What is an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC)?
An Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) is a letter that Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) send to their enrollees each year, explaining anything that’s changing about the plan for the coming year.
When will I receive my Medicare Annual Notice of Change?
Your Medicare Advantage or PDP insurer will send your Medicare ANOC by September 30. It typically arrives in the second half of September, and will be sent by email or postal mail, depending on your preferences.
The timing ensures you’ll have your Annual Notice of Change before the start of the Medicare open enrollment period (annual election period) that runs from October 15 to December 7.
What will my Annual Notice of Change tell me?
Your Annual Notice of Change will provide details about any changes to your Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D prescription drug plan that will take effect on January 1. These could include:
- Changes to your monthly premium (and if offered by your plan, changes to the Part B premium reduction)
- Changes to your plan’s provider network
- Changes to your plan’s drug formulary (covered drug list) or how cost-sharing works for drugs in each tier
- Changes to your out-of-pocket costs. This includes copays, deductibles, and the out-of-pocket maximum
- Changes to supplemental benefits such as dental and vision coverage
The ANOC will include your current plan details side-by-side with the coming year details, making it easy to see what’s changing.
The ANOC will also provide information about the annual open enrollment period, how you can change plans, and how to determine whether you qualify for assistance with your premiums. It’s generally a lengthy document; the sample ANOC letters that CMS provides range from 18 to 22 pages.
What should I do when I receive my Annual Notice of Change?
When you receive your ANOC, read through it carefully to make sure you understand exactly what’s changing about your plan for the coming year.
Pay close attention to the specifics, and consider whether your current plan is still the best option to meet your needs in the coming year. If not, the fall open enrollment period is your opportunity to pick a different Medicare Advantage or Part D prescription drug plan.
If anything in the ANOC is confusing, you can reach out to your broker or your plan, contact the Medicare SHIP in your state, or call 1-800-MEDICARE. You definitely don’t want to ignore the ANOC and let your coverage automatically renew without understanding how your benefits and costs will change.
What should I do if I don’t receive an Annual Notice of Change?
If you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan or a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan, you should receive an ANOC (even if nothing is changing about your plan; in that case, the columns for this year and next year will simply be the same).
If you haven’t received your ANOC by the end of September, you should reach out to your plan. Confirm that they have your correct address and contact information on file, and ask them to resend your ANOC. Alternatively, you may be able to log into your member portal on your plan’s website and find your ANOC there. (Note: This will be on the website of the insurer that offers your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, not Medicare.gov.) When you contact the plan to let them know you haven’t received your ANOC, they will be able to either mail you a new one or walk you through the process of accessing it through your online member portal.
Will my Medigap plan send me an Annual Notice of Change?
No, Medigap plans do not send an Annual Notice of Change, because Medigap benefits are standardized and do not change from one year to the next. And the Medicare open enrollment period does not apply to Medigap plans. In most states, Medigap enrollees do not have an annual guaranteed-issue opportunity to switch to a different Medigap plan.
Note: If you have Medigap Plan K or L, the out-of-pocket limit changes each year. The updated limit is published annually by the federal government, and it’s the same regardless of what insurer you use.
Medigap premiums do change each year, but unlike Medicare Advantage plans and PDPs, which renew on January 1, Medigap premiums typically increase on the anniversary of when you enrolled. This can be any month of the year. Your Medigap plan will send you a notice about the new premium, but this won’t necessarily align with the fall enrollment period or the calendar year.
What’s the difference between an ANOC and an Evidence of Coverage (EOC)?
As described above, the Medicare ANOC is specifically designed to show you anything that’s changing for the coming year about your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
But if you have a Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D plan, the insurer will also mail you an Evidence of Coverage (EOC) around the same time in September. This is a more involved document that explains all the details about what’s covered by your plan and how your plan works.
To fully understand your benefits, you should review both the ANOC and the EOC before or during the Medicare open enrollment period.
