Your Medicare ANOC Letter Arrived — Here's Exactly What to Do With It Before Oct. 15

That Envelope From Your Medicare Plan Isn't Junk Mail

If you have a Medicare Advantage or Part D prescription drug plan, you should have received a letter from your plan by September 30 called the Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC. If it's sitting in a stack of mail you haven't gotten to yet, this is the week to dig it out — because Medicare's Open Enrollment Period begins October 15, and that letter is exactly what you need to decide whether to stay put or make a change.

What the ANOC Actually Tells You

Your ANOC spells out what's changing about your plan for the coming year compared to this year. It's not a notice that something is wrong — it's simply your plan's way of saying "here's how things will look differently starting January 1." Depending on your plan, that can include changes to premiums, deductibles, and your maximum out-of-pocket limit.

Five Things to Check Line by Line

It's easy to skim an ANOC and set it aside. We'd encourage you to actually read through these five areas before you do:

• Monthly premium. Even a modest increase adds up over twelve months.
• Maximum out-of-pocket limit. This caps what you could pay in a bad health year — worth knowing if it's moving.
• Doctor and specialist copays. Small per-visit changes matter more if you see providers often.
• Prescription drug coverage and formulary tiers. This is where people are most often surprised — a medication you rely on can move to a higher tier or drop off the formulary entirely.
• Provider and pharmacy network changes. Confirm your doctors and pharmacy are still in-network for next year.

The Easiest Mistake: Assuming "No News" Means "No Change"

Because ANOC letters can be dense, it's tempting to assume that if nothing jumps out on the first page, nothing has changed. But the details that affect you most — a specific drug's tier, a specific doctor's network status — often require actually comparing this year's plan documents to next year's, rather than skimming a summary. A few extra minutes now can prevent an unpleasant surprise in February.

Medicare Advantage vs. Part D: The ANOC Looks a Little Different Either Way

If you have a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan rather than a Medicare Advantage plan, your ANOC will focus mainly on drug coverage — premium, deductible, and formulary changes. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, the letter covers medical benefits too, including copays, the annual out-of-pocket maximum, and whether extra benefits like dental, vision, hearing, or transportation allowances are changing. Either way, the letter is specific to your plan, not a generic notice, so it's worth reading in full rather than assuming it mirrors what a friend or neighbor received about their own plan.

Turning Your Review Into an Action Plan Before October 15

Once you've read through your letter, you have a short window — October 15 through December 7 — to make a change if one is needed, with any change taking effect January 1. Use the days between now and then to:

1. Read your ANOC fully, not just the summary page.
2. List any medications, doctors, or costs that changed.
3. Decide if your current plan still fits, or if it's worth comparing alternatives during Open Enrollment.
4. Mark December 7 on your calendar as the firm deadline.

What Happens If You Do Nothing

If you don't make a change during Open Enrollment, your current plan will typically continue into the new year under its new terms — the ones described in your ANOC. That's a perfectly fine outcome if you've reviewed the letter and the plan still works for you. It's only a problem when "doing nothing" happens by accident instead of by choice.

Takeaway

The ANOC letter exists to give you time to make an informed decision before anything changes. Reading it now, in the first half of October, puts you ahead of the December 7 deadline instead of scrambling at the end. If you'd like a second set of eyes on your letter or want to talk through whether your coverage still fits your needs, we're glad to sit down with you before the window closes.

Sources: National Council on Aging (NCOA), "What Is a Medicare Annual Notice of Change (ANOC)," and Medicare.gov, "Open Enrollment," confirming the September 30 ANOC delivery date and the October 15 – December 7 Open Enrollment Period with January 1 effective date.