Medicare Annual Notice of Change: How to Read Your ANOC

The Medicare Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) is a letter your Medicare plan sends each fall listing the changes in coverage, costs, and more that start in January. Read it to decide whether your plan will still meet your needs next year, and use Open Enrollment (October 15 to December 7) to switch if it won't. This guide shows which parts of the letter to check first, how the ANOC differs from your other plan mailings, and what to do if your plan is ending.

Key takeaways

• Your plan sends the ANOC, not Medicare. Federal rules say you must receive it by September 30.
• Check your drugs, your doctors and pharmacies, and your costs first. Then compare plans in Medicare Plan Finder.
• The ANOC is a summary of changes. The Evidence of Coverage, due by October 15, gives the full details.
• If your plan will still meet your needs and is still offered, you don't have to do anything. Your coverage continues.
• A plan that is leaving Medicare sends a different letter, the Plan Non-renewal Notice. You then get a Special Enrollment Period from December 8 to the last day of February.

What is the Medicare Annual Notice of Change?

The ANOC is a yearly letter from your Medicare plan, such as a Medicare Advantage Plan or a Medicare drug plan. It lists the changes in coverage, costs, and more that take effect in January.

Medicare.gov is clear that the ANOC comes from your plan, not from Medicare. Its purpose is simple: review the changes and decide whether the plan will still work for you next year.

Federal rule 42 CFR 422.2267 calls the ANOC a standardized document. That means CMS sets a standard format that plans must use.

When should your ANOC arrive?

Medicare.gov says the ANOC arrives in September. Under 42 CFR 422.2267, plans must send it so that members receive it no later than September 30 each year.

If your coverage started late in the year

If your plan coverage starts October 1, November 1, or December 1, a different timeline applies. You get the ANOC within 10 calendar days after CMS confirms your enrollment, or by the last day of the month before coverage starts, whichever is later.

Paper or email?

A plan can send required materials like the ANOC by email or other electronic means only if you agreed to it ahead of time. Even then, you can ask for paper copies once or for good.

How is the ANOC different from your other plan mailings?

Fall brings several documents from your plan, plus some from Medicare. Here is how they compare.

ANOC vs. Evidence of Coverage

Think of the ANOC as the "what's changing" summary. The EOC is the full rulebook for next year, with details about what the plan covers and how much you pay. Current members must receive it by October 15.

Some plans mail a notice telling you how to view the EOC, Provider and Pharmacy Directories, and Formulary online instead of mailing the full documents. That notice must give a phone number for paper copies. If you ask, the plan must mail them within three business days.

ANOC vs. a non-renewal notice

An ANOC means your plan is continuing with changes. A Plan Non-renewal Notice means the plan's contract is ending. If you get a non-renewal notice, skip ahead to the section on what to do if your plan is ending.

What should you look for first in your ANOC?

You don't need to read every line with equal care. Start with the changes that affect your money and your access to care. This guide doesn't list dollar amounts because they change every year. Compare the numbers in your own ANOC with what you pay now.

Costs

• Monthly premium. Is it going up, down, or staying the same?
• Deductible. Check whether there is a new or different amount before the plan starts paying.
• Copays and coinsurance. Look at the services you use most, like doctor visits or specialist care.
• Maximum out-of-pocket limit. If your plan has one, see whether it changed.

Drug coverage

• Your specific drugs. Look for any mention of drugs you take being dropped or moved to a different cost level.
• Pharmacy network. Make sure the pharmacy you use is still in the network.

Networks and service area

• Doctors and hospitals. Check for network changes that affect providers you see.
• Service area. Confirm the plan still serves where you live.

Extra benefits

If you chose your plan for an added benefit, check that it is still included and on what terms.

How to review your ANOC, step by step

1. List your drugs, doctors, and pharmacies. Write down every drug you take regularly with the dose, each doctor and specialist, and the pharmacies you use.
2. Read the ANOC with your list beside it. Mark every change that touches something on your list.
3. Check the new formulary. Look up each drug in next year's formulary, not this year's.
4. Check the new Provider Directory. Plans must update online directories within 30 days after learning of a change, so check the online directory too. Call each doctor's office to confirm.
5. Compare plans in Medicare Plan Finder. For 2027 coverage, Medicare Plan Finder was to be updated with 2027 plans by October 1, 2026. The 2027 Star Ratings were due on Medicare.gov on or around October 8, 2026.
6. Call your plan with questions. The member services number is on your plan card.
7. Decide by December 7. Stay, or switch during Open Enrollment.

For more detail on the drug side, see how to compare Medicare Part D plans step by step. Our Medicare Open Enrollment checklist covers the full fall review.

What happens after you read it? Timing and deadlines

Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7. For 2027 coverage, that is October 15, 2026 to December 7, 2026. Changes start January 1, 2027.

During Open Enrollment you can:

• Join, drop, or switch Medicare Advantage Plans, with or without drug coverage
• Move from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare, or from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage
• Join, drop, or switch a Medicare drug plan if you have Original Medicare

The plan must receive your enrollment request by December 7. Plan your timing so it arrives by December 7.

