A Medicare Annual Notice of Change, commonly called an ANOC, is the document your Medicare health or prescription drug plan sends each fall explaining what will change in your coverage for the following year. If you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage or Medicare drug plan, your 2027 ANOC is one of the most important pieces of Medicare mail you’ll receive this fall.
Don’t throw it away.
Your plan may renew for 2027, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your premium, copays, prescription coverage, provider information, plan rules or supplemental benefits will remain exactly the same.
Your ANOC gives you an opportunity to identify those changes before Medicare Open Enrollment.
Quick Answer
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What does ANOC mean? | Annual Notice of Change |
| Who sends it? | Your Medicare plan |
| When does it arrive? | September |
| What does it explain? | Upcoming changes in coverage, costs and other plan features |
| When do changes generally begin? | January |
| Should you keep it? | Yes—review it before making your 2027 coverage decision |
What Is a Medicare Annual Notice of Change?
Think of your ANOC as your plan’s annual:
“Here’s what’s changing next year” report.
Medicare describes the Annual Notice of Change as a notice that includes changes in your plan’s coverage, costs and more that become effective in January.
That makes the ANOC different from ordinary Medicare advertising.
It isn’t a postcard from another insurance company trying to get your attention.
It’s information from your current plan about your upcoming coverage.
That’s why it deserves a place in your Medicare records instead of the recycling bin.
Who Gets a Medicare ANOC?
ANOCs are associated with private Medicare health and prescription drug coverage, including Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug plans.
CMS maintains standardized ANOC materials for Medicare Advantage, Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug and Prescription Drug Plan sponsors.
If you’re enrolled in one of these plans, watch for information from your current plan this September.
Your ANOC does not come from Social Security.
When Should the 2027 Medicare ANOC Arrive?
Watch your mailbox in September.
Medicare says ANOCs arrive in September, and current Medicare guidance says plans send the printed ANOC by September 30.
That timing matters because Medicare Open Enrollment begins shortly afterward.
Your Fall Medicare Timeline
| Time | What to Do |
|---|---|
| September | Watch for your ANOC |
| By September 30 | Look for the printed ANOC from your plan |
| Early October | Review changes and create a question list |
| October 15 | Medicare Open Enrollment begins |
| October 15–December 7 | Compare eligible coverage options and make changes if appropriate |
| January 1, 2027 | New plan-year coverage generally takes effect |
The ANOC gives you time to understand your current plan before deciding whether you want to keep it for another year.
What Can Change in Your Medicare Plan for 2027?
This is where people sometimes make a costly assumption.
You might think:
“I like my plan. I’ll just keep it.”
That may ultimately be the right decision.
But first ask:
“What does my plan look like for 2027?”
A plan can remain available while individual features change.
Your ANOC can alert you to changes involving your plan’s costs, coverage and other features.
When reviewing it, pay particular attention to these areas:
2027 ANOC Review Checklist
| Category | What to Look For |
|---|---|
| Monthly premium | Is your plan premium changing? |
| Deductibles | Are medical or prescription deductibles different? |
| Doctor visits | Are PCP or specialist costs changing? |
| Hospital care | Are inpatient or outpatient costs changing? |
| Maximum out-of-pocket | Has your medical spending limit changed? |
| Prescription drugs | Are there changes affecting your medications? |
| Drug tiers | Have medications moved to different tiers? |
| Pharmacies | Are there changes relevant to where you fill prescriptions? |
| Coverage rules | Are authorization or other requirements changing? |
| Supplemental benefits | Have dental, vision, hearing, OTC or other benefits changed? |
Don’t limit your review to the monthly premium.
A $0 Premium Doesn’t Mean Nothing Changed
Here’s a hypothetical example.
Suppose your Medicare Advantage plan had a $0 monthly premium in 2026.
You open your ANOC and discover that the plan will still have a $0 premium in 2027.
At first glance:
“Great. Nothing changed.”
But then you look deeper.
| Example Only | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan premium | $0 | $0 |
| Specialist visit | $30 | $45 |
| Hospital copay | $250/day | $325/day |
| Maximum out-of-pocket | $4,500 | $5,500 |
| Dental benefit | $2,000 | $1,500 |
| Prescription A | Tier 2 | Tier 3 |
The premium didn’t change.
But your potential healthcare costs did.
This is exactly why the ANOC deserves more than a quick glance at the first page.
