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Medicare Advantage Annual Notice of Change Checklist

A checklist for reviewing your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan's Annual Notice of Change letter each fall before it auto-renews for the new year.

Medicare4 min readReviewed 2026-09-22

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Short answer

Your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan sends an Annual Notice of Change every September, listing what's different for next year -- premiums, drug tiers, network, and benefits. Reading it before Annual Enrollment Period ends is the difference between an intentional choice and an automatic renewal.

Use this before you call.

Got your Annual Notice of Change? Call GetFastRates.com to review what's actually different.

Find your plan's Annual Notice of Change letter, usually mailed in September.

Compare next year's premium, deductible, and out-of-pocket maximum to this year's.

Check whether your specific doctors are still shown as in-network.

Check whether your specific prescriptions changed tiers or require new prior authorization.

Call if anything changed enough to be worth comparing against other plans.

If you do nothing, your plan generally auto-renews

Without action during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 - December 7), most Medicare Advantage and Part D plans simply continue into the new year -- even if the plan's costs or coverage changed significantly.

The details most worth checking each year

Premium, deductible, drug formulary tier changes, and network changes are the details most likely to actually affect your costs or care -- reading the whole notice is worth the time even if nothing seems different at a glance.

A drug moving to a higher tier can meaningfully change your annual costs
A dropped doctor or hospital is one of the most common reasons people switch plans

Common questions about this topic

What if I don't receive an Annual Notice of Change?

Contact your plan directly -- it's generally required to be sent by September each year, and you can also review the current plan details on Medicare.gov's plan finder.

Do I have to switch plans if something changed?

No -- reviewing the notice just makes sure any renewal is a choice rather than a default. Many people review the changes and decide to stay on their current plan.

Tools that can help

Medicare Enrollment Period CalculatorFind your Medicare enrollment window and what it means for your timing.Medicare Part B Late Enrollment Penalty CalculatorEstimate whether a Part B late enrollment penalty could apply to you.Medicare Plan Ending FinderCheck your carrier and ZIP code against current, verified plan-ending records.

Trusted public sources

These links are provided for general public information. They do not replace a personal coverage review.

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