Here is how to prepare for Medicare AEP, from October 1 to December 7
Follow a week-by-week plan with a voicemail, text or call script for every step, and check who CMS lets you contact before you pick up the phone.
Annual Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026
Here is what CMS changed for agents before this Annual Enrollment
CMS's April 2026 rule took effect on June 1, 2026, so this is the first Annual Enrollment under it.
You no longer wait 48 hours after a Scope of Appointment
You can record the Scope of Appointment and start the appointment on the same call. It still has to come first, and in writing when you meet in person.
Source: 42 CFR 422.2264(c)(3)(i); CMS final rule, 91 FR 17384
A sales event can follow an educational event right away
The 12-hour wait is gone. Tell people the educational part is over, and give them a chance to leave before the sales part starts.
Source: 42 CFR 422.2264(c)(2)(i); CMS final rule, 91 FR 17384
You can collect Scope of Appointment forms at educational events
You still can't sell or take applications there, but people can hand you a form to book an appointment.
Source: 42 CFR 422.2264(c)(1)(ii)(D); CMS final rule, 91 FR 17384
A Scope of Appointment for 2026 plans doesn't cover 2027 plans
Each one is valid for 12 months and only for the products it lists. CMS says a new plan year needs a new one, and a client who asks you to stop contacting them overrides it.
Source: 42 CFR 422.2264(c)(3)(iii); CMS final rule, 91 FR 17384
Tick off these 8 things before you sell your first 2027 plan
Each one is a CMS rule, with the paragraph it comes from. Your ticks stay on this device, so you can come back to the list.
0 of 8 done
Your ticks stay on this device.
Follow this plan from October 1 to December 7, with a script for every step
Put in your name and agency, and every voicemail, text and call script updates. Each message goes to clients who agreed to hear from you.
Thu, Oct 1
You can start marketing 2027 plans
Plans had to send members their changes for 2027 by September 30, so your clients should already have them.
Mon, Oct 55 p.m., their time
Leave a voicemail for the clients who asked you to check in
In your voice, with each client's first name. It lands in their voicemail box without ringing the phone.
VoicemailHi [First name], it's Mike at Reynolds Insurance. Your plan has sent you its changes for 2027, and enrollment opens October 15. Let's find a time to go over them together. Call me back, or reply to the text I'm sending you.
Hi [First name], it's Mike at Reynolds Insurance. Your plan has sent you its changes for 2027, and enrollment opens October 15. Let's find a time to go over them together. Call me back, or reply to the text I'm sending you.
42 words
Wed, Oct 7
Text them to book a review
Clients reply YES, and the replies land in your two-way inbox.
TextHi [First name], it's Mike at Reynolds Insurance. Medicare enrollment runs Oct 15 to Dec 7. Want to go over your 2027 plan? Reply YES and I'll call.
Hi [First name], it's Mike at Reynolds Insurance. Medicare enrollment runs Oct 15 to Dec 7. Want to go over your 2027 plan? Reply YES and I'll call.
Fits in one text: 150 of 160 characters
Thu, Oct 15
Annual Enrollment opens, so start the reviews
Record the Scope of Appointment before each appointment. One signed for 2026 plans doesn't cover 2027 plans.
Call scriptHi [First name], it's Mike at Reynolds Insurance, calling for your plan review. Before we start, I need to note which types of plans you'd like to go over today, such as Medicare Advantage, a drug plan or a supplement. Which ones should we cover?
Hi [First name], it's Mike at Reynolds Insurance, calling for your plan review. Before we start, I need to note which types of plans you'd like to go over today, such as Medicare Advantage, a drug plan or a supplement. Which ones should we cover?
45 words
Mon, Nov 95 p.m., their time
Leave a second voicemail for the clients you haven't reviewed
Upload a fresh list first, so it skips everyone you've already met with.
VoicemailHi [First name], it's Mike at Reynolds Insurance. Medicare enrollment closes December 7, and we haven't gone over your plan for 2027 yet. Call me back and we'll find a time this week.
Hi [First name], it's Mike at Reynolds Insurance. Medicare enrollment closes December 7, and we haven't gone over your plan for 2027 yet. Call me back and we'll find a time this week.
33 words
Mon, Nov 30
Text them that one week is left
Only to the clients you haven't reviewed.
TextHi [First name], it's Mike at Reynolds Insurance. Medicare enrollment ends Dec 7. Want to go over your 2027 plan before then? Reply YES and I'll call.
Hi [First name], it's Mike at Reynolds Insurance. Medicare enrollment ends Dec 7. Want to go over your 2027 plan before then? Reply YES and I'll call.
Fits in one text: 152 of 160 characters
Thu, Dec 3 to Fri, Dec 4
Call every client you haven't reached
From the browser with your own numbers. Every connected call is recorded.
