What the Rule Actually Says
Illinois enacted its Medicare Supplement annual open enrollment law in 2021, effective in 2022. Here are its exact boundaries:
- Who qualifies: Current Medigap policyholders who are at least 65 and no more than 75 years old.
- The window: 45 days, beginning on your birthday, every year.
- What you can do: Switch to a Medigap policy of equal or lesser benefits offered by your current insurer (or an affiliate/subsidiary of it).
- The protection: No medical underwriting. The insurer cannot deny the switch or charge you more because of your health history.
What the Rule Does NOT Allow
Illinois' version is narrower than the birthday rules in some other states, and knowing the limits matters as much as knowing the rights:
- You cannot switch to a different insurance company under this rule. Same insurer (or its affiliate) only.
- You cannot move up to richer benefits. Equal or lesser only — Plan G to Plan G, or Plan G down to Plan N, but not Plan N up to Plan G.
- It doesn't apply past 75. After age 75, changes outside protected situations generally involve medical underwriting again.
- It doesn't apply if you don't already have Medigap. This is a switching rule for existing policyholders, not an enrollment path into Medigap.
Why It's Still Genuinely Useful
The most common real-world use: your premium has climbed year over year, and a lower-cost plan from the same insurer — often Plan N for someone on Plan G — would meaningfully cut your monthly bill. The birthday rule lets you make that move every year without a single health question, even with serious conditions in your history. For Illinois policyholders between 65 and 75, it effectively puts an annual premium-review appointment on the calendar: your birthday.
How to Use It
- Confirm you qualify: current Medigap policyholder, age 65–75.
- Before your birthday, ask your insurer which equal-or-lesser plans it offers, and get quotes.
- Act inside the window: the 45 days start on your birthday. An application in that window for a qualifying plan cannot be underwritten.
- Don't cancel the old policy until the new one is confirmed in force.