Understanding the Medicare Advantage Trial Period
Choosing a Medicare Advantage plan is a major decision. However, there are safeguards in place that allow you flexibility if you need to make changes. Known as Medicare Advantage trial rights, these federal protections grant you a guaranteed issue right to buy a Medicare Supplement Insurance plan without medical underwriting if you decide to leave a Medicare Advantage plan within the first 12 months of joining. This article will help you understand the function of Medicare Advantage trial rights and how the process works.
What is the Medicare Advantage trial right?
Medicare Advantage trial rights are a federal consumer protection that allows beneficiaries to "try out" a Medicare Advantage plan for up to 12 months. If you decide the plan isn’t the right fit for your healthcare needs during this first year, this provision ensures you can leave your plan and return to Original Medicare.
The primary benefit of the trial right is that it allows you to switch back to Original Medicare without penalty and grants you a guaranteed issue right to purchase a Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) plan. This is a critical safety net because it bypasses the medical underwriting process, giving you the option to secure supplemental coverage even if you have pre-existing conditions.
What qualifies as a Medigap guaranteed issue right?
Medigap guaranteed issue rights are specific situations in which an insurance company is legally required to sell you a Medigap policy. When you have these rights, an insurer must cover all your pre-existing health conditions and cannot charge you a higher premium based on your past or present health history, bypassing the medical underwriting process that usually allows insurance companies to deny coverage or raise prices based on your health.
When it comes to Medicare Supplement Insurance plans, you typically only have guaranteed issue rights during your Initial Enrollment Period (the seven-month period surrounding your 65th birthday). However, federal law outlines several qualifying events that may trigger a new guaranteed issue period. A Medicare Advantage trial period is one of these qualifying events. If you meet the criteria for a trial right, you are legally entitled to leave your Medicare Advantage plan, return to Original Medicare, and purchase a Medigap plan without underwriting.
Medigap Trial Right 1 vs. 2: What’s the difference?
The federal government separates Medicare Advantage trial rights into two categories based on the previous health coverage you had before joining your Medicare Advantage plan. Your eligibility depends on whether you were new to Medicare when you enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, or whether you already had Original Medicare and a Medigap policy.
Trial Right 1 for Those Turning 65
Trial Right 1 is designed for individuals who are new to Medicare coverage. If you enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan during your —the window of time when you were first eligible for Original Medicare—you are eligible for Trial Right 1.
Under this rule, the federal government gives you a one-year "test period" to ensure the Advantage plan meets your needs. You have exactly 12 months from the date your Medicare Advantage coverage began to unenroll and return to Original Medicare. During this period, you have a guaranteed issue right to buy any Medigap policy sold in your state, regardless of your health status. This helps ensure that you still have access to supplemental coverage options if you decide your Medicare Advantage plan isn’t the right fit during your first year of enrollment.
Trial Right 2 for Previous Medigap Policyholders
Trial Right 2 is designed for beneficiaries who already had a Medigap policy but decided to drop it and enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan for the very first time.
If you find that the Medicare Advantage plan doesn't suit your needs, you have 12 months from the date you joined your plan to switch back to Original Medicare. This protection ensures you don't lose the supplemental Medigap coverage you previously relied on.
Under Trial Right 2, you have the right to:
Return to Your Previous Medigap Policy: If the same insurance company still sells the specific plan you had before, they must take you back at the best available rate.
Choose a Standardized Alternative: If your former policy is no longer available, you have a guaranteed issue right to buy Medigap Plan A, B, D, G, K, or L from any insurer in your state.
Note on Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans C and F: These plans are only available as guaranteed issue options if you first became eligible for Medicare coverage prior to January 1, 2020. If you became eligible after this date, federal law no longer permits the sale of plans that cover the Part B deductible to new beneficiaries.
Can I switch from a Medicare Advantage plan to a Medigap plan without underwriting?
Yes. As long as you are within your 12-month trial window, you can bypass the medical underwriting process. This means insurance companies cannot ask you health questions, deny you coverage based on pre-existing conditions, or charge you a higher premium because of your medical history.
However, this protection is tied to a strict federal timeline. To ensure you don't lose your guaranteed issue rights, you must follow these application rules:
Earliest Application: You can apply for your Medigap policy as early as 60 days before your Medicare Advantage plan coverage is scheduled to end.
Latest Application: You must apply no later than 63 days after your Medicare Advantage plan coverage ends.
Missing this 63-day window could result in losing your trial right protections, which may subject you to medical underwriting and the possibility of being denied coverage or charged significantly higher rates.
Next Steps for Switching from Medicare Advantage to Medigap
If you are considering using your Medicare Advantage trial rights, the most important thing you can do is track the 12-month clock. Because the trial right is strictly limited to your first year of enrollment, missing the deadline can result in losing your guaranteed issue status, potentially leaving you subject to medical underwriting.
How to Manage the Transition
Verify Your Start Date: Check your plan’s welcome letter to confirm exactly when your 12-month window began.
Secure Coverage First: Do not cancel your Medicare Advantage plan until you have been approved for a Medigap policy.
Document Everything: Keep your disenrollment notices. Medigap insurers often require these as proof of your trial right.
Let SelectQuote Guide You
Navigating federal enrollment windows can be complex. Our licensed insurance agents are here to provide unbiased guidance and support throughout the enrollment process and beyond.
If you qualify for a Medicare Advantage trial right, we can help:
Verify your eligibility for Trial Right 1 or 2.
Compare the Medicare Supplement Insurance plans available to you from recognized carriers.
Ensure enrollment paperwork is handled correctly to help prevent any gaps in your healthcare coverage.
Ready to evaluate your plan options?
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We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 16 organizations which offer 99,387 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1–800–MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day/7 days a week.
Participating sales agencies represent Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO and PFFS organizations and stand-alone PDP prescription drug plans that are contracted with Medicare. Enrollment depends on the plan’s contract renewal.
Enrollment in the described plan type may be limited to certain times of the year unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.
Enrollment during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (OEP) is limited to January 1 - March 31. Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan are eligible to participate in OEP. If you are aging into Medicare, have recently moved, or lost coverage, you may be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period.
Please see the Disclosures Page for more information.
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