Author: Mike Causey, Insurance Commissioner
If you’re a Medicare beneficiary, it’s time to review your current plan and check out your options for 2026.
The annual Medicare Open Enrollment Period begins Oct. 15 and runs for eight weeks. Changes must be made by Dec. 7 to guarantee your coverage will begin without interruption on Jan. 1, 2026.
What worked for you this year may not be the best plan for 2026. It is important to take advantage of the Open Enrollment Period by contacting local Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) counselors to save money, improve your coverage or both.
SHIIP is a division of the Department of Insurance. It offers free, unbiased information about Medicare, including Medicare prescription drug coverage and Medicare Advantage plans. SHIIP also offers information on long-term care insurance and other health insurance issues. SHIIP counselors can also help find out if you are eligible for Medicare cost savings programs.
In addition to having a staff of SHIIP counselors at the Department of Insurance’s Raleigh office, trained SHIIP counselors are available in all 100 counties across North Carolina.
I encourage you to contact your local SHIIP counselor before deciding about coverage for 2026. This may help you receive a more affordable and better Medicare health and/or drug plan in your area. For example, even if you are happy with your current Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, there may be another plan in your area that covers your health care or prescription drugs at a better price.
Here are some of the ways you can compare and review plans available for 2026:
- Get one-on-one help from your local SHIIP office. You can locate a local office by going to www.ncshiip.com and scrolling down to the “More” window. Click on “Search for a Counselor by County.”
- Get one-on-one help from SHIIP by calling 855-408-1212 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Visit www.medicare.gov to compare your current coverage with all options available in your area. You can also enroll in a new plan if you decide to make a change.
- Review the Medicare & You handbook that was mailed to you earlier this fall.
- Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to find out more about your coverage options. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.
- Contact your trusted licensed insurance agent.
SHIIP counselors do save seniors money. Last year, SHIIP counselors helped nearly 66,000 North Carolinians save about $33.2 million.
Our SHIIP counselors are not licensed insurance agents. They don’t sell, endorse or oppose any plan or company. They don’t get commissions or have a financial stake in any plan. They’re just interested in providing you with unbiased information about Medicare so you can make decisions that best suit your healthcare needs and budget.