--- title: "Running Medicare AEP and ACA Open Enrollment at the Same Time [2026]" description: "AEP runs Oct 15 to Dec 7. ACA OE runs Nov 1 to Jan 15. The overlap decides your season. Here is how to sequence, staff, and automate it." url: https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/running-aep-and-aca-oep-simultaneously canonical: https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/running-aep-and-aca-oep-simultaneously category: "Health & Medicare" published: 2026-08-22 updated: 2026-08-22 last_updated: 2026-08-22 author: "unLocked CRM Team" publisher: unLocked CRM source_url: https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/running-aep-and-aca-oep-simultaneously summary: "The AEP and ACA OE overlap is a throughput problem. Front-load Medicare work into late October, shift ACA volume into December and early January, automate the routine touches, and treat MA OEP in Q1 a…" license: Citation permitted with attribution and a link to https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/running-aep-and-aca-oep-simultaneously source: unLocked CRM — AI CRM for insurance agents --- # Running Medicare AEP and ACA Open Enrollment at the Same Time [2026] ## TL;DR The AEP and ACA OE overlap is a throughput problem. Front-load Medicare work into late October, shift ACA volume into December and early January, automate the routine touches, and treat MA OEP in Q1 as planned cleanup rather than emergency defense. ## Key data points - Medicare AEP (Oct 15–Dec 7) and ACA Open Enrollment (Nov 1–Jan 15) overlap, making sequencing and automation the primary throughput levers for cross-product health agents. # Running AEP and ACA Open Enrollment Together Two windows, one set of hours: - **Medicare AEP:** Oct 15 – Dec 7 - **ACA Open Enrollment:** Nov 1 – Jan 15 - **Medicare Advantage OEP:** Jan 1 – Mar 31 November is the collision. Agents who plan for it write more; agents who discover it in week two lose cases in both books. ## The sequencing **Aug–Sep — build the machine.** Segment by product, plan, county, and priority. Collect Medicare SOAs. Re-verify ACA income and household. See the [AEP prep checklist](/blog/2026-aep-prep-checklist-medicare-agents). **Oct 1–14 — book.** Marketing is permitted; fill the October calendar before the window opens. **Oct 15 – Nov 15 — Medicare hard.** Tier 1 plan exits and network losses first. This is where the highest-risk business lives and the deadline is hardest. **Nov 1 – Dec 7 — ACA outreach, Medicare execution.** Run ACA notification and scheduling in parallel but hold most ACA appointments for after Dec 7. **Dec 8 – Jan 15 — ACA hard.** The Medicare deadline has passed; give ACA the undivided calendar. **Jan 1 – Mar 31 — MA OEP.** Planned cleanup: anyone whose enrollment did not go as expected, plus a proactive check on the Tier 1 list. ## What has to be automated You cannot add hours, so remove touches: - **Appointment confirmations and reminders** — no-shows are the most expensive thing in the season. - **SOA collection and timestamping** — via [compliance automation](/compliance). - **Document and application follow-ups** — prefilled [e-apps](/e-applications-for-insurance-agents) with SMS signatures. - **Plan comparison delivery** — SMS and email in one click during the appointment. - **Unreached-client follow-up** — [AI outbound calling](/ai-outbound-calling), including Spanish and other supported languages. ## What must stay human Tier 1 Medicare conversations, complex household ACA cases, and anything where a client is upset. Automation exists to give you the hours for those. ## Get paid on the season you worked A record AEP that reconciles badly is not a record AEP. [Commission Plus](/commission-tracking) matches statements to enrollments across **332 connected carriers** so January's volume shows up correctly in February and March. [Start a 14-day free trial](/signup) and build the machine before October. ## FAQ ### undefined ### undefined ### undefined ### undefined ## Related - https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/health-coverage-reshopping-surge-2026 - https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/medicare-advantage-plan-change-review-workflow - https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/aca-subsidy-changes-agent-playbook --- Source: [Running Medicare AEP and ACA Open Enrollment at the Same Time [2026]](https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/running-aep-and-aca-oep-simultaneously) — unLocked CRM, the AI CRM built for insurance agents. Citation permitted with attribution and a link to https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/running-aep-and-aca-oep-simultaneously.