It's about that time. ANOC is at your door.
If you have a Medicare Advantage plan and you're reading this close to the time of publishing, you should soon be receiving your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) in the mail, (or via email if you opted for that instead.)
So what is this Annual Notice of Change anyway? It sounds so official and...boring.
Since your Medicare plan generally renews annually, it is assumed that you will stay in that plan for the upcoming calendar year. As such, your Plan will send you this document to tell you things like:
- If your premium, deductible, or copays are changing, and
- If certain benefits are being removed/added - like coverage for dental, transportation, or chiropractic care, for example.
If the Plan includes Part D prescription coverage, you may also be able to find out if medications are being added or removed from the formulary. "Formulary" is a fancy term for the book of covered medications. Sometimes the "tier", or, level of coverage could change. An example would be a medication going from Tier 3 to Tier 2. This would mean that you should generally expect the cost of that medication to be lower.
If you have no Medicare Advantage plan and ONLY a Part D plan, then your ANOC will be smaller and will only convey some of the above info - it will not include any info about medical coverage because Part D only covers medications.
So you could take all this information and say, "Great, now I know what to expect for next year." OR, you could take that information and go shopping for a new plan. Currently, in San Diego County there are 50+ Medicare Advantage plans. Whoa!
Since it can be overwhelming to compare plans and ensure that you're getting the most suitable plan for your budget and needs, it can be helpful to enlist the help of an insurance agent who knows the Medicare landscape well. We're happy to help. You can click the "Book an Appointment" button from the main menu and set up a free appointment to weigh your options for 2022.