Reading your plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC)
Your Medicare plan mails a notice each year of what changes on January 1. How to read the 2027 notice, what to check, and what to do by December 7, 2026.
The notice is long, but only a few pages matter. Go through it with your parent's real drug and doctor list in hand.
What the Annual Notice of Change is
If you are in a Medicare plan — a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare drug plan — the plan sends a “Plan Annual Notice of Change” (ANOC) each fall. It lists changes in coverage, costs, and more that take effect in January. The notice you get in 2026 describes your plan for 2027.
Medicare's advice is simple: review the changes to decide whether the plan will still meet your needs next year.
When it arrives
Medicare says to expect it in September. Federal rules require Medicare Advantage plans to send notice of January changes at least 15 days before Open Enrollment starts on October 15 — that means by September 30.
If you or your parent didn't get it, contact the plan and ask for it.
What to check, line by line
Costs: the monthly premium, the yearly deductible, and the copays for doctor visits, specialists, and hospital stays. For a Medicare Advantage plan, also the yearly limit on what you pay out of pocket.
Drugs: whether each prescription is still on the drug list, whether its tier changed, and any new rules such as prior authorization or quantity limits.
Pharmacies: whether your pharmacy is still in the network, and whether it is a preferred pharmacy.
Doctors and hospitals: whether your doctors, specialists, and hospitals are still in the network, and whether the plan's service area changed.
Approvals: any new referral or prior authorization rules for care you already get.
How to compare it with other plans
Write each change next to the real list of drugs, doctors, and pharmacies. Then compare plans near you on PlanScout or on Medicare.gov's plan finder with the same list, so you are comparing like with like.
If something in the notice is confusing, a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) counselor can go through it for free. Find your state's SHIP.
Deadlines
To change plans for 2027, use Open Enrollment: October 15 to December 7, 2026. Changes start January 1, 2027.
If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, there is one more chance to make one change from January 1 to March 31, 2027: switch to another Advantage plan, or go back to Original Medicare and join a drug plan.
Ready to switch? Our guide on how to switch plans during Open Enrollment walks through it.
Checklist
- Find the Annual Notice of Change (mailed in September 2026).
- Check the premium, deductible, copays, and out-of-pocket limit.
- Check every drug: still covered? Same tier? New rules?
- Check the pharmacy, doctors, specialists, and hospitals.
- Compare with other plans using the same drug and doctor list.
- Decide by December 7, 2026: keep the plan or switch.
Do you know what to do next?
Reviewed & sourced
- Reviewer
- Not yet reviewed. Written by the PlanScout team, last updated Oct 8, 2026.
- Corrections
- See something wrong? Tell us. We fix confirmed errors within 2 business days and note the change in the page's change log.
- Medicare.gov — Plan Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) (retrieved Oct 8, 2026)
- eCFR — 42 CFR 422.111, disclosure requirements (notice of changes) (retrieved Oct 8, 2026)
- Medicare.gov — Joining a plan (retrieved Oct 8, 2026)
- Medicare.gov — Helpful tools (SHIP counseling) (retrieved Oct 8, 2026)
This guide is general information, not medical, legal, or financial advice. Confirm details with the provider, your plan, or a licensed professional.