If you decide to enter Medicare Advantage today, your first member enrolls January 1, 2028.
Get from decision to first member — every stage, every CMS deadline, and the market data each decision needs.
The CY2027 window closed on June 1, 2026, when bids were due. A health plan starting now is building for CY2028 — an application around February 2027, a bid on June 7, 2027, and an AEP that opens October 15, 2027.
That is roughly 17 months. This page is the whole path, stage by stage, with the CMS deadline attached to each one.
The cycle you are actually in
| Milestone | CY2027 — closed | CY2028 — your cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Applications posted | Jan 7, 2026 · published | ~Jan 2027 · projected |
| Notice of Intent to Apply due | Jan 23, 2026 · published | ~Jan 2027 · projected |
| Application due | Feb 11, 2026 · published | ~Feb 2027 · projected |
| Rate Announcement | Apr 6, 2026 · published | Apr 5, 2027 · statutory |
| Bid due | Jun 1, 2026 · published | Jun 7, 2027 · statutory |
| ANOC received by members | Sep 30, 2026 | Sep 30, 2027 · statutory |
| Marketing may begin | Oct 1, 2026 | Oct 1, 2027 · statutory |
| AEP | Oct 15 – Dec 7, 2026 | Oct 15 – Dec 7, 2027 · statutory |
| Coverage effective | Jan 1, 2027 | Jan 1, 2028 |
About the dates on this page. CY2027 dates are published CMS facts. CY2028 dates marked statutory are fixed by regulation. Dates marked projected are the pattern from the CY2026 and CY2027 cycles — CMS has not published them yet, and we relabel them the day it does. How we label data and dates →
The lifecycle, on a calendar
- Jan 7, 2026
CY2027 applications posted
published
- Jan 23, 2026
CY2027 Notice of Intent to Apply due
published
- Feb 11, 2026
CY2027 application due
published
- Apr 6, 2026
CY2027 Rate Announcement — net +2.48%, effective growth rate 5.33%
published
- Jun 1, 2026
CY2027 bids due — the window closed here
published
- Jul 24, 2026
You are here — building for CY2028
- Jul 31, 2026
Agent and broker compensation attestation in HPMS, plan year 2027
published
- Oct 1, 2026
CY2027 marketing rule changes take effect; marketing may begin
statutory
- Oct 15 – Dec 7, 2026
AEP for CY2027
statutory
- ~Jan 2027
CY2028 applications posted · NOIA due
projected
- ~Feb 2027
CY2028 application due
projected
- Apr 5, 2027
CY2028 Rate Announcement
statutory — first Monday in April
- Jun 7, 2027
CY2028 bids due
statutory — first Monday in June
- Jun – Sep 2027
CMS bid review, readiness review, contract execution
pattern
- Sep 30, 2027
Competitors' ANOCs land — your disruption intelligence window opens
statutory
- Oct 1, 2027
Marketing may begin
statutory
- Oct 15 – Dec 7, 2027
Your first AEP
statutory
- Jan 1, 2028
First member enrolled
statutory
The seven stages
Stage 1Strategic assessment and readiness
Four things have to be true before anything else: you can hold a state risk-bearing licence in every county you want to serve, you can fund 12–18…
Now through late 2026 Stage 2Notice of Intent to Apply and application
Two deadlines about three weeks apart, both in HPMS. For CY2027 the Notice of Intent to Apply was due January 23, 2026 and the application was due…
NOIA ~January · application ~February, the year before the contract year Stage 3Bid development and submission
The bid is where your market thesis becomes a priced product: benefits, member premium and rebate allocation, county by county, submitted in HPMS.…
Rate Announcement in early April · bid due the first Monday in June Stage 4CMS review and contract execution
Two parallel reviews through the summer: bid desk review (does the pricing work) and readiness review (can you actually operate). Contract execution…
June through early September Stage 5Marketing and your first AEP
No marketing before October 1. Selling opens October 15 and closes December 7. Coverage starts January 1. As a new plan you send no ANOC — but every…
ANOC by Sep 30 · marketing from Oct 1 · AEP Oct 15–Dec 7 Stage 6Operational year, monitoring and stars
A new contract has no star rating, which means no quality-bonus rebate for its first years. But the measurement periods start immediately — CAHPS and…
January 1 onward Stage 7Expansion, reduction and re-bid
Expansion runs on the standard application cycle: a NOIA and a service area expansion application in January or February, then a bid by the first…
Decided in the same February–June window as every other cycleSo what / Now what
The Medicare Advantage calendar does not flex. Every date on this page is either statutory or set once a year by CMS, and missing one costs a full year — not a quarter. The most common failure among first-time sponsors is not a bad market thesis; it is discovering the 14-month lead time in month nine.
- Start the readiness checklist — around 60 items across seven stages, exportable for your PMO.
- Screen your counties in Market intelligence before the application locks your service area.
- Subscribe to CY2028 date alerts so you find out from us, not from a competitor.
Provenance — sources and date status
- Source files
- Medicare Managed Care Manual, Chapter 11; CY2027 MA and Part D Final Rule; CY2027 Rate Announcement; CY2027 Part D Bidding Instructions
- Vintage
- CY2027 cycle published; CY2028 cycle not yet posted by CMS
- Last updated
- July 24, 2026
- Refresh cadence
- At each CMS cycle milestone (application posting, Advance Notice, Rate Announcement, final rule)
- Method
- CY2027 dates are transcribed from CMS materials. CY2028 dates are either statutory (bid = first Monday in June; Rate Announcement = first Monday in April; ANOC receipt = Sep 30; marketing start = Oct 1; AEP = Oct 15–Dec 7) or projected from the CY2026 and CY2027 cycle pattern.
- Known limitations
- Projected dates are not CMS commitments and must be confirmed against the CMS application page and HPMS memos when the CY2028 cycle opens. Network adequacy standards and application procedures change between cycles — verify current-cycle instructions rather than reusing prior-year guidance.