Call scriptHi [First name], it's Mike at Reynolds Insurance. Enrollment closes Monday, and I want to make sure your plan still works for you in 2027. Do you have a few minutes now, or is there a better time today?
Hi [First name], it's Mike at Reynolds Insurance. Enrollment closes Monday, and I want to make sure your plan still works for you in 2027. Do you have a few minutes now, or is there a better time today?
39 words
Mon, Dec 7
Annual Enrollment closes
The last day to change Medicare Advantage and drug plans for 2027.
Fri, Jan 1
2027 coverage starts
Until March 31, people in a Medicare Advantage plan can switch plans once. CMS bars unsolicited marketing aimed at that window, so talk about it only when a client asks.
Every message goes to clients who agreed to hear from you, and none lands on a weekend or a federal holiday.
Check who CMS lets you call, text or leave a voicemail for
Pick the person, and see the rule in CMS's own words with the paragraph it comes from.
Who do you want to contact?
Yes. You can call, text or leave a voicemail.
“Calls are not considered unsolicited if the beneficiary provides consent or initiates contact with the plan.”
42 CFR 422.2264(a)(3)
What to do: Keep a record of when and how they agreed, such as a signed form or a recorded call.
Rule text from 42 CFR 422.2264 as in effect in September 2026.
Half of all callbacks come within 8 minutes of the voicemail
So leave voicemails when you can pick up the phone, and leave the last ones at least two days before December 7, because 7% of callbacks come a day or more later.
Share of callbacks that had come in, by time since the voicemail landed
Show the numbersHide the numbers
| Time since the voicemail landed | Callbacks by then |
|---|---|
| 1 minute | 35.6% |
| 2 minutes | 39.8% |
| 3 minutes | 42.5% |
| 5 minutes | 46.3% |
| 8 minutes | 50.3% |
| 10 minutes | 52.3% |
| 15 minutes | 56.3% |
| 20 minutes | 59.4% |
| 30 minutes | 63.7% |
| 45 minutes | 68.2% |
| 1 hour | 71.4% |
| 1.5 hours | 75.7% |
| 2 hours | 78.7% |
| 3 hours | 82.5% |
| 4 hours | 84.9% |
| 6 hours | 87.8% |
| 8 hours | 89.3% |
| 12 hours | 90.3% |
| 18 hours | 91.2% |
| 1 day | 93.4% |
| 2 days | 96.3% |
| 3 days | 97.8% |
| 7 days | 100.0% |
Voicemails that land at 5 p.m. get the most callbacks
In VoiceDrop's callback study, which compares each sender only with itself, voicemails that landed at 5 p.m. in each person's time zone brought 24% more callbacks than the average hour, as people finish work. Tuesday to Thursday brought 14% more than Monday or Friday. So the plan above sets every voicemail for 5 p.m., your client's time.
Callbacks, by the hour the voicemail landed in their time zone
5 p.m.: +24% against the sender's average
The dashed line is each sender's own average. Tap a bar to see its number.
By weekday
Mon
−8%
Tue
+5%
Wed
+6%
Thu
+5%
Fri
−8%
Show the numbersHide the numbers
| Hour the voicemail landed | Callbacks, against the sender's average |
|---|---|
| 8 a.m. | −13% |
| 9 a.m. | +4% |
| 10 a.m. | +8% |
| 11 a.m. | −3% |
| 12 p.m. | −3% |
| 1 p.m. | −4% |
| 2 p.m. | +1% |
| 3 p.m. | −2% |
| 4 p.m. | +6% |
| 5 p.m. | +24% |
| 6 p.m. | +1% |
| 7 p.m. | −1% |
| 8 p.m. | −5% |
VoiceDrop reaches your whole book of clients from one account
Voicemails, texts and calls run from the same login, and our free insurance text templates cover quotes, renewals and birthdays too.
Leave every client a voicemail in your own voice
Record a short sample once, and each voicemail is read in your voice with the client's first name. It lands in their voicemail box without ringing the phone.
Text your whole book and answer replies in one inbox
See the exact message and how many clients will get it before it sends. Landlines are skipped automatically.
STOP replies are handled for you
When a client replies STOP, or asks to be taken off in their own words, VoiceDrop stops texting that number from all your campaigns.
Call clients from the browser
Use your own numbers. Every connected call is recorded, and a call that doesn't connect says why.
Callbacks ring the phone you choose
Your VoiceDrop numbers forward every callback to any phone, and the Callbacks page shows who called and which campaign reached them.
Pay only for voicemails that are delivered
A voicemail that doesn't reach a voicemail box costs you nothing, so old numbers in your book don't eat the budget.
Here are answers to common questions about getting ready for AEP
Book a demo and get a price for reaching your clients this season
Pick a time below, and bring the size of your book of clients.
- See how a voicemail goes from your client list to their phone
- See the texts and the dialer you would use
- Ask anything about texting registration and callbacks