Medicare Open Enrollment While Living in Mexico: What to Check Before December 7

Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7, 2026, and the mailers, TV ads, and phone calls that come with it don't stop at the border. If you live in Mexico, most of that noise is aimed at someone else. Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans, the two things Open Enrollment exists to change, both require you to live in the United States.

So for many Americans living here full-time, December 7 isn't really a deadline. It is still the best time of year to check a handful of Medicare decisions that are easy to get wrong from abroad, and a few of them cost money for life. Here is what we'd look at, in order.

Not sure what should cover you in Mexico while Medicare can't? Book a free 15-minute call with one of our brokers and we'll walk through your options.

Throughout this article you'll see links in blue text. They lead to our other guides and to the official Medicare and Social Security sources behind the numbers. This is general information, not individual Medicare advice, so confirm your own situation with Social Security or Medicare before you change anything.

What Open Enrollment Can and Can't Do

Medicare Open Enrollment in Mexico – What It Can and Can't Do:

Open Enrollment (insurers call it the Annual Enrollment Period) is the window when anyone with Medicare can:

• Join, drop, or switch a Medicare Advantage plan
• Move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage
• Join, drop, or switch a Part D prescription drug plan

Changes take effect January 1, 2027, and the plan has to receive your request by December 7.

Here is what it can't do, and this is where expats get tripped up:

• It isn't when you sign up for Part B. If you skipped or dropped Part B, your window is the General Enrollment Period, January 1 to March 31.
• It doesn't open a Medigap window. Medigap has no annual enrollment period.
• It doesn't make Medicare pay in Mexico. No plan choice changes that. Medicare coverage stops at the U.S. border outside of a few narrow exceptions.

What's Changing for 2027

Medicare Open Enrollment in Mexico – What's Changing for 2027:

These numbers matter mostly if you fly back to the U.S. for care or plan to move back.

• Part D drug cap: The most you'll pay out of pocket for covered drugs rises to $2,400, up from $2,100. The maximum deductible goes to $700 from $615.
• Plan premiums: CMS projects the average Medicare Advantage premium at $12.00 a month, down from $14.37. The average standalone Part D premium is projected at $36.00, up from $35.09.
• Part B premium: It's $202.90 a month in 2026. The Medicare Trustees project about $209.50 for 2027, but CMS doesn't publish the official figure until November. Treat any 2027 number you see before then as an estimate.

What to Check Before December 7

Medicare Open Enrollment in Mexico – What to Check Before December 7:

– Where Medicare Thinks You Live –

Everything else depends on this. Social Security holds your address of record, and eligibility for Medicare Advantage and Part D is tied to where you permanently live. If you moved to Mexico and your file still shows a U.S. address, your notices, your bills, and possibly your plan are all built on a residence you no longer have.

You can update it through the Federal Benefits Unit that serves your state. There are three in Mexico: the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and the consulates in Guadalajara and Ciudad Juárez. Social Security keeps paying while you live in Mexico, so there's no benefit-related reason to leave an old address on file.

– Whether You Still Have a Medicare Advantage Plan –

Medicare Advantage plans require you to live in the plan's service area. A plan has to disenroll a member who has been outside that area for more than six months, and the Medicare Rights Center puts it plainly: your coverage must end if you live outside the United States, and telling the plan you've moved is your responsibility.

If you're still enrolled through an old address or a relative's, you're paying into a plan that can drop you, and misstating where you live to keep it is something we'd steer well clear of. We explain why in our guide to Medicare for Americans living abroad.

You don't have to wait for Open Enrollment to fix this, because a move out of the service area opens its own enrollment window. But if it has drifted, now is the simplest time. Drop the plan, return to Original Medicare on January 1, and keep paying Part B.

One caution before you switch. Federal rules give people who move out of an Advantage plan's service area the right to buy certain Medigap policies without health questions, as long as they apply within 63 days of the plan ending. Medigap is sold state by state, though, so ask the insurer whether it will issue a policy to someone living in Mexico before you count on it.

– Whether You're Paying for a Part D Plan –

You aren't eligible for a Part D plan while you live outside the U.S., and Part D doesn't cover prescriptions filled in Mexico. If a standalone drug plan premium is still coming out of your account, you're paying for something you can't use.

When you move back, you get a Special Enrollment Period that starts the month before your move and runs two full months after the month you arrive. Time spent living abroad shouldn't count toward the Part D late enrollment penalty, because you weren't eligible to enroll. The Medicare Rights Center lists living outside the U.S. as grounds for appealing one. Keep proof that you lived here: your residency card, a lease, CFE electric bills.

– Your Part B Decision –

This is the big one. It isn't tied to December 7, but year-end is when most people look at the premium and wonder why they're paying it. Before you drop Part B, know three things:

• The penalty is permanent. If you come back later, Medicare adds 10% to your premium for every full 12 months you went without Part B, for as long as you have it. Three years away means a 30% surcharge, about $61 a month at the 2026 premium, and it's recalculated on each new year's premium.
• You can't re-enroll whenever you want. Without a Special Enrollment Period, you sign up between January 1 and March 31, and coverage starts the month after. A diagnosis in June that sends you home could leave you waiting until the following February.
• Private expat insurance doesn't protect you. Medicare's own guide for people living outside the U.S. says coverage through a private plan that isn't tied to an employer may not qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period. The main exceptions are coverage based on your or your spouse's current job and certain international volunteer work. We sell that private insurance, and we'd rather you hear this from us.

Our view matches what we say in our main Medicare guide. If there's a real chance you'll move back, or you'd want treatment in the U.S. for something serious, keep Part B, at least for your first several years here. If you're certain Mexico is permanent, dropping it can be a reasonable choice. Just make it on purpose.

