Medicare Open Enrollment with Medicare and Medicaid in New York: what to check for 2027

In short: Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, and changes start January 1, 2027. If you have Medicare and full Medicaid, you can also change some coverage in any month, so you do not have to rush. Two things matter most this year in New York: read your plan’s September change notice, and if you get home care through a MAP or PACE plan, do not switch your Medicare plan or add a drug plan without checking first. Starting in 2027, new members of many D-SNPs must also have that same company’s Medicaid plan.

Last checked October 6, 2026, against Medicare.gov, CMS and New York State Department of Health documents listed at the end. This page does not name or rank plans.

Do you need Open Enrollment at all?

Everyone with Medicare gets the fall Open Enrollment Period. People with Medicare and Medicaid also have two monthly options that CMS started on January 1, 2025:

• The Dual / Extra Help SEP. Once a month you can leave a Medicare Advantage plan for Original Medicare plus a separate drug plan, or change drug plans.
• The Integrated Care SEP. Once a month, people with full Medicaid can join an integrated D-SNP that lines up with their Medicaid plan.

Monthly changes usually start the first of the next month. Open Enrollment changes start January 1. So Open Enrollment is a good time to review, because that is when your plan’s yearly changes take effect. It is not the only time you can act.

Step 1: read your plan’s September notice

Medicare plans send an Annual Notice of Change in September. It lists what changes in January: costs, covered drugs, doctors and pharmacies, and extra benefits. If you did not get one, call the number on your plan card and ask for it. Check three things:

1. Are your doctors, hospital and pharmacy still in the network for 2027?
2. Are all your prescriptions still covered, and at what cost?
3. Is your plan continuing, merging into another plan, or closing? A closing plan sends a separate letter.

New for 2027: D-SNPs must match your Medicaid plan

A federal rule that starts in 2027 is meant to put more people’s Medicare and Medicaid with the same company. New York’s 2027 contract with D-SNPs applies it this way:

What this means in practice: if a salesperson offers you a D-SNP from a company that is not your Medicaid plan’s company, ask whether you can actually join it in 2027. You may first have to change your Medicaid plan, and that is a separate decision with its own effects on your doctors and services.

If you get home care through MAP or PACE, check before you switch

MAP and PACE plans require you to stay in the Medicare plan that goes with them. New York’s MLTC Policy 26.01 says that if a MAP or PACE member is no longer in the aligned Medicare plan, the plan must try to reach you and help you re-enroll. If you do not re-enroll, the plan must start removing you from MAP or PACE. That can change who provides your home care.

• Joining a separate drug plan or a different Medicare Advantage plan can take you out of your aligned Medicare plan.
• Extra benefits such as a bigger over-the-counter card are not worth risking home care. Ask first.
• If it already happened, call your MAP or PACE plan right away. Under Policy 26.01, re-enrolling in the aligned Medicare plan before the disenrollment date can keep your enrollment.

People in a partial-capitation MLTC plan are different: changing a Medicare plan is not one of the reasons Policy 26.01 lists for removing someone from that type of plan. Still ask your care manager before you change anything.

The $90 Part B rebate is not a reason to switch plans

In October 2026, CMS is paying a one-time $90 Part B premium rebate. CMS says it goes only to people in Original Medicare Part B who are not getting premium help from Medicaid and do not pay the higher-income IRMAA charge, and that people enrolled in Medicare Advantage are not eligible. A D-SNP is a Medicare Advantage plan, so D-SNP members do not get it. If Medicaid already pays your Part B premium, you would not get it in Original Medicare either.

It is one payment in October 2026, and Open Enrollment changes start January 1, 2027, so switching plans now would not bring it to you. If someone uses the $90 to pitch a plan change, ask HIICAP first. To ask about the rebate itself, CMS says to call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227); for payment status, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 starting October 15, 2026.

A simple Open Enrollment checklist

1. Find your Medicare card, your Medicaid card, and any plan cards.
2. Write down your doctors, hospital, pharmacy and every prescription with the dose.
3. Read the September notice from your plan.
4. Know which Medicaid setup you have: regular Medicaid, a Medicaid plan or HARP, MLTC, MAP or PACE.
5. Compare at least one other option, or confirm that staying put is fine.
6. Before you sign anything, ask: “Will this change my Medicaid plan or my home care?”
7. Keep a note of who you spoke with, the date, and what they said.

Who to call for free

• HIICAP, New York’s free Medicare counseling program: 1-800-701-0501.
• New York Medicaid Choice, for MAP, MLTC and PACE enrollment: 1-888-401-6582 (TTY 1-888-329-1541).
• Medicare: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048.

Want help with this? Get free one-on-one guidance.

If you would like someone to walk through your options with you, our short plan-help tool ends with an optional request for free one-on-one guidance. Nothing is enrolled without your say-so, and HIICAP is always available as a separate, free choice.