Who sends it: Your Medicare Advantage or Part D drug plan, by September 30 each year.
What this letter is
If you have a Medicare Advantage plan or a Part D drug plan, the plan must send you an Annual Notice of Change, often called the ANOC, by September 30. It lists what will be different in your plan starting January 1.
People with only Original Medicare and no drug plan do not get one. The ANOC is also different from Medicare and You, the handbook Medicare mails to everyone.
What to check
- The monthly premium
- The deductible and copays for the things you use most
- Each of your drugs: is it still covered, and on which tier? A drug can move to a higher cost tier or drop off the list.
- Your doctors, hospitals and pharmacy: are they still in the plan's network?
- Extra benefits like dental, vision or hearing, which can change or end
- Rules that require approval before you get a service
The dates that matter
- By September 30: the ANOC arrives.
- October 15 to December 7: Medicare Open Enrollment. You can switch plans, or move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
- January 1: the changes in the ANOC, or the new plan you picked, take effect.
- January 1 to March 31: if you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or go back to Original Medicare.
What to do
If instead you get a letter in October saying your plan is leaving Medicare, that is a different notice. Read it closely and choose new coverage by December 7 so you have no gap on January 1.
- Make a list of your drugs with their doses, your doctors and your pharmacy.
- Read the ANOC with that list next to you.
- Compare plans with the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
- If your plan is still a good fit, you usually do nothing. You stay enrolled.
- For free, unbiased help, call a SHIP counselor. Find yours at shiphelp.org.
How to tell a real one from a fake
The real ANOC comes from the plan whose name is on your member card, with your plan name and member number. It does not ask for your Medicare number or bank details.
Fall is also when ads, mailers and calls from other plans pick up. Plans are not allowed to call you out of the blue to sell you coverage without your permission, and Medicare does not call to tell you to switch plans. If a caller pushes you to change today, hang up.
Have one in front of you?
Take a clear photo and text it to Uncle at +1 208 214 0093. He tells you in plain words what it says, what it wants from you, and anything that looks wrong. How to take a clear photo.
This page explains what this kind of letter usually means. Your letter is the final word on your dates and amounts. For a decision about taxes, health coverage or a legal matter, call the office that sent it, using the number on its official website, or ask a professional you trust.
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Written by the Textuncle team. Last updated October 3, 2026.
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