AEP preparation
Your Medicare Open Enrollment Checklist: 9 Things to Do Before December 7
The people who get the most out of the Annual Enrollment Period walk in prepared. This checklist is the exact prep our advisors ask clients to do before a plan review, and it takes about an hour spread over a September afternoon.
Read your ANOC letter
It arrives from your plan by September 30 and lists every change to your premium, copays, drug coverage, and network for 2027. This letter is the whole reason AEP exists.
List your doctors
Primary care, every specialist you see, and your preferred hospital. Networks shrink more often than people expect, and this list is how we catch it.
List your prescriptions
Every medication with its dosage and how often you refill. Formulary changes are the most expensive surprises in Medicare.
Note your pharmacy
Preferred pharmacies change plan by plan, and the same drug can cost meaningfully more at an out-of-network counter.
Add up this year's real costs
Premiums, copays, and anything you paid out of pocket. Your true annual cost, not the monthly premium, is the number that should drive the decision.
Decide your direction
Medicare Advantage bundles convenience and extras with a network; Original Medicare plus Medigap buys flexibility and predictable costs. Know which trade-off fits your life before comparing plans.
Check star ratings
Medicare rates every plan from 1 to 5 stars annually. A falling rating is an early warning sign; a 5-star plan in your county even unlocks a special enrollment window.
Book your free review
Bring items 1 through 7 and a licensed advisor compares every plan available in your county against your actual doctors, drugs, and costs. It's free, and October calendars fill fast.
Enroll by December 7
AEP closes December 7 and your choices take effect January 1, 2027. Doing nothing means your current plan renews under its new terms, whatever the ANOC said they are.
Checklist done? Step 8 takes two minutes: book your free review and walk in prepared.
Checklist questions, answered
September. Your ANOC letter arrives by September 30, and having it plus your doctor and drug lists ready before October 15 means you can act during the first days of AEP instead of the last.
Keep going: the full 2027 AEP guide · how to read your ANOC letter
Nine boxes checked beats one December panic
Do the hour of prep in September, then let a free review do the heavy lifting.
Mon–Fri 8am–8pm ET · Sat by appointment