If you have a Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare prescription drug plan, one of the most important pieces of mail you will receive this fall is your Annual Notice of Change, commonly called the ANOC.

Your plan sends the ANOC each year to explain what will change in the coming year. That can include changes to your costs, coverage, prescription drug benefits, provider network, pharmacies, copayments, deductibles, and other plan features. Medicare advises beneficiaries to review these materials because health and drug plans can change from year to year.

The key word is change.

Even if your Medicare coverage worked well for you this year, that does not automatically mean it will work the same way in 2027.

Don’t File Your ANOC Away Without Reading It

It can be tempting to glance at an insurance notice and put it aside, especially when you have been satisfied with your plan. But your ANOC gives you an opportunity to compare what you have today with what you will have beginning January 1.

As you review it, pay particular attention to:

• Changes in your monthly premium

• Deductibles, copayments, and other out-of-pocket costs

• Prescription drugs that may have been added, removed, or moved to a different coverage tier

• Changes involving doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, or other providers

• Benefits or services that may be changing

• Any new restrictions or requirements affecting your care

CMS specifically encourages people enrolled in Medicare health or prescription drug plans to review their ANOC and Evidence of Coverage and determine whether their current plan will continue to meet their needs in the coming year.

Turn Your ANOC Into a Question List

This year, there is another reason to read your ANOC carefully: the upcoming NCRO Insurance Committee Medicare 101 Webinar.

Instead of simply attending and listening, use your ANOC to prepare questions beforehand.

Perhaps one of your prescriptions has changed tiers. Maybe your copayment increased. You may see language about your provider network that you do not understand. Or perhaps you are wondering whether Medicare Advantage, a Medicare Supplement plan, or your current prescription drug coverage is still the best fit.

Write those questions down.

Having your ANOC beside you during the webinar can turn a general Medicare presentation into information that is much more useful to you personally.

Be Ready Before Open Enrollment

Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7 each year. During that period, people with Medicare can review and make changes to their health and prescription drug coverage for the following year.

The best time to begin thinking about those decisions is before Open Enrollment starts.

When your ANOC arrives, don’t toss it into a pile of paperwork. Read it. Highlight anything that has changed. Compare the information with your healthcare and prescription needs. Most importantly, write down anything you don’t understand.

Then bring those questions with you to the NCRO Insurance Committee’s Medicare 101 Webinar on Thursday, September 24.

A little preparation now can help you enter Open Enrollment better informed and ready to make decisions about your Medicare coverage for 2027.