By Andy Childs, Andy Childs Insurance | September 15, 2026
Before you set aside that envelope from your Medicare plan, look for the words Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC. It tells you what is changing in your current plan for the coming year. The question is not just whether the monthly premium changed. It is whether the coverage will still work for the care you actually use.
If you have a Medicare Advantage or Medicare prescription drug plan, your September 2026 notice describes changes taking effect in January 2027. Medicare says to contact your plan if the notice does not arrive. Source: Medicare’s ANOC explanation.
Here is a practical way to review it if you live in Mesa or elsewhere in Arizona. This is a checklist for reviewing your own coverage, not a list of specific 2027 plan recommendations.
The dates to put on your calendar
September 2026: Read your current plan’s ANOC and gather your medication and provider lists. October 2026: Information about next year’s Medicare plans becomes available. October 15 through December 7, 2026: Medicare’s fall Open Enrollment period allows eligible coverage changes. Changes made during that period generally begin January 1, 2027, provided the plan receives your enrollment request by December 7. Sources: CMS Open Enrollment guidance and Medicare Open Enrollment.
These are national Medicare dates; living in Arizona does not create a different fall enrollment calendar. Starting the review now gives you time to ask questions without rushing a decision in December.
1. Confirm the exact plan and year
Start with the plan name on the notice. Compare it with your current insurance card and check that you are reading the material for 2027. An insurance company’s name alone is not enough to identify the coverage you have.
Keep the ANOC alongside the Evidence of Coverage, which gives fuller details about the plan. CMS recommends reviewing both documents. Also keep any separate notice about your plan ending or your coverage changing; do not assume the ordinary renewal process answers a specific notice. Source: CMS.
Write one sentence at the top of your notes: “The plan I am reviewing is ______, for the year ______.” It is a simple way to keep multiple mailings from getting mixed together.
2. Compare more than the premium
Put this year’s and next year’s costs side by side. For Medicare Advantage, check the plan premium, medical deductible, specialist visits, hospital care, outpatient procedures, and the annual out-of-pocket limit. For a stand-alone Part D plan, concentrate on the drug premium, deductible, and prescription costs.
Medicare Advantage plans have an annual limit for covered Medicare medical services, and some plans distinguish in-network from combined in- and out-of-network costs. That is not the same as an all-inclusive household healthcare budget. Prescription coverage and premiums need their own review. You generally remain responsible for the Part B premium even when a Medicare Advantage plan has no additional plan premium. Sources: Medicare coverage comparison and Medicare costs.
My suggested question is: “What might I pay during an ordinary year, and what costs could I face in a year when I need more care?” Do not assume an unchanged premium means unchanged coverage.
3. Check each prescription separately
Make a list of every prescription, including the name, strength, form, and how much you take. Check those details against the plan’s next-year drug list, called a formulary, rather than relying only on a summary in the ANOC.
Confirm whether each drug is covered, its tier, and the applicable copayment or coinsurance. A covered drug can still have a different cost from another covered drug. Plans organize drugs into tiers and may change their formularies. Source: Medicare’s explanation of formularies and tiers.
Also look for prior authorization, step therapy, or quantity limits. These are coverage rules, not instructions to change your medication yourself. Ask your plan and prescriber how any rule applies and whether an exception is appropriate. Source: Medicare drug plan rules.
4. Verify your doctors and pharmacy outside the ANOC
Treat the notice as the starting point, not a personalized confirmation that every doctor or pharmacy you use will be covered. CMS specifically notes that provider and pharmacy networks can change from year to year. Source: CMS.
For an Arizona Medicare Advantage review, write down the exact doctor, practice location, and hospital you use. A Mesa primary-care office and a specialist’s office across the East Valley should be checked separately. Confirm participation for the specific plan and year with the plan and provider’s office; “we take Medicare” is not the same question as whether a provider participates in your Medicare Advantage network. Network rules also differ by plan type. Source: Medicare Advantage plan types.
Check the exact pharmacy location, too. An in-network pharmacy is not necessarily a preferred in-network pharmacy. Where a plan uses preferred pharmacies, that distinction may affect what you pay. Source: Medicare pharmacy guidance.
A useful question to ask is: “For this exact plan in 2027, is this location in network, and what cost-sharing applies?” Record the date and any reference number for the answer.
5. Review extra benefits after your core coverage
If your Medicare Advantage plan includes dental, vision, hearing, transportation, or other extra benefits, check the next-year rules in the plan documents. Look at limits, participating providers, eligibility conditions, and anything you must do before using a benefit. Medicare Advantage plans can offer benefits that Original Medicare does not, but coverage varies. Source: Medicare coverage comparison.
My suggested order is doctors, prescriptions, total costs, then extras. An attractive extra should not distract you from an unanswered question about your regular care.
For help reviewing coverage when you have both programs, see the Medicare and AHCCCS review page.
6. Decide whether keeping the plan still makes sense
A review does not automatically mean a switch. CMS says that when your current plan is still offered and will continue to meet your needs, you generally do not need to do anything to keep it. Read your own plan’s notices and follow any instructions specific to your situation. Source: CMS.
Before changing coverage, resolve any unanswered questions about doctors, medications, effective dates, and your enrollment opportunity. Keep the comparison and any enrollment confirmation for your records.
Considering Original Medicare plus a supplement instead? Fall Open Enrollment is not an annual guaranteed right to buy any Medigap policy. Outside your Medigap Open Enrollment period or a qualifying protection, an insurer may use medical underwriting or decline your application. Check those rights before making a change that depends on obtaining a supplement. Source: Medicare’s Medigap buying guidance.
Questions to bring to your review
Bring your ANOC, your current plan’s name, your provider list, your prescriptions, your preferred pharmacy, and notes about planned care. Keep Medicare numbers and other private information off social-media posts and ordinary public contact forms.
The most useful questions are: What changed for the care I actually use? What still needs verification? Does keeping my current coverage make sense? If I change, when does the new coverage begin?
Medicare help in Mesa, without the pressure to switch
I’m Andy Childs, a licensed Medicare insurance broker based in Mesa. I help Arizona residents compare the plans I am contracted to offer and review doctors, prescriptions, and coverage questions by phone. There is no additional fee for my assistance; insurance carriers compensate brokers when an enrollment occurs.
Call 480-296-5804 or request Medicare help from Andy in Mesa. You can also compare options through Medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program for counseling.
This is general education, not a recommendation of a specific plan. Actual benefits, eligibility, costs, and enrollment rights depend on your circumstances and official plan documents. Andy Childs Insurance is not connected with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program.