Medicare Open Enrollment in New York (October 15 to December 7): Advantage, Medigap, or MSP with Original Medicare?

So for most people with QMB or QI, October 15 to December 7 is the main time to join or switch Medicare Advantage plans. Leaving Advantage for Original Medicare can happen any month.

In 2026 the MSP income limits are $1,836 a month for one person ($2,489 for a couple) for QMB, and $2,474 ($3,355 for a couple) for QI. New York first subtracts $20 from your monthly income, and it has no resource test. Since October 1, 2026, immigration status is also a limit. See our MSP guide.

MSP pays the Part B premium, $202.90 a month in 2026, whether you choose Original Medicare or an Advantage plan. It also brings Extra Help with drug costs. If your income is near these limits, apply before you compare plans. Our screener takes about two minutes.

• QMB pays your Part B premium, deductibles, and coinsurance. Medicare providers may not bill you for Medicare cost sharing. See what to do if a doctor bills you.
• A Medigap policy usually makes little sense. It mostly pays for protection QMB already gives you. Ask HIICAP (1-800-701-0501) before buying one.
• Your real choice: Original Medicare with a drug plan (Extra Help pays most drug costs), or an Advantage plan for extras such as dental, vision, or hearing. Check that your doctors and drugs are covered.
• If you also have full Medicaid, integrated plans for people with both programs follow their own rules. HIICAP can walk you through them.

QI pays the Part B premium only. You still owe the Part B deductible and 20% coinsurance in Original Medicare. That is where Advantage vs Medigap becomes a real money decision.

A simple test: add up a year of the Medigap premium plus the Part B deductible. Compare it with a year of the Advantage premium plus the copays you expect, and the plan's out-of-pocket maximum for a bad year. On a fixed income, a Medigap premium that takes a big share of your check can cost more every year than a bad year on a good Advantage plan. A Medigap premium you can comfortably afford buys freedom to see any provider, with very few bills.

Every Advantage plan sets its own yearly in-network limit, listed in its Summary of Benefits. For 2027, CMS caps that limit at $9,850 for in-network care. The cost check below does this math for you.

• The same comparison applies, without help on the Part B premium.
• New York prices Medigap the same at 66 or 86. The state requires community rating, so a company cannot charge more for age or health. That can make Medigap look expensive when you are newly retired.
• New York lets you switch to Medigap later. Because insurers must accept you year-round, you are not locked into an Advantage plan for health reasons the way people in most states are. KFF notes an insurer may still apply a waiting period of up to six months for pre-existing conditions if you did not have continuous coverage. Ask before you switch.
• Check EPIC for drug costs if you are 65 or older. See EPIC vs Extra Help.

New York ended MSP on September 30, 2026, for people outside the federal groups. A federal rule that is still proposed could also end Medicare for some of them in early 2027. Read what happens when MSP ends because of immigration status and talk with HIICAP before you change plans.

• Your Medicare card, and your Medicaid or MSP notice if you have one.
• A list of every drug you take, with the dose.
• Your doctors, specialists, hospital, and pharmacy.
• Your current plan's Annual Notice of Change for 2027, if you are in a plan.
• Any Medigap price you were quoted, in writing, for your county.

• Buying a Medigap policy when you have QMB.
• Choosing a plan for its $0 premium without checking your doctors and drugs.
• Comparing only premiums and forgetting the out-of-pocket maximum.
• Missing December 7 when you want to join or switch Advantage plans.
• Not applying for MSP when your income is close to the limits.