Pay Special Attention to Your Prescriptions
If your Medicare coverage includes Part D prescription drug coverage, your medications should be a major part of your annual review.
Don’t simply ask:
“Does my plan still include drug coverage?”
Instead, review how your specific medications may be affected.
Before comparing 2027 coverage, make a prescription list containing:
- Exact medication name
- Dosage
- Quantity
- How often you take it
- Brand or generic preference, if relevant
- Pharmacy
- Mail-order preference
Then review your upcoming coverage against that list.
A plan that worked well for your prescriptions in 2026 shouldn’t automatically be assumed to produce the same result in 2027.
What About Your Doctors?
This requires an important distinction.
Your ANOC can contain important information about upcoming plan changes, but don’t make it your only method of verifying your doctors and facilities for 2027.
If you’re enrolled in Medicare Advantage, independently check the providers that matter most to you.
That includes:
- Primary care physician
- Cardiologist
- Oncologist
- Orthopedist
- Other specialists
- Preferred hospital
- Outpatient surgery facilities
- Other regularly used providers
And don’t stop when a doctor’s office tells you:
“Yes, we take Medicare.”
That doesn’t necessarily answer whether the provider participates in your specific Medicare Advantage plan’s network.
Provider verification deserves its own review.
What About Dental, Vision, OTC and Grocery Benefits?
These benefits can be valuable.
But they shouldn’t distract you from the medical foundation of your plan.
When reviewing supplemental benefits, ask:
Dental
What services are actually covered? What limits or network rules apply?
Vision
Are allowances or covered services changing?
Hearing
What does the plan provide for exams or hearing aids?
OTC
Has the allowance, frequency or eligible-product structure changed?
Transportation
Is the benefit changing, and what rules apply?
Food or grocery-related benefits
Does eligibility apply to you, and are the benefit rules changing?
The order of your Medicare review should generally be:
Doctors → Hospitals → Prescriptions → Medical costs → Plan rules → Supplemental benefits
Not the other way around.
ANOC vs. Evidence of Coverage: What’s the Difference?
Another document you’ll encounter is your Evidence of Coverage, or EOC.
These documents serve different purposes.
| Document | Primary Question It Answers |
|---|---|
| ANOC | “What’s changing next year?” |
| Evidence of Coverage | “How does my plan work and what does it cover?” |
Your ANOC is designed to highlight upcoming changes.
Your EOC provides more detailed information about coverage, costs and how your plan operates.
Easy way to remember:
ANOC = What’s changing?
EOC = How does it work?
Keep both with your Medicare records.
What Should You Do When Your 2027 ANOC Arrives?
Don’t overcomplicate it.
Follow this process.
Step 1: Open it
Don’t assume it’s ordinary insurance mail.
Step 2: Find the section describing changes
Start with the plan’s summary of what’s different for 2027.
Step 3: Highlight anything involving money
Look for changes to:
- Premiums
- Deductibles
- Copays
- Coinsurance
- Maximum out-of-pocket limits
Step 4: Review your prescriptions
Compare upcoming coverage with the medications you actually take.
Step 5: Review provider implications
Identify doctors, specialists and facilities that require separate verification.
Step 6: Review benefits you actually use
Don’t give equal weight to benefits you never use.
Step 7: Think about next year’s healthcare
Are you expecting:
- Surgery?
- Specialist treatment?
- New prescriptions?
- Physical therapy?
- Dental work?
- More frequent travel?
Your 2027 healthcare needs may be different from your 2026 needs.
Step 8: Write down your questions
Anything unclear becomes something to investigate before making a decision.
Step 9: Compare your current plan with available 2027 alternatives
Once finalized plan information is available, look at the whole picture.
Step 10: Decide whether staying or changing makes sense
The objective isn’t to switch plans every year.
The objective is to make an informed decision every year.
4 ANOC Changes That Deserve a Closer Look
Not every change means you should leave your plan.
Here’s a useful way to think about it.
🟢 GREEN — Minor change with little impact on you
Your plan changes something you rarely or never use.
Make note of it, but it may not affect your decision.
🟡 YELLOW — Cost increase
A specialist copay or other frequently used service becomes more expensive.
Calculate what that could mean based on your actual healthcare use.
🟠 ORANGE — Prescription change
A medication you take regularly is affected.
