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Medigap Trial Right: How to Leave Medicare Advantage and Get a Medicare Supplement Plan Without Health Questions

Reviewed by Russell Noga, Licensed Medicare Insurance Broker (all 50 states) — Last updated October 27, 2026

Key Takeaway

If you tried Medicare Advantage for the first time and want out within 12 months, Medicare’s trial right lets you go back to Original Medicare and buy a Medicare Supplement plan with no health questions. Apply within 63 days after your Medicare Advantage coverage ends.

Joining a Medicare Advantage plan is not always a one-way door. Medicare gives some people a 12-month trial right: a guaranteed chance to switch back to Original Medicare and buy a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan without medical underwriting.

That matters because, outside your one-time open enrollment period, most companies can turn you down for Medigap because of your health. Here is exactly who has a trial right, what you can buy with it and how to use it before it runs out.

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What Is the Medigap Trial Right?

Two ways to qualify for the Medigap trial right: joined Medicare Advantage at 65, or dropped a Medigap plan to try Medicare Advantage for the first time

The trial right is a federal guaranteed issue right. It protects people who try Medicare Advantage for the first time and decide within a year that it isn’t for them. Medicare describes it as a chance to drop your Medicare Advantage plan that lasts for 12 months after you join.

You qualify in one of two situations:

1
You joined Medicare Advantage when you first got Medicare at 65. You enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (or PACE) when you first became eligible for Part A at 65, and within the first year you want to switch to Original Medicare.
2
You dropped a Medigap plan to try Medicare Advantage for the first time. You left a Medicare Supplement policy to join a Medicare Advantage plan, PACE or Medicare SELECT policy for the first time, and you have been in that plan less than a year.

Good to know: With a guaranteed issue right, the company can’t turn you down, can’t charge more because of your health and can’t make you wait for coverage of a pre-existing condition.

What Can You Buy With the Trial Right?

Medigap trial right timeline: 12 months to leave Medicare Advantage, then apply up to 60 days before and 63 days after coverage ends

What you can buy depends on which way you qualify:

How you qualify What you can buy Health questions?
Joined Medicare Advantage at 65 Any Medigap policy sold in your state by any insurance company, except Plans C and F if you became eligible for Medicare on or after Jan. 1, 2020 No
Dropped Medigap to try Medicare Advantage The same Medigap policy you had before, if the same company still sells it; if not, a plan such as Plan A, B, D or G No
Left Medicare Advantage after the first 12 months Any plan a company will sell you Yes, in most states

Most people using the first type of trial right choose Plan G or Plan N, the two most popular plans for new enrollees. Compare every plan letter in our guide to Medicare Supplement plans.

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Deadlines: How Long the Trial Right Lasts

What you can buy with the Medigap trial right: any Medigap plan sold in your state if you joined Medicare Advantage at 65, or your old Medigap policy back

Two clocks matter, and missing either one can cost you the right:

✔
12 months to leave. You must leave your Medicare Advantage plan within the first 12 months after you join. The trial right gives you a special enrollment period to do it, so you don’t have to wait for Annual Enrollment or the January 1 to March 31 Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period.
✔
The 63-day application window. You can apply for your Medigap policy as early as 60 days before your Medicare Advantage coverage ends and no later than 63 days after it ends.
✔
Your Medigap policy starts after Medicare Advantage ends. The Medigap policy can’t begin until your Medicare Advantage coverage has ended.

Don’t wait for fall: If you leave Medicare Advantage during Annual Enrollment after your first 12 months are up, there is no federal guarantee that a company will sell you a Medigap policy without health questions.

How to Use Your Trial Right, Step by Step

1
Confirm you’re within 12 months. Check the date your Medicare Advantage coverage started.
2
Compare Medigap plans and prices. Benefits are the same for each plan letter, so compare premiums and rate history.
3
Apply for your Medigap policy. Tell the company you’re using your trial right and include proof.
4
Leave Medicare Advantage. Disenroll or enroll in a stand-alone Part D plan, which ends your Medicare Advantage plan.
5
Add Part D drug coverage. Medigap plans don’t include drug coverage, so join a Part D plan to avoid a gap and a late penalty.

