Every fall, some Medicare Advantage plans pull out of counties, and the members who get the non-renewal letter are left with a decision on a short clock. One of the options is a right that most people never use and many never hear about. It lets a member walk away from Medicare Advantage and buy supplemental coverage without being turned down for health reasons.
In 2026 the notices are going out in volume. Iowa’s insurance regulator says more than 87,000 of the state’s Medicare beneficiaries were told their plan is being cancelled or discontinued in their county for 2027.
The question for each of them is simple. If a Medicare Advantage plan is leaving the county, does the member have a Medigap right, and how long does it last?
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What the federal Medigap right covers
Medicare’s page on Medigap options says a member whose Medicare Advantage plan is leaving Medicare, or no longer covers the area where the member lives, has the right to buy any Medigap policy that is sold by an insurance company in the member’s state. This is a federal protection, so it does not depend on a state program.
The right is called guaranteed issue. An insurer that sells Medigap in the state has to sell the policy to a person with this right, and it cannot use medical underwriting to refuse the application. Medicare’s Medigap timing page spells out the right for each situation.
The scope is the state, not the country. A policy sold only in another state is not on the menu, and the choice is limited to what insurers currently sell where the member lives.
The 63-day clock runs from the end of coverage
The window does not start with the letter. Medicare says a member can apply starting 60 days before Medicare Advantage coverage ends and no more than 63 days after it ends, as Medicare’s Medigap buying page lays out.
For a plan that ends on December 31, 2026, the window opens about November 1, 2026. The 63-day limit lands on March 4, 2027. A member who waits past that date has lost the guaranteed-issue protection under federal rules.
Two details matter. Medigap coverage cannot start until the Medicare Advantage coverage ends, so applications are timed to begin on January 1. Medicare also notes the rights may last an extra 12 months in certain circumstances, which is a question for the state insurance department or a counselor.
Original Medicare is the condition
The right applies to a member who switches to Original Medicare. Medicare’s page says a person has this right only when going back to Original Medicare, not when joining another Medicare Advantage plan. It is also illegal for someone to sell a Medigap policy to a person who stays in Medicare Advantage.
That makes the decision a fork. A member can pick a different Medicare Advantage plan in the new year, or return to Original Medicare and use the Medigap right. Members who skip the choice and do nothing fall back to Original Medicare on January 1 with no supplement in place, according to UnitedHealthcare’s guidance for its own discontinued plans.
What regulators and insurers are telling members
The Iowa Insurance Division says members whose Medicare Advantage plans are cancelled get a guaranteed issue right, and can move to Original Medicare and buy a Medigap policy without medical underwriting. The division also lists a December 31, 2026 deadline to pick new coverage with no gap, and a February 28, 2027 end to the special enrollment period for cancelled members, in its October 15 press release.
UnitedHealthcare’s provider FAQ on 2027 service area reductions says non-renewal notices are dated October 2, 2026 and that affected members can enroll in another UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan from October 15 through December 31. The same UnitedHealthcare FAQ says the notice may list Medigap among the options and that a plan with drug coverage takes the Part D benefit with it when discontinued.
The two clocks differ. The Medigap window is measured from the day coverage ends, while the Medicare Advantage special enrollment period ends February 28, 2027. A member who is weighing both routes has to track each date separately, since the Medigap window runs five days longer.
Steps in the order they matter
Anyone holding a non-renewal letter can work from the end date of the plan, which the letter states. Counting 60 days back and 63 days forward from that date gives the full application window.
- Confirm the plan’s end date and whether the county is leaving, not just the plan name.
- Decide between another Medicare Advantage plan and Original Medicare, since the Medigap right depends on the second.
- Ask each insurer selling Medigap in the state for a quote on the plan letter wanted, and ask when coverage can start.
- Submit the application before the 63rd day, and keep the confirmation.
Free counseling is available through State Health Insurance Assistance Programs, and 1-800-MEDICARE answers questions around the clock.
Does a plan that leaves a county before January 1, 2027 give a member until March 4 to buy Medigap?
A member who lets the 63 days run out after a Medicare Advantage plan ends can lose the right to buy any Medigap policy sold in the state without medical questions. After that, insurers in most states can decline an application or charge more based on health history.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes the Medigap guaranteed-issue rights when a Medicare Advantage plan leaves or a member returns to Original Medicare, with a call script. Part 4 holds the Medigap and IRMAA checkpoints, and Part 6 holds phone scripts and a call log for recording each insurer’s answer.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
