Annual Notice of Change
Got Your ANOC Letter? Here's What to Check Before December 7
An ANOC (Annual Notice of Change) is the letter your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan mails by September 30 listing every change to your coverage for the coming year: premium, copays, drug formulary, provider network, and extra benefits. Changes take effect January 1.
When it arrives, and what if it doesn't
Plans must mail the ANOC in September, so it should be in your hands by September 30. It often travels with your plan's Evidence of Coverage, a much thicker document; the ANOC is the short one that matters.
If October arrives and you haven't seen it, call your plan and ask for it, or ask us to pull the changes for you. Don't go into AEP guessing.
The five-point ANOC check
Work through your letter against this list, straight from our advisor guides:
Network: Are your doctors, specialists, and preferred hospital still in-network? Networks shrink more often than people expect.
Formulary: Are your prescriptions still covered, and at the same tier? A medication moving up a tier can significantly raise your cost.
Star rating: Has your plan's quality rating dropped? A falling rating can be an early signal of service or coverage issues.
Out-of-pocket maximum: This cap can increase year to year, changing your worst-case financial exposure.
Extra benefits: Dental, vision, hearing, and OTC allowances are often the first things carriers trim or restructure.
Referral and prior authorization rules: Some plans add new requirements for services that were previously unrestricted.
Red flags that mean you should compare plans
- Your monthly premium or maximum out-of-pocket is going up meaningfully
- A prescription you take moved to a higher tier, gained a prior-authorization requirement, or left the formulary entirely
- Your doctor, specialist, or preferred hospital is leaving the network
- A benefit you actually use (dental, vision, hearing, OTC allowance) is shrinking or disappearing
- Your plan's star rating dropped
Spot one of these? Your window to act is the Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 to December 7.
Reading fine print is our job, not yours. Call and we'll walk your ANOC together.
ANOC questions, answered
The Annual Notice of Change is a document your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan must send you each September. It lists every change to the plan's costs, coverage, network, and benefits taking effect January 1 of the coming year.
The 30-minute ANOC translation
Bring or read us your ANOC letter and a licensed advisor will translate it in plain English: what's actually changing, what it costs you specifically, and whether a better fit exists in your county for 2027. Free, no pressure, and if your plan is still your best option we'll tell you so.
Prefer to book a time instead? Schedule your free review online.
Your plan already told you what's changing
The ANOC is the answer key. Let's make sure your 2027 coverage passes the test.
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