How to Switch From Medicare Advantage to Medigap

Reviewed September 22, 2026. You can leave a Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare only during an allowed enrollment period. Getting a Medigap policy is a separate step: outside a protected enrollment right, an insurer may use medical underwriting, charge more, or deny the application. Confirm that a Medigap policy will be issued before ending coverage whenever your timing allows.

Quick answer: First identify when you may leave Medicare Advantage. Then determine whether you have a federal or state Medigap guaranteed-issue right. Apply for Medigap and, if needed, a separate Part D drug plan with coordinated effective dates.

Medicare Advantage and Medigap cannot be used together

Medigap supplements Original Medicare. It does not pay Medicare Advantage copayments, deductibles, or premiums. Medicare states that you generally must have Part A and Part B and be returning to Original Medicare to buy Medigap. Read Medicare.gov’s explanation of how Medigap works.

Step 1: find an enrollment period that lets you leave Medicare Advantage

Enrollment opportunity	What you can do	When the change starts
Medicare Open Enrollment	October 15–December 7: switch from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare and join a separate Part D plan.	January 1 of the following year.
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment	January 1–March 31, if already enrolled in Medicare Advantage: make one change, including returning to Original Medicare and joining a separate Part D plan.	The first day of the month after the plan receives the request.
Special Enrollment Period	Available only for qualifying events. Choices and deadlines depend on the event.	Depends on the qualifying situation.
First-year trial right	In specified first-time Medicare Advantage situations, leave during the first 12 months and return to Original Medicare with special Medigap rights.	Depends on when the request is made.

Check Medicare Advantage enrollment periods on Medicare.gov. Other Special Enrollment Periods may apply to a move, loss of coverage, Medicaid status, Extra Help, a plan contract change, or another qualifying event. Use Medicare’s Special Enrollment Period list.

Step 2: check your right to buy Medigap before leaving

The annual Medicare enrollment periods do not automatically create a right to buy every Medigap policy. Your one-time six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period begins the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older. During it, an insurer cannot deny a policy it sells or charge more because of health problems. After it ends, federal law may allow medical underwriting unless a guaranteed-issue right applies. Review Medicare’s Medigap enrollment protections.

Federal trial right: Medicare Advantage was your first choice at 65

If you joined Medicare Advantage when first eligible for Medicare Part A at 65 and decide within the first year to switch to Original Medicare, federal rules give you a limited right to buy certain Medigap policies sold in your state. Medicare’s guide says you may apply as early as 60 days before the Medicare Advantage coverage ends and no later than 63 days after it ends.

Federal trial right: you dropped Medigap to try Medicare Advantage

If you dropped a Medigap policy to join Medicare Advantage for the first time and have been in the plan for less than a year, you may have a right to get the former policy back if the same insurer still sells it. If unavailable, federal rules provide rights to specified standardized plans, subject to eligibility and state law. See Medicare’s official Medigap guide.

If you do not have a guaranteed-issue right

Outside Medigap Open Enrollment and a guaranteed-issue situation, an insurer may review your health history under the rules that apply in your state. It may deny the application, offer fewer choices, or charge more. Some states provide broader protections. Contact your State Insurance Department before dropping Medicare Advantage. You can also obtain free counseling from the government-supported State Health Insurance Assistance Program. Find your local SHIP counselor.

Step 3: coordinate all three effective dates

Confirm the Medicare Advantage termination date.
Get the Medigap decision and effective date in writing. If underwriting applies, an application is not an approval.
Choose Part D separately if needed. Medigap policies sold after 2005 do not include outpatient prescription drug coverage.
Review the Part D formulary and pharmacy network.
Keep all notices. Save proof of prior coverage, termination, applications, and effective dates.

Medicare explains that people returning to Original Medicare may need a separate drug plan. Review Medicare’s Open Enrollment guidance.

Questions to ask before switching

Which enrollment period lets me leave my Medicare Advantage plan?
Do I have a federal trial right or another guaranteed-issue protection?
Does my state provide an additional Medigap right?
Has the insurer approved my application in writing?
When will Original Medicare, Medigap, and Part D each begin?
Will my prescriptions be covered by the Part D plan?

Primary government sources

This article provides general information. Enrollment rights depend on timing, prior coverage, state law, and individual circumstances. Verify your dates and protections with 1-800-MEDICARE, your State Insurance Department, or SHIP before ending coverage.