If you live in Detroit and have Medicare questions, the Medicare annual enrollment period that runs October 15 to December 7 is the time to get them answered. It is the main window each year to switch, join, or drop a Medicare Advantage or drug plan, with changes starting January 1.
This article is educational. Instant Health Help is a licensed health insurance agency, and our agent, Lobsang Rivas, is licensed in Michigan. We are not Medicare, CMS, or an insurance company, and we do not quote prices or name plans here. Check official dates on Medicare.gov.
The short answer
You have three places to turn in Detroit, and you can use more than one:
- Medicare itself. Medicare.gov Plan Finder and 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) list the plans sold in your ZIP code.
- Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). SHIPs give free, unbiased counseling and are not connected to any insurance company. Find Michigan’s program at shiphelp.org.
- A licensed agent. An agent can compare plans with you and help you enroll. Medicare.gov suggests checking the rules agents must follow, and a good agent will welcome that.
Key Medicare dates
- Annual enrollment: October 15 to December 7. The plan must get your request by December 7 for a January 1 start.
- Medicare Advantage open enrollment: January 1 to March 31. Only if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan. You can switch Advantage plans once or go back to Original Medicare.
- Initial enrollment when you turn 65: seven months, starting three months before your birthday month.
What Detroit area residents should check this fall
Your Annual Notice of Change. Your plan mails it each fall. Read what is changing for next year before you decide to stay put.
Your doctors and hospitals. If you see doctors in Detroit, Dearborn, Royal Oak, or Southfield, or use one of the big local hospitals, ask the office and the plan directly whether they will be in network next year. Networks can change, and we never assume.
Your prescriptions. Enter every drug you take in Plan Finder. Drug lists and pharmacy networks change from year to year.
Your county. Plans are sold by service area. What a neighbor in Wayne County sees may differ from a friend in Oakland or Macomb County, so always compare using your own ZIP code.
If you spend winters down South
Plenty of Metro Detroit retirees head to Florida or Arizona for the winter. Medicare.gov advises that if you live in another state for part of the year, you check whether a plan will cover you there. Original Medicare works nationwide with providers who accept Medicare, while many Medicare Advantage plans focus on a local network. Ask about out of area care before you enroll.
Turning 65 in Detroit?
If you are new to Medicare, start with Part A and Part B timing, then look at drug coverage and whether Original Medicare with a supplement or a Medicare Advantage plan fits you better. If you have job coverage through a Detroit employer, talk with your benefits office before you make changes. For Marketplace coverage under 65 in Michigan, see our Michigan open enrollment guide.
How we help
We help Michigan residents by phone and online, in English or Spanish. Learn more on our Michigan health insurance help page. We review your doctors, prescriptions, and ZIP code, explain the choices in plain English, and leave the decision to you.
Want a second set of eyes before December 7?
Have your Medicare card, your drug list, and your doctors’ names ready, and we can walk through it together.