Medicare Advantage.

How to Shop for a Cheaper Medigap Plan in Kentucky

Because the benefits are identical for a given standardized plan letter, switching doesn't change your coverage. A Plan G from one Kentucky company covers exactly what a Plan G from another company covers. What changes is the price, and the birthday rule protects you from health underwriting, not from rate increases. Companies set premiums by issue age, attained age or community rating, and attained-age premiums rise automatically as you get older, so compare each quote's rating method as well as today's price. Then apply to the company you choose before the 60 days run out. Say on the application that you're replacing your current policy, and don't cancel the old one until the new one is in force; you also get a 30-day free look to return the new policy for a full refund.

Two Kentucky offices can help. The Kentucky Department of Insurance publishes an annual Medicare Supplement guide, approves every Medigap rate and rate increase before insurers can use it, and is where to turn if a company refuses you or prices you as though you'd been underwritten (502-564-3630). Kentucky's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), listed on the Cabinet for Health and Family Services website, offers free counseling from local, trained counselors who don't sell insurance, including on Medigap. Call the statewide SHIP Hotline at (877) 293-7447 (option #2).

Kentucky Department of Insurance Publishes the annual Kentucky Medicare Supplement guide, approves Medigap rates, and takes complaints if a birthday-rule application is refused or mispriced. insurance.ky.gov
Kentucky State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) Free Medicare and Medigap counseling from local counselors who don't sell insurance, listed on the Cabinet for Health and Family Services website; call (877) 293-7447 (option #2). chfs.ky.gov

A Separate Medigap Window for People Under 65

The same law did one more thing. It created a new six-month open enrollment period for people under age 65 who become eligible for Medicare for a reason other than age, with guaranteed issue during that window. Those applicants cannot be charged more than the weighted average aged premium rate for the policy, and the policy cannot contain a waiting period or a preexisting-condition limitation or exclusion. That is a state-law addition on top of the federal floor: federal law does not require companies to sell Medigap policies to people under 65. This is a separate protection from the birthday rule, and it is aimed at people new to Medicare rather than at existing Medigap holders shopping for a better price.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I switch to a different plan letter under Kentucky's rule?

No. The birthday rule is a plan-for-plan replacement only. You can move to the same standardized plan letter you already hold, such as Plan G to Plan G, but you cannot use this window to change to a different plan letter or to a plan with more or fewer benefits.

When is my window?

Your window is a 60-day guaranteed-issue period that begins on your birthday and ends 60 days after your birth date, available once a year. Because the clock starts on your birthday, plan to compare quotes ahead of time and apply in the weeks right after it.

Can I stay with my current company and use the rule?

No. The rule is specifically for moving the same plan to a different insurer. Its purpose is to let you take your existing coverage to another company, typically to get a lower premium, without medical underwriting.

Does my health matter when I use the birthday rule?

No. During the window you are not required to answer any health questions, including tobacco use, height and weight. As long as the new company still sells your plan letter to new enrollees, it cannot deny you or condition the policy, cannot charge you more because of your health status, claims experience, receipt of health care, or medical condition, and cannot impose a preexisting-condition exclusion.

Learn More

MedicareMedicare Plans and Coverage in KentuckyMedicare in Kentucky for 2026: Parts A and B, Medicare Advantage, Part D, Medigap, free SHIP counseling through CHFS/DAIL, and the MSP cost-saving programs. MedicareHow Medigap WorksMedigap (Medicare Supplement) explained: how the standardized A-N plans work, Plan G vs Plan N, closed C and F plans, and the 6-month guaranteed-issue window. MedicareMedicare: The National GuideWhat is Medicare? A plain guide to Parts A, B, C, and D, who qualifies, 2026 costs, when to enroll, and what it doesn't cover, with help-paying options. MedicareOriginal Medicare vs. Medicare AdvantageCompare original Medicare vs Medicare Advantage on cost, networks, the $9,250 cap, and switching back. A neutral 2026 side-by-side to help you choose.

Find personalized help timing your Kentucky birthday window and comparing the same plan across insurers 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.

Still have questions?

Brevy answers from this guide and every other guide here, and can check what you qualify for.

BC

Brevy Care Team

Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.