Seven days.
That is all that is left until November 1, and a single week holds more deadlines than fit on the fridge door: voting, reviewing your Medicare, getting ready for the Health Insurance Marketplace and — if you get food assistance — keeping an eye on your card. None of these errands sorts itself out. And every one of them has a date that does not forgive.
This is not breaking news. It is the list worth having on hand before the week slips away between work, school and errands.
First things first: voting
The midterm elections are on Tuesday, November 3. From today, Sunday, October 25, that is 9 days away.
If you live in Florida, you do not have to wait until the 3rd. Mandatory early voting runs October 24 to 31 in all 67 counties, and several counties extend it to November 1 — Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, for example, vote through November 1, while Monroe closes October 31. By October 23, nearly 2 million Floridians had already voted, around 14% of the state’s 13.7 million registered voters, according to Florida Division of Elections figures reported in local press that day. Nationwide, early and mail voting had already passed 24 million ballots, as we reported in our Friday piece on early voting.
Not sure where you vote? At Vote.gov you can confirm your registration and your polling place. Do it today, not on the morning of the 3rd, when lines and nerves work against you.
November 1 opens another door: the Health Insurance Marketplace
On Sunday, November 1, open enrollment opens on HealthCare.gov, and it runs through January 15, 2027.
The date that really matters inside that window is December 15: if you enroll or change plans by that day and pay your first premium, your coverage starts January 1, 2027. If you enroll between December 16 and January 15, coverage starts February 1 — leaving January without Marketplace coverage.
One tip worth money: do not let your plan auto-renew without looking at it. The plan that worked for you this year may cost something different, change its doctor network or simply no longer be offered in 2027. Compare before December rushes up on you. And if your state runs its own marketplace — California, New York, Idaho and others — check its date: some close earlier or later than the federal January 15.
Medicare is already open (and the average premium is down, but read the fine print)
Medicare open enrollment is already underway: it runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, and any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027.
What can you change? Move from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan or back, switch Advantage plans, and join, switch or drop a drug plan (Part D). If you are happy with your plan and it is not changing, you do not have to do anything. But “not changing” is exactly what you need to check: every fall, plans send their Annual Notice of Change, and that is where the surprises show up.
The averages, by the way, look good this year. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) projected on September 28 that the weighted average monthly Medicare Advantage premium will fall from $14.37 in 2026 to $12.00 in 2027, down 16.5%, with the number of plans nearly steady — from 5,553 to about 5,532 — and more than 99% of beneficiaries with at least one plan available. Eight in ten beneficiaries, CMS says, could stay in their plan at the same premium or a lower one.
Now, the fine print: averages are not your county. Florida, for example, is the state losing the most plans for 2027 — from 611 to 560, according to the analysis of CMS data. So the question is not “did the average fall?” but “is my doctor still in the network, is my medicine still on the list, and what do I pay in total?” Medicare.gov’s Plan Finder lets you compare, and free help is available at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
And November 1 is also SNAP day
If you receive food stamps, November 1 is already circled in red for another reason: as we reported here, USDA ordered November SNAP benefits suspended because of the government shutdown. Do not count on your card reloading on its own that day. Check your state agency’s notice, save what balance you can, and find your nearest food bank before you need it, not after.
And one note that fits a week like this: your Social Security check has a new date for 2027, too. Here we explain the 3.6% increase and the date you cannot miss.
What to do today, in order
- Confirm where you vote at Vote.gov and, if you are in Florida, use early voting before October 31 (or November 1, depending on your county).
- Open your Medicare Annual Notice of Change and compare doctors, medicines and total cost in the Plan Finder — not just the premium — before December 7.
- Mark November 1 for reviewing the Health Insurance Marketplace and December 15 as the deadline for coverage starting January 1.
- If you receive SNAP, check your state’s notice about November today and keep your food bank’s address on hand.
Four dates, one week. The difference between handling them calmly and chasing them is, almost always, a Sunday afternoon like this one: calendar in hand, phone charged.
Official sources
- HealthCare.gov — 2027 open enrollment dates and deadlines: https://www.healthcare.gov/
- Medicare.gov — open enrollment and Plan Finder: https://www.medicare.gov/
- Vote.gov — registration and polling place: https://vote.gov/
- CMS, September 28, 2026 release on Medicare Advantage and Part D in 2027: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/medicare-advantage-medicare-prescription-drug-programs-expected-remain-stable-2027
- USDA, Food and Nutrition Service (SNAP): https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap
- Florida early voting figures as of October 23, Florida Division of Elections figures reported October 23, 2026: https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/10/23/florida-early-voting-dates-requirements/92393784007/
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