Sometime around now, an envelope from your Medicare plan may show up in your mailbox. It's called the Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC, and it's easy to set aside with the rest of the mail. Before it disappears into a drawer, there are three lines inside worth five minutes.
What the ANOC actually is
Every Medicare Advantage and Part D plan is required to mail this letter to its members, generally by September 30 each year. It lays out exactly what's changing on your plan starting January 1.
It's usually several pages long and written in fairly formal language. Most of it you can skim. Three specific lines are worth actually reading.
What the letter usually looks like
Expect section headers rather than a friendly letter format — things like "Changes to the Monthly Premium" or "Changes to the Provider and Pharmacy Network." Skimming for those headers is faster than reading top to bottom.
Formal phrasing can sound more alarming than it is. A line like "cost-sharing may change" simply means a copay or coinsurance amount is different, not that something is being taken away.
Line one — the premium
Find the section that states next year's monthly premium and compare it directly to what you're paying now. A plan can hold its premium steady, raise it, or lower it — there's no default direction.
This is usually the easiest line to find and the easiest to misread if you only glance at it.
Line two — your drug tiers
Look for the section on drug coverage, sometimes labeled "changes to the formulary." A medication doesn't have to disappear from coverage to cost you more — it can simply move to a higher pricing tier.
If you take a regular prescription, check its tier specifically rather than assuming the whole list still looks the way it did last year.
Line three — the provider network note
Look for any note about the provider or pharmacy network. A doctor, specialist, or hospital that was in-network this year isn't guaranteed to stay in-network next year.
This is the line people are most likely to skip entirely — and the one most worth catching before January.
It matters most if you see a specialist regularly, since a narrowed network can mean a longer drive or a new referral, not just a different name on a card.
Why these three and not the whole letter
You don't need to read every page. Scan for the sections covering:
- Monthly premium — usually near the front.
- Changes to drug coverage — sometimes called the formulary.
- Provider and pharmacy directory changes — sometimes near the back.
If something doesn't look right
If any of those three lines look different than you expected, that's a good reason to ask questions before Open Enrollment closes on December 7. A second set of eyes on the letter is usually faster than trying to decode it alone.
Call (305) 859-1704 and read the relevant section out loud if it's easier — that's often the quickest way to get a straight answer.
The bottom line
The ANOC isn't a form letter to ignore. It's the one document each year that tells you, in writing, exactly what's different about your own plan.
What is an ANOC letter?
ANOC stands for Annual Notice of Change. It's a letter every Medicare Advantage and Part D plan is required to mail to its members, laying out what's different about the plan for the coming year.
When will I receive mine?
Generally by September 30 each year. It describes changes that take effect the following January 1.
What if I don't understand what changed?
That's common — the letters are written in dense, formal language. Bringing it to a plan review is one of the most useful things you can do with it.
Do I have to do anything after reading it?
No. Reading it is simply how you find out whether your plan still fits. You decide separately whether any action makes sense.
Got your ANOC letter in hand?
Free, no-obligation plan review — bring the letter and we'll go through the three lines together.
Request my free plan review