How does someone sign up for a stand-alone Part D plan?
An individual signs up for a stand-alone PDP by filing an approved enrollment form (or through another CMS-approved mechanism) during a valid enrollment period, and that form must meet CMS content, format, and disclosure requirements.
What the rule says
Filing the enrollment:
“A Part D eligible individual who wishes to enroll in a PDP may enroll during the enrollment periods specified in § 423.38, by filing the appropriate enrollment form with the PDP or through other mechanisms CMS determines are appropriate.”
Form requirements:
“The enrollment form or CMS-approved enrollment mechanism must comply with CMS instructions regarding content and format and must have been approved by CMS as described in § 423.2262.”
“The enrollment must be completed by the individual and include an acknowledgement by the beneficiary for disclosure and exchange of necessary information between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (or its designees) and the PDP sponsor.”
Eligibility to enroll, which is a list of conditions that must be met:
“(i) The individual is eligible for Part D in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) of this section;”
“(ii) The individual resides in the PDP's service area; and”
“(iii) The individual is not enrolled in another Part D plan.”
When enrollment can happen:
“The initial enrollment period is the period during which an individual is first eligible to enroll in a Part D plan.”
Special enrollment periods also allow enrollment outside the initial window, for example:
“The individual involuntarily loses creditable prescription drug coverage or such coverage is involuntarily reduced so that it is no longer creditable coverage as defined under § 423.56(a).”
The excerpts do not specify which particular election period applies to a given individual—that depends on facts such as whether this is their first Medicare eligibility, whether they lost other coverage, or whether they moved.
Carrier and FMO rules are often stricter than CMS rules. This tool reports what CMS sources say and is not legal advice. Enrollment guidance shown is the CY 2027 version. Regulation text reflects the CY 2027 marketing rules, which apply to marketing beginning October 1, 2026.
This answer was generated by mapdbot from the sources listed below on September 23, 2026 and checked against them. Regulation text: eCFR as of 09/15/2026. It is for licensed insurance agents, is not legal advice, and does not cover carrier or FMO rules.