If I voluntarily drop Medicare Part B to live abroad or return to creditable employer coverage, will I get a new Medigap Open Enrollment Period? What happens if I reenroll in Part B years later?

Question

Antonio Rodriguez · Accepted Answer

Generally, no. If your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period already occurred at age 65 or older, voluntarily dropping Part B and restarting it years later does not create a new one. You could face medical underwriting or be denied Medigap unless you qualify for a separate guaranteed-issue protection or additional rights under state law.

Part B reenrollment has different rules. Group health coverage based on your or your spouse’s current employment may qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period without a penalty. Simply living abroad generally does not, so returning could mean waiting for the General Enrollment Period and paying a lasting late-enrollment penalty. “Creditable” drug coverage alone doesn’t protect your Part B enrollment rights.

Before dropping coverage, confirm your specific Part B and Medigap protections, including whether losing employer coverage later would provide guaranteed-issue rights.

Rodney Powell · Answer

Officially, no. Federal regulations state that beneficiaries receive only one 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period (OEP), which begins the first month they turn 65 or older and enroll in Medicare Part B. Dropping and later re-enrolling in Part B does not reset this federal right.

However, some Medicare Supplement carriers may accept the applicant without medical underwriting if the application does not ask whether this is the applicant’s first Part B enrollment. In those cases, the carrier may treat the person as though they were in their initial Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment Period.

This is not guaranteed. Carrier practices vary, so confirm eligibility directly with the carrier before submitting an application.

Ashley Broussard · Answer

No, not automatically. If you voluntarily drop Medicare Part B and reenroll several years later, you generally do not receive a new six-month Medicare Supplement (Medigap) Open Enrollment Period if you already used or started that enrollment opportunity at age 65 or older.

This is an important distinction because Medicare Part B enrollment rights and Medicare Supplement enrollment rights are two separate things.
How does Medigap Open Enrollment work?
Under federal law, your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period begins the first month you are both:
- Age 65 or older.
- Enrolled in Medicare Part B.
During those six months, insurance companies cannot deny you a Medigap policy because of your health or charge you more based on preexisting medical conditions.

Once that six-month period begins, voluntarily dropping Part B does not reset the clock. Reenrolling in Part B years later generally doesn't create another federal Medigap Open Enrollment Period.

Michael Cambigue · Answer

No, voluntarily dropping Medicare Part B does not grant you a new federal Medigap Open Enrollment Period. Because the one-time Medigap Open Enrollment window is permanently tied to your very first Part B effective date, dropping and later reenrolling in Part B means you will lose your old Medigap policy and likely face full medical underwriting to buy a new one. Furthermore, if you reenroll in Part B later without qualifying active employer coverage, you will be hit with a permanent 10% late-enrollment penalty for every full 12-month gap you went without coverage.

Answered by Michael Cambigue on October 24, 2026

Broker Licensed in CT & FL

Answered by Michael Cambigue Medicare Insurance Agent

Christopher Horan · Answer

Usually, no. Voluntarily dropping Medicare Part B does not give you a new Medigap Open Enrollment Period when you reenroll years later. This is especially important if you're considering living abroad for a while.

Your initial Medigap Open Enrollment Period is generally a one-time, six-month period that begins when you're 65 or older and your Part B coverage starts. It generally cannot be restarted simply by dropping and later reinstating Part B

Juan Carlos Quevedo Lussón · Answer

Generally, no. Dropping Part B and reenrolling years later does not restart your federal Medigap Open Enrollment Period. That six-month window begins the first month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B, whether or not you buy Medigap during it.

Answered by Juan Carlos Quevedo Lussón on October 26, 2026

Broker Licensed in TX & FL

Answered by Juan Carlos Quevedo Lussón Medicare Insurance Agent

Juliette Chihade · Answer

Generally, no. Voluntarily dropping Medicare Part B does not automatically give you a new Medigap Open Enrollment Period when you reenroll years later. The key distinction is between your right to reenroll in Medicare Part B and your right to buy a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy without medical underwriting.

Answered by Juliette Chihade on October 26, 2026

Agent Licensed in IL

Answered by Juliette Chihade Medicare Insurance Agent

Mark Bilgere · Answer

No there is no special enrollment period. You will need to use the General Open Enrollment period, January 1st to March 31st. If you were eligible for Medicare but chose not to have it, you will have a 10% penalty for each year that you did not have it.

Answered by Mark Bilgere on October 26, 2026

Broker Licensed in TX, AR, IN & LA, MN, NE & OK

Answered by Mark Bilgere Medicare Insurance Agent

Mike Alexander · Answer

You would only be able to reenroll on part b from jan 1st to march 31st of that year.
I would not recommend that you drop part b 
I lived in Costa rica for a few years but did not drop part b as i had coverage when i would fly back to US from time to time.
You do not want to drop part b as you would also be assessed a penality for each year you were not enrolled

Keith Farrell · Answer

For the person moving abroad, and then returning, they may be able to enroll, but they would incur a late enrollment penalty. For the person dropping coverage to join an employers coverage that is credible, they would have a reenrollment. And incurred no penalty as long as they’re coverage me the requirements were credible coverage to enroll in part B.

Answered by Keith Farrell on October 24, 2026

Agent Licensed in VA & WV

Answered by Keith Farrell Medicare Insurance Agent

If I voluntarily drop Medicare Part B to live abroad or return to creditable employer coverage, will I get a new Medigap Open Enrollment Period? What happens if I reenroll in Part B years later?

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If I voluntarily drop Medicare Part B to live abroad or return to creditable employer coverage, will I get a new Medigap Open Enrollment Period? What happens if I reenroll in Part B years later?

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