Wrong window. Wrong number.

Ad: “Open Enrollment is open — call now to lock 2027 benefits / switch before it’s too late.” Medicare.gov: Open Enrollment (Annual Enrollment Period) is October 15 – December 7. Changes take effect January 1 of the next year; the plan must get the enrollment request by December 7. Medicare & You 2026: October 1, 2026 is when you may start comparing 2027 options; October 15 – December 7, 2026 is Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage. On Sep 2, 2026, AEP has not started. “Compare” is not “enroll.” Ads that treat September (or any day before Oct 15) as the enrollment window are early. Joining a plan.

Ad: “This is Medicare — confirm your Medicare number / pay for a new card / claim your updated benefits on this call.” FTC (Sep 30, 2025 Open Enrollment alert; May 28, 2026 fraud alert): scammers impersonate Medicare and contact you unexpectedly; they may ask for Medicare, bank, or credit card numbers for a “new” or “updated” card. Real Medicare cards are free and mailed automatically. Medicare will not call, text, or email out of the blue to ask for your numbers or a payment, will not sell you anything, and will only ask you to verify information if you contact them first. Caller ID can be faked — hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Report to 1-800-MEDICARE and ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Ad: “Medicare Part B still $185 a month / premium cut for 2026.” CMS fact sheet (Nov 14, 2025) and SSA Medicare premiums page: standard Part B monthly premium for 2026 is $202.90 (up $17.90 from $185.00 in 2025). Annual Part B deductible for 2026 is $283 (up from $257 in 2025). Higher-income enrollees may also pay IRMAA; SSA/CMS publish MAGI brackets (e.g., individual MAGI over $109,000 / joint over $218,000 for 2026 using generally tax year 2024). Ads quoting $185 as the live 2026 standard premium are using the 2025 figure.

Ad: “Medicare open enrollment begins November 1 — enroll at Healthcare.gov.” Healthcare.gov: Marketplace Open Enrollment is November 1 – January 15 (enroll by Dec 15 for Jan 1 start; Jan 15 end for Feb 1 start). Medicare Open Enrollment is October 15 – December 7 on Medicare.gov — different program, different window, different site. Marketplace ads aimed at people with Medicare, or Medicare ads that borrow the Nov 1 Marketplace date, are mixing windows. Open Enrollment Period glossary.

Ad: “Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment is open all fall / switch MA plans whenever you want.” Medicare.gov joining-a-plan table: Annual Open Enrollment (Oct 15 – Dec 7) is when anyone with Medicare can join, drop, or switch Medicare Advantage or (if in Original Medicare) Part D, or move between Original Medicare and MA — effective Jan 1. Separate Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MAOEP): January 1 – March 31, only if you are already in an MA plan — one change (switch MA or return to Original Medicare + Part D), effective the first of the month after the plan gets the request. During MAOEP you cannot move from Original Medicare into MA, or switch Part D plans while in Original Medicare. Fall “MAOEP open now” ads collapse two windows. Medicare & You 2026.

Ad: “We’re calling about your Medicare Advantage options — join today for a bonus / cash card.” Medicare.gov plan marketing rules: people representing Medicare plans may not call you unless you are already a member of the plan or you gave permission; may not come to your home uninvited to sell; may not offer cash (or gifts worth more than $15) to join; may not ask for payment over the phone or online (the plan must send a bill); may not pressure you with lines like you have to join or you won’t have coverage next year. Cold outbound “Medicare plan” calls without prior permission are the banned pattern — verify on Medicare.gov / 1-800-MEDICARE / SHIP, not the ad’s number.

Ad: “Medicare finally covers dental / free hearing aids / free glasses — call to activate.” Medicare.gov: Original Medicare does not cover routine eye exams for eyeglasses, hearing aids or exams for fitting them, or most dental care (routine cleanings, fillings, extractions, dentures). Limited dental exceptions exist when closely tied to certain covered medical treatments (e.g., some transplant / cancer / ESRD-related care). Some Medicare Advantage, Cost, or PACE plans may offer extra vision, hearing, or dental benefits — plan-specific, not a new Original Medicare entitlement for every enrollee. “Activate free dental for all Medicare” is the ad. Dental services. Hearing aids.

Ad: “Medicare drug negotiation — all meds free / every brand drug cut for 2026.” CMS: Inflation Reduction Act negotiation covers selected high-expenditure Part D drugs without generic/biosimilar competition — not the whole formulary. First cycle: 10 selected Part D drugs with Maximum Fair Prices effective January 1, 2026 (examples from CMS fact sheet 30-day MFPs: Januvia $113, Jardiance $197, Eliquis $231, Xarelto $197, Entresto $295; full 10-drug table on CMS). Second cycle: 15 additional Part D drugs with MFPs effective January 1, 2027. Separately, Part D out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs reaches a $2,100 cap in 2026 (Issue 3) — that is not “every drug free.” Ads that turn selected MFPs into a universal free-drug program are overselling. Selected drugs. Medicare & You 2026.