Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period opens October 15 and runs through December 7. Any changes made in that window take effect January 1. Here's a simple checklist to work through before it closes.
None of the five points require special expertise — just ten to fifteen minutes and the right documents in front of you.
The window itself
These dates are the same every year: October 15 to December 7. Outside of this window, changing Medicare Advantage or Part D coverage generally requires a qualifying life event.
Seven weeks sounds like plenty of time, and it is — as long as the checklist doesn't get pushed to the last few days by accident.
The 5-point checklist
- 1. Read your ANOC letter. Your plan's Annual Notice of Change spells out what's different for next year — premium, drug tiers, and network, specifically.
- 2. Check your premium line. Confirm what you'll actually pay starting January 1, and compare it to this year rather than assuming it's unchanged.
- 3. Confirm your doctors and pharmacy are still in-network. Networks shift year to year, even for plans that otherwise look the same.
- 4. Confirm your prescriptions are still covered, and at what tier. A drug staying "covered" doesn't mean it's staying at the same cost.
- 5. Compare at least one alternative plan, even if you expect to stay. Comparing costs nothing and confirms whether staying is still the right call.
Why October, not November
Working through the checklist in the first couple weeks of the window leaves room to ask follow-up questions before anything is final. Waiting until late November compresses all five points into a much smaller amount of time.
There's no penalty for starting early and deciding to stay exactly where you are. There's only a time crunch for starting late.
The shortcut through all five
A ten-minute plan review walks through all five points in a single call — your ANOC, your premium, your network, your prescriptions, and one comparison, side by side.
It's free, and there's no obligation to change anything as a result of it.
Doing it yourself instead
If you'd rather work through the list on your own first, that's a fine way to start. Pull out your ANOC letter, your medication list, and your doctors' names, and go point by point.
A review afterward can still catch anything that got missed, especially on the network and drug-tier checks, which are the easiest to misread without a second set of eyes.
The deadline that matters
December 7 is when Open Enrollment closes for the year. Whatever's true on your plan on December 8 is generally what you're carrying into January.
There's no rush to decide today — just a reason not to leave the checklist for the last week of the window.
When you're done with all five points, "good" simply means you know where you stand — whether that ends in staying put or making a change.
The bottom line
Five checks, one call, before December 7. None of them require a decision on the spot — they just require an honest look at where things stand.
Call (305) 859-1704 or request a review online, and we'll go through the list together.
When does Open Enrollment start and end?
October 15 through December 7 each year. Any changes made during that window take effect January 1.
What happens if I don't do anything during Open Enrollment?
Generally, your current plan continues automatically. Doing nothing is a valid choice, as long as it's one you made on purpose after checking the checklist.
When do any changes I make take effect?
January 1 of the following year, for changes made during Open Enrollment.
Do I have to go through the checklist alone?
No. A free plan review covers all five points in one ten-minute call, with a licensed agent walking through each one with you.
Ready to work through the checklist?
Free, no-obligation plan review — all five points, one ten-minute call, before December 7.
Request my free plan review