One more thing to verify. If you aren't collecting Social Security yet, Medicare bills your Part B premium every three months. Bills mailed to an old U.S. address are how people lose Part B by accident.

– Your Medigap Policy –

If you kept a Medigap policy, check which plan letter you have. Plans C, D, F, G, M, and N include a foreign travel emergency benefit: 80% of emergency care after a $250 deductible, up to $50,000 over your lifetime, and only for emergencies that begin in the first 60 days of a trip. That's useful for snowbirds and close to useless if you live here year-round.

Think twice before cancelling, though. There's no annual window to get back in, and in most states insurers can ask health questions or turn you down once your original Medigap enrollment period has passed. If you might move home, the premium may be worth it for coverage you can't easily replace.

– What Actually Covers You in Mexico in 2027 –

This is the check that matters most day to day. If Medicare is your only insurance, you're self-insured in Mexico. The realistic options are private health insurance, Mexico's public system, paying cash, or some mix. Our comparison of public vs. private health insurance in Mexico lays out the tradeoffs, and many people who keep Part B add medical evacuation coverage so they can get back to where Medicare works.

Age limits and pre-existing conditions narrow your choices over time, so this is worth settling before you need it.

Want to see what coverage in Mexico would cost you for 2027? Get a quote in about a minute.

– Who's Pitching You –

Open Enrollment is peak season for Medicare marketing, and some of it reaches expat communities. Be skeptical of anyone who says a Medicare Advantage plan will work for full-time life in Mexico, offers a U.S. address to keep you enrolled, or claims a clinic here can bill Medicare directly on your behalf. Our Medicare guide covers the red flags in detail.

If You Split Your Time Between Mexico and the U.S.

Medicare Open Enrollment in Mexico – If You Split Your Time:

If your permanent home is still in the U.S. and Mexico is where you spend the winter, Open Enrollment works for you the way it does for everyone else, and it's worth using.

• Read your Annual Notice of Change. Your plan mailed it in September. It lists what's changing in your premium, network, and drug list for 2027.
• Check emergency coverage abroad. Some Medicare Advantage plans cover emergency care outside the U.S. and some don't. Get the answer in writing.
• Count your months. More than six months in a row outside your plan's service area and the plan has to disenroll you.
• Know the 60-day limit. Medigap's travel benefit only covers emergencies that start in the first 60 days of a trip. For a longer stay, look at travel insurance for seniors.

If You Plan to Move Back in 2027

Medicare Open Enrollment in Mexico – If You Plan to Move Back in 2027:

• Medicare Advantage and Part D: Your Special Enrollment Period runs from the month before your move through two months after the month you arrive. You don't need to act by December 7.
• Part B: If you dropped it, January 1 to March 31, 2027 is your only chance to enroll for the year unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. Miss it and you wait until 2028.
• Paperwork: Hold on to proof of your time in Mexico. You'll want it if a Part D penalty shows up.

Key Dates

Medicare Open Enrollment in Mexico – Key Dates:

Date	What happens
October 15 to December 7, 2026	Open Enrollment for Medicare Advantage and Part D
November 2026	CMS announces the 2027 Part B premium and deductible
January 1, 2027	Plan changes take effect and the $2,400 Part D cap begins
January 1 to March 31, 2027	General Enrollment Period for Part B. People already in a Medicare Advantage plan can also make one switch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Medicare Open Enrollment in Mexico – Frequently Asked Questions:

– Do I need to do anything by December 7 if I only have Parts A and B? –

No. Original Medicare renews on its own. Just confirm your address is current and your Part B premiums are being paid.

– Can I sign up for Part B during Open Enrollment? –

No. Open Enrollment is only for Medicare Advantage and Part D. Part B sign-ups outside your initial window happen January 1 to March 31, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

– Can I keep my Medicare Advantage plan by using a relative's U.S. address? –

Not within the rules. Eligibility is based on where you actually live, and plans can verify it and disenroll you.

– Will I owe a Part D penalty for the years I lived in Mexico? –

You shouldn't, because you weren't eligible for Part D while living abroad. Enroll during your Special Enrollment Period when you return and keep proof of your residence in Mexico.

– Does my expat health insurance protect me from the Part B penalty? –

No. Individual private coverage generally doesn't create a Special Enrollment Period for Part B. Coverage through your or your spouse's current employer can.

– I'm turning 65 in Mexico. What should I do? –

If you qualify for Social Security, your enrollment window opens around your 65th birthday no matter where you live, and that's when you decide on Part B. If you aren't eligible for Social Security and were living abroad at 65, Medicare's enrollment guide says you first become eligible for Part B when you return to live in the U.S., with no penalty if you enroll then.

– Who do I contact about Medicare from Mexico? –

For Part A and Part B enrollment or an address change, contact the Federal Benefits Unit that serves your state. Part B enrollment uses form CMS-40B and cancellation uses form CMS-1763. For plan questions, call 1-800-MEDICARE.

Conclusion

Medicare Open Enrollment in Mexico – Conclusion:

For most Americans living in Mexico full-time, there's nothing to file by December 7. The useful work is making sure Medicare has the right address, that you aren't paying for plans you can't use, and that your Part B decision is one you made on purpose. Then deal with the part Medicare was never going to handle, which is your care here.

That last part is what we do. Get a quote to see what coverage in Mexico would cost you, or book a 15-minute call with a broker and we'll go through it with you.

Related Articles:

• Medicare Coverage for Americans Living Abroad
• Your Guide to Social Security Benefits Living Abroad
• Public vs. Private Health Insurance in Mexico
• Understanding Medical Evacuation Insurance Cost
• What To Do If You Get Sick or Hurt in Mexico