If you do nothing

CMS says that if your current plan will still meet your needs next year and it is still offered, you don't need to do anything. You do not need to re-enroll to keep your coverage. The changes in your ANOC will simply take effect January 1.

If you switch to Original Medicare

You may need to join a separate drug plan, and you may want to add a Medigap policy. Medicare.gov notes there are limits on when you can buy Medigap. Our guide to Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap explains the trade-offs.

What if your plan is ending?

If your plan is leaving Medicare, you get a Plan Non-renewal Notice instead of a normal year of changes. For plan contracts ending December 31, the notice must be dated October 2. It must:

• Explain your enrollment periods
• Explain what happens if you do nothing
• List 1-800-MEDICARE and SHIPs for help
• Explain your special right to buy a Medigap policy, with a Medigap fact sheet enclosed

Medicare also sends its own reminders. The CMS Part C Non-renewal Reminder Notice comes in November. The CMS Non-renewal Action Notice comes in January to remind you to choose a drug plan if your plan left Medicare.

How long do you have to pick a new plan?

You can choose a new plan during Open Enrollment. If your Medicare Advantage Plan, Medicare drug plan, or Medicare Cost Plan's contract isn't renewed, you also get a Special Enrollment Period. It runs from December 8 to the last day of February of the following year. In a leap year, that is February 29.

What if you don't pick one?

If your plan is not renewed and you don't join another Medicare Advantage Plan before it ends, you will be enrolled in Original Medicare.

Your Medigap rights

Read the Medigap section of your non-renewal notice and the fact sheet that comes with it. For the exact time window and which policies apply, check Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE before you decide.

What if you never got your ANOC?

Medicare.gov says to contact your plan if the ANOC doesn't arrive. A few other steps help:

• Check whether you agreed to electronic delivery. Your ANOC may be in your email or your plan's online member account.
• Look for a notice telling you how to view plan documents online, and use its phone number to request paper copies.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) with questions. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.

Special cases

You have Medicare and Medicaid, or you get Extra Help

You can change your drug coverage once each calendar month, and the change starts the first day of the next month. This option isn't available to people identified as "at-risk" under a Part D drug management program.

If you have Medicare and full Medicaid, you can also join or switch to an integrated Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) once a calendar month, if one is available in your area.

Extra Help and your drug plan is leaving

Medicare sends a blue "Reassignment Notice" in late October. It says you will be moved to a new drug plan for the coming year unless you join one on your own. Compare that assigned plan against your drug list before you accept it.

Employer or union coverage

If your employer or union offers you other coverage, you can drop your Medicare Advantage or drug plan to join it whenever the employer or union allows.

Network changes

If your plan notifies you of a significant change in its provider network, Medicare.gov lists a Special Enrollment Period that is granted case by case. If you qualify, you'll have 2 months to join a plan or switch to another plan. Call 1-800-MEDICARE to ask whether you qualify.

Is your Texas plan changing for 2027?

CMS's 2027 Texas fact sheet lists 421 Medicare Advantage plans in Texas for 2027, compared with 423 in 2026. It also lists 10 stand-alone drug plans and says all Texans with Medicare have access to a Medicare Advantage plan.

The fact sheet does not name any carriers leaving. Your own mail is what counts. If you got a normal ANOC, your plan is continuing. If you got a Plan Non-renewal Notice, it is not. Plan options also vary by county, as our guide to Medicare Advantage plans by Texas county explains.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Setting the letter aside. The ANOC is how you learn what changes in January.
• Assuming your drugs and doctors stay the same. Check next year's formulary and Provider Directory.
• Mixing up the ANOC and the EOC. The ANOC summarizes changes. The EOC has the full coverage details.
• Missing December 7. The plan must receive your request by then.
• Treating marketing mail as a plan notice. The real ANOC is a standardized document from the plan you are enrolled in. Ads from other companies are not your ANOC.

Where to get free help reading your ANOC

In Texas, free Medicare counseling comes from the Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP). It runs through the Texas Medicare Help Line at 800-252-9240. It is a partnership of Texas HHSC, Texas Legal Services Center, and the Area Agencies on Aging. HICAP counselors explain and compare Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medigap options and help with enrollment and disenrollment.

You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048).

Working with a licensed agent

If you want an agent's help, check the license first. The Texas Department of Insurance lets you look up a Texas agent by name or license number. Its Sircon Customer Inquiry link shows the agent's address, phone, types of insurance sold, and the companies the agent has worked for. Our guide on how to verify a Texas insurance agent license walks through it.

MeetBrokers is free to use. Every listed agent holds a state license that anyone can verify by National Producer Number. Profiles marked "unclaimed" come from public licensing records. You can browse licensed Medicare agents in Texas, or request help from a licensed Medicare agent in Texas. Your request goes only to the agent you choose. MeetBrokers is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.