Has a question come up since enrollment? We're here.

Every fall, Medicare Advantage and Part D plans mail an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), a 30+ page document in English describing changes for the new year. Most ANOC letters are mandatory notice and require no action.

But sometimes they hide important changes: a doctor dropped from the network, a premium increase, a higher drug copay. If anything looks off, call us. We'll go through the letter together and tell you which changes actually affect your parent's situation.

Medicare Advantage plan networks change at least once a year, sometimes more often. A doctor in network in December can drop in January, especially after a hospital system change (Northwestern, Rush, Advocate, etc.).

Once your parent's doctor tells them they're no longer accepting the plan, there are options. A single doctor leaving the plan generally does not trigger a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). You may qualify for an SEP if the departure represents a "significant change" to the network, such as a major hospital system dropping the plan, in which case you usually have 60 days from the notification date to switch. Otherwise, you may need to wait until AEP, or the right move may be to find a different doctor in the current network.

Before you start searching, call us. We'll check the networks of several plans at once and help pick a path that makes sense for your parent's health, not just the paperwork.

Part D drug formularies change every year. A drug covered in 2025 can disappear from the formulary in 2026, or move to a more expensive tier.

Sometimes a formulary exception is possible, a request to the plan to cover a non-formulary drug. The prescribing doctor submits it; we'll help you understand the chances and how to justify it.

More often, the right answer is switching plans. AEP (October 15 to December 7) is the best time for that.

Every year during AEP (October 15 to December 7), your parent can change their Medicare Advantage or Part D plan with no medical questions. This is the only window each year for a clean switch.

Even if they're happy with the current plan, an annual comparison is worth doing. The best plan in 2025 may have dropped their doctor, raised the premium, or removed their medication from the formulary.

A short call before AEP avoids a default-renewal mistake. We'll check whether the current plan is still the best fit or whether a switch makes sense.