Watch for Your Medicare Annual Notice of Change
If you have a Medicare Advantage (MA) and/or you purchase your own Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, you should receive an Annual Notices of Change (ANOC) letter or email. DO NOT IGNORE IT. The ANOC provides a detailed summary of all of the changes to your MA plan or Part D plan in 2026.
If you have not already received your ANOC you should receive it by September 30. If you do not receive it by that date, contact your MA insurance company and/or your Part D plan provider.
The primary purpose of the ANOC is to provide you with a comparison between your current plan’s benefits and those for next year. Information in your ANCO may cause you to change your MA healthcare insurance plan and/or Part D coverage during the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period scheduled for October 15 – December 7.
If you ignore your ANOC, you may have more expense and undesirable changes in your healthcare and/or prescription drug coverage in 2026. You might learn that your MA plan is being dropped or your preferred doctors or healthcare facilities are no longer part of your plan’s network. You may discover that your medications are no longer covered or moved to a more expensive tier.
News articles have reported that a number of MA providers intend to drop plans for 2026. UnitedHealthcare plans to drop MA plans that currently serve over 600,000 users. Humana is projecting a loss of as many as 500,000 MA members. CVS-Aetna has stated that it would end nearly 90 MA plans across 34 states in 2026. UCare, one of the largest providers of MA plans in Minnesota, will eliminate MA plans impacting 158,000 members. Other MA plan providers may not have been in news articles about their intent to eliminate plans.
If the ANCO you receive states that your current MA plan will not be available next year, it should inform you that you have a Guaranteed Issue Right and you are entitled to a Special Enrollment Period. It is a federal law that you are entitled to a GIR and SEP.
A GIR prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage or overcharging an applicant for a MA plan or a traditional Medicare supplement (Medigap) policy regardless of pre-existing health conditions. A SEP allows one to shop for the best deal possible for a Medigap or MA plan.
You should guard against your MA plan provider telling you that your MA plan will cease on 12/31/25 but it can enroll you in a different plan it provides. This is known as “cross walking” and often the recommended plan is more expensive and provides fewer benefits.
With your GIR you can go to www.medicare.gov and do your own shopping for either an MA plan or a traditional Medicare supplement (Medigap) plan. On the Medicare website home page click on Find Plans now link on the green tab.
Bill Kadereit, President
National Retiree Legislative Network
