Your Annual Notice of Change for 2027, and how to read it
It's the most important piece of Medicare mail you'll get this year, it arrives in the last week of September, and it's written to be skimmed. This is the reading guide: what to find, what it hides, and what to do with it before December 7.
Every Medicare Advantage and Part D plan must mail an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) by September 30, 2026, showing what changes on January 1, 2027. Read six things: the premium, the deductible(s), the yearly out-of-pocket maximum, the copays for your primary doctor, specialists and hospital stays, your drugs' tiers and any new prior authorization, and the extra benefits you actually use. The ANOC will not tell you whether your doctors are still in the 2027 network or whether your pharmacy is still preferred; those need the 2027 directory and formulary, published by October 1. Already known for 2027: the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (from $2,100), and the 2027 Part B premium is announced in the fall. The Annual Enrollment Period is October 15 to December 7, 2026; changes take effect January 1, 2027.
The six numbers to find
- Premium. Page one of the ANOC, both years. A $0 plan that becomes $29 is a $348-a-year change; a Part D plan that doubles is common in 2027.
- Deductibles. Medical deductible (many Advantage plans have none), and the drug deductible, which Part D plans can set up to a federal maximum. A new drug deductible on a plan that had none is the change people miss most.
- Maximum out-of-pocket. The plan's yearly cap on medical cost-sharing, in-network and, for PPOs, combined. It's your worst-case number; a $1,000 increase is a real change even if you never reach it.
- Copays for what you use: primary care, specialists, hospital stay per day, outpatient surgery, emergency room, therapy. Compare the ones you actually paid this year.
- Your drugs. The ANOC summarizes tier and coverage changes; the detail is in the 2027 formulary. Look for tier moves, new prior authorization or quantity limits, and drugs dropped.
- Extra benefits you use: dental allowance, hearing, vision, over-the-counter card, gym. Plans have been trimming these for 2026 and 2027; if the dental allowance was why you chose the plan, check it survived.
The two lists the ANOC won't show you
The ANOC is written by the plan about the plan. It will not tell you whether your doctors and hospital are in the 2027 network, or whether your pharmacy is still preferred. Both are in separate documents published by October 1 (the provider directory and the pharmacy directory), and both are the places plans change most. In the Capital Region the hospital question is live every year; the current lists are on which plans Albany Med, St. Peter's and Ellis accept. Check every doctor by name in the 2027 directory, not the carrier's name on the hospital's list.
What's already known for 2027
- Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400, up from $2,100, and the maximum Part D deductible rises to about $700 (from $615). Once your covered drug costs reach the cap, you pay $0 for the rest of the year; the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan can spread the amount over the year.
- Part B premium and deductible, Part A deductible: announced by CMS in the fall. The 2026 figures are $202.90, $283 and $1,736.
- IRMAA brackets for 2027 are set from 2025 tax returns and published with the Part B premium; see the IRMAA guide.
- GLP-1 coverage: the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge continues through 2027; see Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound.
The calendar from here
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| By September 30, 2026 | ANOC arrives (mail or member portal). Medicare & You 2027 handbook mailed. |
| October 1 | 2027 plans, formularies and directories published; agents may discuss 2027 plans. |
| By October 15 | Full Evidence of Coverage available. |
| October 15 – December 7 | Annual Enrollment Period: join, switch or drop Advantage and Part D plans for January 1. |
| January 1, 2027 | New coverage and new terms take effect. |
| January 1 – March 31, 2027 | Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: one change for people already in an Advantage plan. |
In New York, one more door stays open all year: a Medigap policy can be bought in any month without health questions, so leaving Advantage for Original Medicare plus Medigap is possible at the next election period whatever the ANOC says. The full sequence is in the Annual Enrollment Period guide.
What I do with your ANOC
Every client's doctors and prescriptions are re-run against the 2027 plans in their county in October, and each gets a short written note: stay, or switch, and why. If you're not a client, send me the ANOC pages and your drug list and I'll do the same; there's no fee, and December fills up. Send it or book a call.
- Annual Notice of Change (Medicare.gov, Medicare & You) — ANOC by September 30; AEP Oct 15 – Dec 7
- Contract year 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D rate announcement (CMS, April 6, 2026) — 2027 Part D out-of-pocket threshold $2,400; deductible about $700
- Joining a plan: enrollment periods (Medicare.gov)
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask before they call.
What is the Annual Notice of Change?
A document every Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D plan must send its members by September 30 each year, comparing this year's benefits, costs, network rules and drug coverage with next year's, side by side. It's followed by the full Evidence of Coverage by October 15. If you don't act during the Annual Enrollment Period, you stay in the plan with the new terms.
I didn't get an ANOC. What does that mean?
Either it's on its way (call the plan or check the member portal, where it's often posted first), or your plan is ending. A plan that won't be offered in 2027 sends a non-renewal notice by early October instead, and you get a special enrollment period into February. See the guide on what to do when an Advantage plan is discontinued.
What's already known about 2027 Medicare costs?
The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 for 2027, from $2,100 in 2026, per CMS's April 2026 rate announcement. The 2027 Part B premium and deductible and the Part A amounts are announced by CMS in the fall, usually October or November; the Medicare & You 2027 handbook arriving now still shows some 2026 figures for that reason. This page will be updated when the numbers are out.
Should I switch plans every year?
No; you should check every year. Most of my clients stay in their plan most years. The check is the point: a plan that quietly moved your drug to a higher tier, added prior authorization to your specialist or dropped your hospital can cost thousands, and December 7 is the last day to fix it for a year.
Send me the ANOC
Photograph the pages with numbers on them and send them over. I'll tell you within a day whether your plan is still the right one for 2027, and if not, what is. No fee.