Work with us and we make the switch easy. A licensed agent times your Medigap start date with the end of your Medicare Advantage plan, so you’re covered every day.

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What Proof Do You Need?

Medicare recommends keeping records that show when your coverage started and ended. Keep:

✔
Copies of letters, notices, emails or claim denials with your name on them
✔
The postmarked envelopes those papers came in
✔
Your Medicare Advantage enrollment confirmation showing your start date
✔
Your disenrollment notice showing your end date

Tip: Send copies with your Medigap application and keep the originals. An agent can help you show the company that your trial right applies.

Example: Trying Medicare Advantage at 65

Linda turned 65 in March 2026 and joined a $0-premium Medicare Advantage plan. By November she was frustrated with prior authorizations and wanted to see specialists outside her network.

Without the trial right

✔Health questions on every application
✔Could be declined for a recent diagnosis
✔Stuck with Medicare Advantage if declined

With the trial right

✔Leaves Medicare Advantage before March 2027
✔Buys Plan G with no health questions
✔No waiting period for pre-existing conditions

Because she was still inside her first 12 months, Linda could switch to Original Medicare, buy Plan G from the company of her choice and add a Part D plan, all without answering health questions.

Trial Right vs. Other Ways to Switch

Option When Medigap without health questions?
Medigap trial right Within 12 months of first joining Medicare Advantage Yes
Medigap open enrollment period 6 months starting the month you’re 65+ and in Part B Yes
Annual Enrollment Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 Not guaranteed in most states
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Jan. 1 to March 31 Not guaranteed in most states

New York and Connecticut let you buy a Medigap plan any time of year without health questions. Elsewhere, the trial right and your open enrollment period are the safest times to switch. Learn more about Medicare Supplement open enrollment and how to sign up for Medigap.

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Keep Reading

Medigap Underwriting Questions: what Medicare Supplement health questions ask and how to prepare.

Medigap Trial Right — Frequently Asked Questions

➤ What is the Medigap trial right?

It’s a federal guaranteed issue right for people who try Medicare Advantage for the first time. If you leave within 12 months, you can buy a Medicare Supplement plan without health questions.

➤ Who qualifies for the Medigap trial right?

You qualify if you joined a Medicare Advantage plan or PACE when you first became eligible for Medicare at 65, or if you dropped a Medigap policy to join Medicare Advantage, PACE or Medicare SELECT for the first time. Either way, you must leave within the first 12 months.

➤ How long does the Medigap trial right last?

You have 12 months after you join Medicare Advantage to leave. You can apply for Medigap as early as 60 days before your Medicare Advantage coverage ends and no later than 63 days after it ends.

➤ Can I buy Plan G with the trial right?

If you joined Medicare Advantage at 65, yes. You can buy any Medigap policy sold in your state, except Plans C and F if you became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020.

➤ Can I get my old Medigap plan back?

If you dropped a Medigap policy to try Medicare Advantage for the first time, you can get the same policy back if the same company still sells it. If it doesn’t, you can buy another plan, such as Plan A, B, D or G.

➤ Do I have to wait for Open Enrollment to leave Medicare Advantage?

No. The trial right gives you a special enrollment period, so you can leave during your first 12 months without waiting for Annual Enrollment or the January to March Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period.

➤ Will there be a waiting period for pre-existing conditions?

No. When you buy a Medigap policy with a guaranteed issue right like the trial right, the company must cover pre-existing conditions right away.

➤ What if my 12 months have already passed?

You can still apply for a Medigap plan, but in most states the company can ask health questions and decline you. New York and Connecticut allow enrollment at any time without health questions.

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