Annual Notice of Change

What is the Annual Notice of Change?

An Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) is an official notice sent by Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans to their members in late September. The notice provides a summary of the changes to coverages and costs in the upcoming year.[mfn referencenumber=1]Medicare.gov, “Plan Annual Notice of Change“, Accessed September 14, 2021[/mfn]

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• An Annual Notice of Change notifies a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan member of changes to their coverages and costs.
• Plan members receive an ANOC every September before the new year’s changes happen.
• The new changes go into effect when the plan renews at the start of the year.

[/keytakeaways]

Do Medicare Plans Change Each Year?

Changes to a Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D plan will be noted in the ANOC. The ANOC will tell beneficiaries what areas and services are still covered by their plan, as well as the costs[mfn referencenumber=1]Medicare.gov, “Plan Annual Notice of Change“, Accessed September 14, 2021[/mfn]. The costs are deductibles, copayments, and the monthly premiums[mfn referencenumber=2]Medicare.gov, “Medicare costs at a glance“, Accessed September 14, 2021[/mfn].

Do Medicare Plans Renew Automatically Each Year?

Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans automatically renew until their beneficiary cancel or switch plans[mfn referencenumber=1]Medicare.gov, “Plan Annual Notice of Change“, Accessed September 14, 2021[/mfn]. A beneficiary may encounter a situation where their Medicare plan cannot be renewed, such as moving to a new service area or if their plan is no longer available. If this happens they can request a Special Enrollment Period (SEP)[mfn referencenumber=3]Medicare.gov, “Special circumstances“, Accessed September 14, 2021[/mfn].