AEP 2026 Is Here — October 15 Through December 7
The Annual Enrollment Period has arrived, and if you haven’t reviewed your Medicare coverage yet this year, a focused 30-minute review is enough to catch the issues that matter most.
Minute 1-5: Pull Up Your ANOC Letter
Your Annual Notice of Change letter outlines exactly what’s different about your current plan for the coming year — premium changes, formulary updates, network changes. If nothing significant changed, that’s useful information on its own.
Minute 5-15: Check Your Doctors and Medications
Confirm your current doctors are still in-network (if you’re on a Medicare Advantage plan) and that your current medications are still on your plan’s formulary at a cost tier you’re comfortable with. This is the single highest-value check in the whole review, since network and formulary changes are the most common source of unpleasant surprises.
Minute 15-20: Compare Total Expected Costs
Rather than comparing premiums alone, do a rough estimate of your total annual cost — premium plus expected copays and drug costs based on your actual usage. A slightly higher premium plan can still be the cheaper overall option depending on your specific situation.
Minute 20-25: Check for New Extra Benefits
If you’re on Medicare Advantage, quickly scan whether your plan added, removed, or changed any extra benefits — dental, vision, hearing, fitness programs — that matter to you.
Minute 25-30: Decide — Stay or Switch
Based on the above, you should have a clear sense of whether your current plan is still the right fit. If everything checks out, no action is needed — your current plan will continue automatically. If something’s changed enough to matter, you have until December 7 to make a switch.
When 30 Minutes Isn’t Enough
If your review surfaces something complicated — a medication that’s no longer covered well, a doctor who’s out-of-network, a genuine toss-up between two plans — that’s a good time to bring in a licensed agent for a deeper comparison rather than guessing.
Have questions? Schedule a free review with Kayla Price, a licensed insurance agent at Price Services Group. Call 866-648-1578 or visit priceservicesgroup.com/schedule.
Price Services Group, LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. NPN: 18530055 | Agency NPN: 20387435