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Build your parent's Medicare review checklist
Answer for the person who has Medicare. You get a short, printable list in plain words, with the warnings that matter for people who get help at home. No names, no phone number, no email.
Educational only. Not enrollment advice.
Why home care families should look first
Most Open Enrollment advice is about premiums and drug costs. For a parent who gets help at home, the bigger question is whether a Medicare change touches the plan that pays the aide. In New York that depends on how the home care is set up:
- MAP or PACE. One plan covers Medicare and Medicaid, including home care. The member has to stay in the Medicare plan that goes with it. A separate drug plan or a different Medicare plan can start the removal process under MLTC Policy 26.01.
- A partial-capitation MLTC plan. Medicaid home care comes from the MLTC plan and Medicare is separate. A Medicare change is not one of the reasons that policy lists for removal, but ask the care manager anyway.
- HRA or the county. Home care is authorized directly by the local Medicaid office. Ask before joining any plan that says it also covers Medicaid long term care.
- No Medicaid. No Medicare plan pays for ongoing help with bathing and dressing. If that kind of help is needed, start with NY Connects at 1-800-342-9871, and read spend-down vs a pooled income trust if income is over the Medicaid limit.
Not sure which one applies? The card your parent shows at the doctor, the name on the home care letters, and one call to the care manager usually settle it. The caregiver checklist covers CDPAP and agency care in more depth.
The dates
| When | What can change |
|---|---|
| October 15 to December 7, 2026 | Open Enrollment. Anyone with Medicare can switch health or drug plans, or move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Changes start January 1, 2027. |
| January 1 to March 31, 2027 | Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, only for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan: one switch to another Medicare Advantage plan, or back to Original Medicare with a drug plan. |
| Any month | People with Medicare and Medicaid, or a Medicare Savings Program, can join or change a separate drug plan. People with full Medicaid can join an integrated dual plan that lines up with their Medicaid plan. |
One more 2027 change for families with Medicare and Medicaid: under a federal rule, many dual plans may only take new members who are also in the same company's Medicaid plan. If a new dual plan is offered, ask whether your parent can really join it for January.
Three questions to ask any caller
- “What is your name, your company, and a number I can call back?”
- “Would this change my parent's Medicaid plan, their home care, or their aide?”
- “Are my parent's doctors, hospital, pharmacy and every prescription covered in 2027?”
Then hang up and check the answers with HIICAP at 1-800-701-0501 before agreeing to anything. Medicare.gov says Medicare will never call to sell anything or visit you at home.
Questions families ask
When is Medicare Open Enrollment for 2027?
October 15 to December 7, 2026. Medicare says the plan must get the enrollment request by December 7, and the change starts January 1, 2027. If your parent does nothing, they stay in their current plan with its 2027 changes.
Can changing my parent’s Medicare plan affect their home care?
It can for MAP and PACE members. New York’s MLTC Policy 26.01 says a MAP or PACE member who is no longer in the aligned Medicare plan will be disenrolled unless the Medicare enrollment is put back. For a partial-capitation MLTC plan, changing Medicare plans is not one of the listed disenrollment reasons, but ask the care manager first anyway.
Does Medicare pay for a home health aide every day?
No. Medicare home health covers part-time skilled care, like nursing or therapy, for someone who is homebound. Medicare.gov says it does not pay for 24-hour care, homemaker services, or help with bathing and dressing when that is the only care needed. In New York, Medicaid is the main public payer for that kind of help.
My parent has Medicare and Medicaid. Do we have to decide by December 7?
Not always. Since 2025, people with Medicare and Medicaid, or a Medicare Savings Program, can join or change a separate Medicare drug plan in any month, and people with full Medicaid can join an integrated dual plan that lines up with their Medicaid plan in any month. Open Enrollment is still the best time to review, because that is when the plan’s yearly changes start.
Someone keeps calling about a better plan. Is that Medicare?
Medicare.gov says Medicare will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home. Do not give the Medicare number to an unexpected caller. Ask for their name, company and phone number, and check with HIICAP at 1-800-701-0501 before agreeing to anything.
Who can review my parent’s plan for free?
HIICAP, New York’s free Medicare counseling program, at 1-800-701-0501. Medicare itself is at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048. For MLTC, MAP or PACE enrollment questions, New York Medicaid Choice’s long term care line is 1-888-401-6582 (TTY 1-888-329-1541).
Sources
Official pages checked October 30, 2026. Your own notice and current official guidance control if anything here differs.
- Medicare.gov, Open Enrollment. October 15 to December 7; changes start January 1; the plan must get the request by December 7.
- Medicare.gov, Joining a plan. Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, January 1 to March 31, only for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan.
- Medicare.gov, Plan Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). Sent by the plan in September; lists changes effective in January.
- CMS, Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs). Since January 1, 2025: the monthly Dual/LIS special enrollment period for standalone drug plans and the Integrated Care special enrollment period.
- CMS, FAQs and enrollment scenarios for 42 CFR 422.514(h) (April 13, 2026). From 2027 many D-SNPs may newly enroll only people in the same company’s Medicaid plan; unaligned existing members may stay until 2030.
- NYS Department of Health, MLTC Policy 26.01, MLTC Involuntary Disenrollment Policy (effective June 1, 2026). MAP and PACE: leaving the aligned Medicare plan leads to disenrollment unless the Medicare enrollment is reinstated.
- NYS Department of Health, MLTC Partial Capitation lock-in FAQs. 90-day grace period to transfer, then Good Cause during lock-in; New York Medicaid Choice 1-888-401-6582 (TTY 1-888-329-1541).
- NYS Department of Health, Integrated Care Plans for Dual Eligible New Yorkers. MAP and PACE descriptions; HIICAP 1-800-701-0501; New York Medicaid Choice (888) 401-6582.
- Medicare.gov, Home health services. What Medicare home health covers, and that it does not pay for 24-hour care, homemaker services, or personal care when that is the only care needed.
- Medicare.gov, Reporting Medicare fraud and abuse. “Medicare will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home.”
- Medicare.gov, Talk to someone. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048.
- ICAN, Independent Consumer Advocacy Network. (844) 614-8800, TTY 711.