November 25, 2025
CCHCC has important updates for anyone who is looking for help with Medicare Open Enrollment. The last day of Medicare Open Enrollment is December 7, 2025.
No more appointments are available with CCHCC or other SHIP sites – What you need to do instead:
SHIP stands for State Health Insurance (Assistance) Program. CCHCC is one of two SHIP organizations in Champaign County, and both are totally full and have no more appointments available this year.
For those who are still needing help with Medicare Open Enrollment, we are now recommending that you call the Medicare Helpline at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) / TTY 1-877-486-2048.
We are disheartened to have to be turning community members away due to lack of appointment availability and we continue to strive to help every person we possibly can. Please see below for important information.
If you end up in an Advantage plan that does not work for you, you CAN change plans!
Here is a little known fact: Anyone who ends up in a Medicare Advantage plan that does not work for them, has the option to switch advantage plans during the “Annual Enrollment Period” from January 1 to March 31.
To anyone who wasn’t able to obtain an appointment with CCHCC or another SHIP counselor this year, and to anyone who is generally nervous or uncertain of your decision: Please don’t hesitate to call us at the first of the year in 2026 to review your plan and double-check that it’s the one you that will work for you. Our community is going through a huge shift next year, and it can be nerve-wracking to switch insurance companies. We are more than happy to look over your decision during the Annual Enrollment Period and help you obtain some peace of mind.
Regarding Health Alliance Medicare Advantage plan members:
We have received several inquiries about the time you have available to choose a new plan for 2026 if you are a current Health Alliance Medicare Advantage plan member.
There are some special circumstances that apply to Health Alliance Medicare Advantage Plan members, since Health Alliance is going away.
Every year, no matter what, anyone who picked an Advantage plan has the ability to change their plan between January 1st and March 31st. That’s a consistent enrollment period called the Annual Enrollment Period, sometimes even the Advantage Enrollment Period.
For only those of you who are losing Health Alliance Medicare Advantage, you will NOT be penalized if you do not choose a new plan during the current Open Enrollment period that ends on December 7.
You get a Special Enrollment Period between January 1 and February 28, 2026, to still choose a plan without being penalized. However, please note that during this time, you will not have prescription coverage, until you enroll in another plan.
This window of time (January 1 through Feb. 28) is only to give those who lose their insurance company more time to pick a plan that works for them.
During this window of time, you can choose a new Advantage plan, or you can choose a Part D plan for prescription drug coverage, and even a Medigap plan without Medical Underwriting.
By comparison, the regular Annual Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 through March 31, is for those who DO choose a Medicare Advantage plan during Open Enrollment, but find out that this plan does not work well for them, and they require the ability to choose another Advantage plan that works better for them.
Please remember – you CAN get help after January 1, 2026.
Please remember that if you are uncertain of the choice you made during Medicare Open Enrollment, CCHCC can work with you after January 1 to help you review your choice and/or help you change Advantage plans.
And if you are a Health Alliance Medicare Advantage Plan member, and you do NOT pick a new plan during Medicare Open Enrollment, we can always help you choose a new plan between January 1 and February 28.
We wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
Support CCHCC!
Best wishes,
Champaign County Health Care Consumers