Medicare enrollment periods in Arizona
Medicare's enrollment windows are set by federal rules, so they are the same in Arizona as in every other state. The 2026 Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7, 2026. Changes made during the Annual Enrollment Period take effect January 1, 2027.
IEP
Initial Enrollment Period
The Initial Enrollment Period is your personal seven-month window around your 65th birthday. It opens three months before the month you turn 65 and closes three months after. This is when most people enroll in Medicare for the first time.
AEP
Annual Enrollment Period
The Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7 each year. During AEP, people with Medicare can enroll in, change, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan or a Part D plan. Changes made during AEP take effect on January 1 of the following year.
MA OEP
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period
The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs from January 1 through March 31. During this window, people already enrolled in Medicare Advantage can make one change: to a different Medicare Advantage plan, or back to Original Medicare, with or without a Part D plan. The change takes effect the first of the month after the plan gets the request.
SEP
Special Enrollment Periods
Special Enrollment Periods open when specific life events happen, such as losing employer coverage or moving to a new area. The timing depends on the event, and Medicare.gov explains the rules for each one.
One-on-one Medicare counseling through Arizona SHIP
Arizona's State Health Insurance Assistance Program is known as Arizona SHIP. SHIPs exist in every state to offer in-depth, one-on-one counseling and assistance with Medicare, and their counselors do not sell insurance.
Arizona SHIP's listing on the national SHIP directory asks callers to leave a message, and says the program will return the call. It helps to have your Medicare card and any recent notice from your plan nearby when you talk. For background before the call, read what Medicare is and how it works.
Insurance consumer help from the State of Arizona
Arizona's insurance regulator is the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions, often shortened to DIFI. Its website offers consumer information and a way to file a complaint about an insurance company or policy. For questions about federal Medicare rules themselves, Medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE are the official sources.
Where to get Medicare help in Arizona
These public programs and contacts are listed by official sources. Each one links to the page it came from.
Medicare counseling (SHIP)
Arizona's State Health Insurance Assistance Program, Arizona SHIP, offers in-depth, one-on-one counseling and assistance with Medicare. Phone: 1-800-432-4040. Its listing says: "Leave a message and we will return your call."
Source: SHIP TA Center (shiphelp.org)
State insurance consumer help
Arizona's insurance regulator is the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (DIFI). Its website has a consumer information section and a way to file a complaint.
Source: Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions
County guides for Arizona
Educational Medicare guides for individual Arizona counties, with CMS figures for each county and its local counseling contacts.
How a licensed independent agent helps in Arizona
A licensed independent insurance agent can explain how the parts of Medicare fit together, walk through the enrollment windows that apply to your situation, and review the plans the agent offers in your area. The review is educational, and there is no obligation to enroll.
An agent is different from a state counseling program. Counselors at a State Health Insurance Assistance Program do not sell insurance. A licensed agent can help with an application, but can only discuss the plans that agent offers, which is why the plan-availability disclosure appears near the request button on this page.
Many people use both: unbiased counseling to understand the rules, and an agent to review specific options. If you are new to Medicare, start with what Medicare is and how it works, then read about the Annual Enrollment Period. For other coverage questions in Arizona, see the Arizona state guide.
Have questions? Review your options with a licensed agent.
Review your Medicare options in Arizona
Answer a few questions and a licensed agent will follow up to walk through the plans they offer in your area. Educational, no pressure, and no obligation to enroll.
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We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
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FAQ
Medicare questions from Arizona
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Related reading
Medicare education hub
How Parts A, B, C and D work, and the enrollment timeline.
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Medicare Annual Enrollment Period
What the October 15 through December 7 window allows.
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What is Medicare?
A plain-language beginner's guide.
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Medicare Special Enrollment Periods
Life events that open a window outside AEP.
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Arizona state guide
Both coverage guides for Arizona and license details.
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States we serve
Every state where Alexander James is licensed.
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