If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is an important time for you. This is the time to review your current coverage, and make any necessary changes if need be. Come October 1st, you should receive your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letter in the mail from your current Medicare Advantage company. It’s important to review this letter to see if there has been any changes to your Advantage plan. These changes can include anything such as benefits, premiums, co-pays, deductibles, networks changes, etc.
Additionally, Medicare releases the Advantage information for the upcoming year on October 1st. This is when you can start comparing and shopping for a new plan if necessary. Keep in mind if you shop for a new Advantage plan before October 1st, the plan (including benefits and costs) could change come October 1st. However, if you wanted to get ahead of the game, and start looking at potential plans, you can do so.
One of the most important things to pay attention to if you have a Medicare Advantage plan is any network changes, considering this is a crucial aspect of an Advantage plan. Network changes are often common with Advantage plans, so we recommend talking to your doctor(s) to confirm they will still be in network next year, with your new plan. A great question to ask your doctor is “Is there any chance you will be leaving the network?” Doctors can change networks any time during the year so it good to know in advance if they plan of making any changes.
Your Medicare Advantage plan will automatically renew each year. So if you are happy with your current Medicare Advantage coverage, then you do not need to do anything at all.