California's Birthday Rule in 5 Minutes
A 60-day window every year to switch Medigap plans — no health questions. What it does, and what it doesn't.
Who This Is For
You live in California. You already have a Medigap plan — also called a Medicare Supplement.
It does not matter how long you have had it. It does not matter what your health is.
If you are on Medicare Advantage instead, this rule is not for you. It does not open a door into Medigap.
The 60-Day Window
Every year, starting on your birthday, you have 60 days to switch Medigap plans.
The window opens on your birthday. It closes 60 days later. Miss it, and you wait until next year.
Put the date on the calendar. Carriers will not remind you.
What You Can — and Cannot — Do
Coverage is standardized. You are shopping for a better price on the same letter, or a simpler letter, from a different company.
You can
- Switch to any Medigap plan with equal or lesser benefits.
- Pick any company that sells that plan in California.
- Skip the health questions. They cannot turn you down.
You cannot
- Move up to a richer plan — for example Plan N to Plan G.
- Use it to leave Medicare Advantage for Medigap.
- Save it for later. Unused days do not roll over.
What This Rule Does Not Fix
The Birthday Rule is a Medigap-to-Medigap switch. It is not a back door out of Medicare Advantage.
If you are on Advantage and want Medigap, you still face health questions — unless another guaranteed-issue right applies, like the first-year trial right.
And if your current plan is already the best price, we will tell you to stay. The window is a chance to check, not a reason to move.
Keep Going
This rule only helps if Medigap is already your path. Start there if you haven't.
About the author
Eric Ullrich
Founder & Licensed Medicare Advisor, Candor Medicare
Eric founded Candor Medicare to fix what he watched go wrong in the industry — advisors pushing plans that paid them more instead of plans that fit the person in front of them. He works directly with Medicare beneficiaries across Florida and California, and takes only CMS-capped commissions so his recommendations are never influenced by which carrier pays the highest override.
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