What you'll learn
- Medicare Advantage and Part D plans must send your Annual Notice of Change by September 30.
- It shows 2027 changes to premiums, copays, the drug list, and benefits, and whether the plan still serves your county.
- It may not tell you whether your doctors and pharmacies are still in network, so check those separately.
- If you do nothing, your plan usually renews. You can switch until December 7, 2026.
If you're in a Medicare Advantage or Part D drug plan, your plan sent you a document this fall called the Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC. It can look like junk mail. It isn't. It's the one place that lays out, line by line, how your plan will be different on January 1, 2027.
With the fall enrollment window closing December 7, here's how to use it.
What's in the notice
Plans are required to send the Annual Notice of Change by September 30. It covers:
- What you'll pay: monthly premium, deductibles, copays, and coinsurance for 2027
- Your drugs: changes to the plan's drug list and which cost tier each drug falls in
- Benefits: anything new, reduced, or dropped
- Where the plan is sold: whether it still serves your Texas county next year
Your plan also provides a much longer Evidence of Coverage, the full rulebook. Keep it handy for specific questions, but start with the Annual Notice of Change.
A Texas checklist
1. Premium and yearly out-of-pocket maximum. The premium is what you pay every month. The out-of-pocket maximum is the most you'd pay for covered in-network care in a year. A jump in that maximum is easy to miss and can matter more than the premium.
2. Every prescription you take. Look each one up in the notice or the plan's 2027 drug list. Is it still covered? Did its tier change? Does it now need prior approval?
3. The care you actually use. Skip the fine print you'll never need and focus on your own visits: primary care, specialists, hospital stays, outpatient surgery, physical therapy, or lab work.
4. Extras you count on. Some plans include dental, vision, hearing, or over-the-counter allowances. These can shrink or disappear from one year to the next.
5. Your county. If your plan is leaving your county for 2027, you'll get a separate notice and a window to choose new coverage.
What the notice won't tell you
The Annual Notice of Change is about costs and benefits. It usually won't confirm that your own doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies are in network for 2027, and networks can change during the year.
This matters a lot in Texas. Outside the big metros, many people drive a long way to see specialists, and losing one in-network doctor can mean an even longer trip. To be sure:
- Call your doctors' offices and ask whether they'll accept your plan in 2027
- Check the plan's online provider directory
- Confirm your pharmacy, including mail-order, is still in network
Can't find your notice?
- Call your plan. The number is on the back of your member card. You can also ask whether the notice is available in Spanish or another language.
- Log in to your plan's website. Many plans post it in your member account.
- Use the Medicare.gov Plan Finder to compare your current plan's 2027 costs with other plans in your ZIP code.
What to do next
If the changes work for you, you don't need to do anything.
If they don't, you can switch plans until December 7, 2026, and new coverage starts January 1, 2027. If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan, you'll get one more chance to switch between January 1 and March 31. See our guides to 2027 open enrollment in Texas, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, and Medicare Advantage vs. Original Medicare in Texas.
Free, unbiased help
The Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) offers free Medicare counseling at 1-800-252-9240. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), which offers help in Spanish. To see how many plans are available where you live, check our Medicare plans by Texas county page.
Common questions
What is the Medicare Annual Notice of Change?
It's a yearly notice from your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan that lists every change to your plan for the coming year, including costs, covered drugs, and benefits. Plans must send it by September 30.
What if I didn't get my Annual Notice of Change?
Call your plan using the number on your member card, or log in to your plan's website. You can also compare your current plan's 2027 costs with other plans on the Medicare.gov Plan Finder.
Do I have to do anything after I read it?
Only if you want to change plans. If the changes work for you, your plan generally renews on January 1. If they don't, you can switch during the Annual Enrollment Period, which ends December 7, 2026.
Sources
