Somewhere in the mail this month is a document that sets what your health care costs in January. It arrives in a thick envelope and looks like junk.
Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D drug plans are required to get an Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC, into members’ hands by September 30 — 15 days before Open Enrollment opens. The notice lists every change the plan is making for the coming year: premiums, deductibles, copays, which drugs are on the covered list, and which doctors and pharmacies stay in the network.
Not everyone receives one. People on Original Medicare and people carrying a Medicare supplement policy do not, because those plans do not change this way. For everyone in a private plan, though, the envelope is coming, and what is inside is not minor. A prescription covered in December can be off the list on January 1. A doctor of many years can be out of network.
A second document usually arrives with it. The Evidence of Coverage is the long version, with the full rules. The ANOC is the short one, and it is the one to read.
Here is the part that catches people. Doing nothing is a decision. A plan that is still being offered simply renews at the new price, with the new drug list, whether or not anyone opened the envelope.
Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, and anything changed during those weeks takes effect January 1. Every state also runs a free counseling service, the State Health Insurance Assistance Program,.
Allyson Good curates senior living, health, and family content. She is formerly the Managing Editor of Active Life, a print newspaper published in 2016-2017 for seniors, choosing practical articles on health, money, safety, and everyday living for older readers. She is also an avid gardener and offers up Garden Hints and Tips on a regular basis.
