If you have a health plan via the Health Insurance Marketplace (r) and will soon be eligible for Medicare, it's not too early to start thinking about switching your coverage. If you currently have a Marketplace plan, you can maintain it until your Medicare coverage begins. The Marketplace plan can then be cancelled without penalty. There are two ways to switch insurance carriers: directly with an employer or through an independent insurance agent/broker. You cannot change insurers within the same state insurance company. You must do so with another insurer. It is important to remember that changing insurers may cause a delay in receiving benefits. If this is a concern for you, then consider switching plans. It is important to understand that if you switch insurers before you are automatically re-enrolled in your new plan, you will lose any coverage you had previously obtained through that insurer. Therefore, make sure to switch promptly after you begin receiving letters from insurance companies. If you miss those letters, you might not know to look for changes in your coverage status. Switching insurance carriers can be a good idea if your current plan does not meet your needs or if its cost is too high. For example, if you need prescription drugs but your current plan does not cover them, then you should look into other options. By switching insurers you can likely obtain coverage for needed medications. Swapping providers may also help control costs by allowing you to take advantage of lower rates from other plans.