Countdown until Medicare Annual Enrollment opens
Until AEP opens October 15, 2026
This counts down to when the federal review window opens. It is not a sales deadline. You can review and stay.
Late September, a thicker envelope shows up from the plan you already have. That is usually the Annual Notice of Change. It is not another sales piece. Plans have to tell you what will be different on January 1.
If it goes out with the postcards, you are picking next year with last year’s assumptions.
What it is
ANOC summarizes changes to your current plan: costs in general terms, network, drug coverage, rules. It is not an invitation to a new product. It is not Medicare dropping you. The Evidence of Coverage is the long rulebook. ANOC is the “what changed” memo.
Other companies mail the same week. Those letters are not ANOC. Official ANOC comes from the plan you are in now.
How to read it
Skip the marketing voice. Look for doctor or hospital network changes. Your actual drugs. Notes that a benefit is ending or moving behind prior authorization. Service area. Highlight what you use. Ignore what you don’t.
If the letter is vague, that is a reason to review. It is not a reason to call the first 800 number on a flyer.
Doing nothing is still a choice
Take no action during AEP and you generally stay in the same plan with the new year’s rules. Fine when the ANOC matches your doctors and drugs. A problem when it doesn’t and you find out at the pharmacy in January.
Bring the letter to a consult. We will compare it to how you actually use care. If you never got one, check the member portal or the number on your card, not a random mailer.
Book a free consult or send a message. Call 702-627-2605. By calling the number above, you will be connected to a licensed insurance agent.
No plan prices, extra benefits, or carrier names on this page. Those belong in a comparison after we know your doctors and drugs.