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Can I switch from Medicare Advantage to a Medigap plan?

You can leave Advantage in two windows a year. Getting a supplement afterward depends on underwriting, unless you have a trial right.

Updated August 17, 2026 · 2 min read

Leaving a Medicare Advantage plan is straightforward. Getting a Medicare Supplement afterward is the part that is not guaranteed, and doing these in the wrong order is how people end up exposed.

The two things that must both happen

1. You disenroll from the Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare, which you can do during Annual Enrollment or the January through March Advantage window.
2. You are approved for a Medigap policy, which in Texas usually requires passing medical underwriting.

The first is a calendar question. The second is a health question.

When you do not have to be underwritten

Certain situations give you a guaranteed issue right to buy a supplement without health questions.

• Trial right: you joined an Advantage plan when you first became eligible for Medicare at 65, and you drop it within twelve months.
• Trial right: you dropped a Medigap policy to try an Advantage plan for the first time, and you return within twelve months.
• Your Advantage plan leaves the area or loses its Medicare contract.
• You move out of the plan's service area.
• The plan misled you or violated its contract.

If none of those apply

You go through underwriting. Texas insurers can ask health questions, charge more, or decline. Standards vary meaningfully between carriers, which is exactly why working with someone representing several is worth it.

The order that keeps you safe

1. Apply for the Medigap policy first, while still enrolled in your Advantage plan.
2. Wait for written approval and a confirmed effective date.
3. Enroll in a standalone Part D plan for the same effective date, since dropping Advantage removes your drug coverage.
4. Only then complete the disenrollment. Enrolling in a standalone Part D plan while on Original Medicare usually triggers it automatically.
5. Confirm everything in writing before the old plan terminates.

Never disenroll first. If the supplement application is declined after you have left, you are on Original Medicare with no cap on your costs and no easy way back until the next window.

If you are declined

• Try other carriers before concluding it is not possible.
• Consider a different plan letter or a high deductible version, which some carriers underwrite differently. See high deductible Plan G.
• Stay on Advantage and switch to a plan with a lower out of pocket maximum and a broader network.
• If you qualify for Medicaid or a savings program, a dual eligible plan may leave you paying very little. See D-SNP plans.

See the mechanics of returning to Original Medicare and how underwriting works.