Investigate the formulary, tier, cost-sharing and applicable coverage rules.
🔴 RED — Important coverage no longer fits your healthcare
A major provider, prescription, facility or other important part of your healthcare no longer works the way you need it to.
That deserves a closer comparison before 2027.
Does Receiving an ANOC Mean You Should Change Plans?
No.
An ANOC isn’t a notice telling you to switch Medicare plans.
It’s a notice telling you what is changing.
After reviewing it, you may conclude:
“My current plan still fits me very well.”
That’s perfectly reasonable.
Or you may discover:
“Several things that matter to me are changing, and I should compare alternatives.”
That’s reasonable too.
The mistake is neither staying nor switching.
The mistake is making either decision without reviewing the information first.
What If You Don’t Receive Your ANOC?
Don’t assume that means your coverage isn’t changing.
Medicare specifically advises beneficiaries who don’t receive this important document to contact their plan.
Verify that the plan has your correct contact information and ask how you can obtain your ANOC.
Don’t Confuse Your ANOC With Medicare Advertising
September and October can bring a significant increase in Medicare-related mail.
You may receive:
- Carrier advertisements
- Agent mailers
- Medicare Advantage advertisements
- Medicare Supplement advertisements
- Invitations to seminars
- Postcards
- Your ANOC
- Other official plan documents
They don’t all serve the same purpose.
Your ANOC comes from your current plan and explains changes affecting your upcoming coverage.
Before throwing away Medicare mail this fall, determine what you’re actually looking at.
Your ANOC Is the Beginning of the Comparison—not the End
There’s one final concept that’s especially important.
Your ANOC primarily helps you understand what is happening with your current plan.
It doesn’t automatically answer:
“Is this still the best fit for my individual needs among the options available to me?”
That’s a separate comparison.
Once 2027 plan information is available, compare your current coverage against available alternatives based on:
Your doctors
Your specialists
Your hospitals
Your prescriptions
Your premium
Your copays and coinsurance
Your maximum out-of-pocket exposure
Your plan’s rules
Benefits you actually use
Your expected healthcare needs
This is where personalized Medicare guidance can become particularly useful.
Need Help Understanding Your 2027 ANOC?
You don’t have to interpret every Medicare document alone.
When your Annual Notice of Change arrives, Medicare Plan Assistance can help you identify the changes that deserve a closer look and compare your current coverage with available 2027 options.
We’ll help you look beyond the headline and consider the things that actually affect your healthcare:
Doctors. Prescriptions. Hospitals. Costs. Coverage rules. Benefits.
Call Medicare Plan Assistance at (561) 808-9410.
You can simply tell us:
“I received my Annual Notice of Change and want help understanding what’s different for 2027.”
We’ll know exactly where to start.
Local help. Clear answers. Better decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ANOC mean in Medicare?
ANOC stands for Annual Notice of Change. It’s the annual notice from your Medicare health or prescription drug plan explaining changes in coverage, costs and other plan features for the upcoming year.
When should I receive my Medicare ANOC for 2027?
Medicare says ANOCs arrive in September. Current Medicare guidance says plans send a printed ANOC by September 30.
Who sends my Medicare Annual Notice of Change?
Your current Medicare plan sends the ANOC.
Should I keep my Medicare ANOC?
Yes. Keep it while reviewing your upcoming coverage. It provides a useful reference for understanding what your current plan says will change for the next plan year.
Does receiving an ANOC mean my Medicare plan is being cancelled?
No. Receiving an ANOC is a normal part of annual plan communication and doesn’t by itself mean your plan is being discontinued.
Does an ANOC mean I need to switch Medicare plans?
No. The purpose is to inform you of upcoming changes. After reviewing those changes and available alternatives, you may determine that keeping your current plan still makes sense.
What’s the difference between an ANOC and Evidence of Coverage?
The ANOC focuses on what’s changing for the upcoming year. The Evidence of Coverage provides more detailed information about what your plan covers, what you pay and how the plan operates.
What should I do if I don’t receive my ANOC?
Contact your Medicare plan. Medicare specifically advises beneficiaries to contact their plan if they don’t receive this important document.
Can someone help me understand my Medicare ANOC?
Yes. A licensed Medicare agent can help you understand plan changes and compare available coverage. Medicare Plan Assistance can help you review your ANOC and identify questions worth investigating. Call (561) 808-9410.
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