Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) 2027 — What to Check | Medicare Self Enroll

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📬 Arriving in mailboxes by September 30, 2026

Your Annual Notice of Change — what it means for 2027

If you have a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, your plan must mail you an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) every fall. It lists what changes on January 1, 2027. Read it before October 15, because that is when you can start switching plans.

Use the ANOC Checklist ↓ Compare 2027 Plans

Your ANOC in 30 seconds

📨
Who sends itYour Medicare Advantage or Part D plan (not Medicare itself)
📅
WhenBy September 30 each year
🔎
What's insideChanges to premiums, costs, drugs, doctors and extra benefits
⏰
Your windowOctober 15 – December 7, 2026

Didn't get one? Call the member services number on the back of your plan ID card.

Sep 30

ANOC must arrive by

Oct 15

Annual Enrollment opens

Dec 7

Last day to change plans

Jan 1

2027 changes take effect

The basics

What is the Annual Notice of Change?

Medicare plans can change their costs and coverage every year. The ANOC is the letter your plan sends to tell you exactly what is changing. It's usually a few pages long, and it comes with or just before the plan's full Evidence of Coverage.

Who gets an ANOC

Everyone in a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C)
Everyone in a stand-alone Part D drug plan
People with Original Medicare only or a Medigap plan don't get an ANOC, because those plans don't change their benefits this way each year

Why it matters

A plan that suited you in 2026 may cost more or cover less in 2027
Doctors, hospitals and pharmacies can leave a plan's network
Drugs can be dropped from the formulary or moved to a higher-cost tier
If you do nothing, you are usually renewed into the plan, along with all its changes

Interactive checklist

Check your ANOC in 8 steps

Keep your ANOC letter next to you and tick each item as you check it. When you're done, you'll know whether to keep your plan or compare other plans.

0 of 8 checked

Monthly premiumIs your plan's premium going up? A $0 plan can start charging a premium.
DeductiblesCheck the medical deductible and the drug deductible. Did either one go up?
Copays and coinsuranceLook at doctor visits, specialists, hospital stays, ER, lab work and imaging.
Maximum out-of-pocketThis is the most you'd pay in a year for covered medical care. Is it higher for 2027?
Your prescriptionsFind each of your drugs in the 2027 formulary. Is it still covered? Did its tier change? Is prior authorization now required?
Your doctors and hospitalsMake sure your doctors, specialists and hospital are still in the network for 2027.
Your pharmacyIs your pharmacy still in network? Is it still "preferred", with lower copays?
Extra benefitsCheck dental, vision, hearing, OTC allowance, fitness and transportation. Were any reduced or dropped?

✅ All 8 checked. What now?

No changes that hurt you? You can keep your plan. You don't have to do anything, and it renews on January 1.

Something got worse? Compare 2027 plans between October 15 and December 7. Plan details for 2027 usually become available to compare in early October.

Compare 2027 Plans →

Your ticks stay on this device only. Nothing is sent to us.

Watch for these

ANOC red flags that mean "compare plans"

Any one of these is a good reason to compare plans during Annual Enrollment. It doesn't mean you must switch. It means you should check whether another plan fits you better.

💊

A drug you take was dropped

If it's no longer on the formulary, your cost could jump to full retail price.

🩺

Your doctor left the network

In an HMO, out-of-network visits usually aren't covered except in emergencies.

💲

Premium or out-of-pocket max went up

Add up premiums plus your usual copays to see what the year will really cost.

🚪

Your plan is ending

If your plan is leaving your area, you'll get a non-renewal notice. That notice gives you a Special Enrollment Period to choose a new plan.

Key dates

Your ANOC timeline for the 2027 plan year

Put these dates on your calendar. Once December 7 passes, your choices for 2027 become much more limited.

When	What happens	What you should do
By September 30, 2026	Your plan mails your ANOC	Read it right away and use the checklist above.
Early October 2026	2027 plan details become available to compare	Look up your drugs and doctors in 2027 plans.
October 15 – December 7, 2026	Annual Enrollment Period	Switch Medicare Advantage or Part D plans, or return to Original Medicare. The last plan you choose is the one that counts.
January 1, 2027	2027 changes take effect	Your new plan, or your renewed plan with its changes, starts.
January 1 – March 31, 2027	Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment	If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can make one change: switch to a different Advantage plan, or go back to Original Medicare.

Common questions

ANOC — frequently asked questions

These are the ANOC questions people ask us most often.

Plans must send the ANOC by September 30. If you haven't received it by early October, call the member services number on the back of your plan ID card and ask for it. Many plans also post the ANOC on their website or in your online member account. Also check whether you chose electronic delivery, because it may be in your email.

The ANOC is a short summary of what's changing next year. The Evidence of Coverage (EOC) is the full rulebook for your plan: everything it covers, what it costs, and how to use it. Start with the ANOC, then look up details in the EOC if you need them.

In most cases, you're automatically renewed into the same plan on January 1, including all of its changes. That's fine if the changes don't affect you. But if a drug was dropped or your doctor left the network, you may not find out until you need care, and by then your options for switching are limited.

No. Medigap plans are standardized, so their benefits don't change each year the way Advantage and Part D plans do. Your Medigap premium can still go up, and your insurer will tell you in a separate notice. If you have a stand-alone Part D drug plan alongside your Medigap, you will get an ANOC for the Part D plan.

You can start comparing right away, but plan changes during Annual Enrollment can be made only from October 15 to December 7. Any change you make then starts January 1. If you make more than one change during that window, the last one counts.

Every state has a free State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). In Florida it's SHINE (1-800-963-5337), and in New York it's HIICAP (1-800-701-0501). In other states, you can find your SHIP at shiphelp.org. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day.

Did your ANOC raise questions?

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