By Jordan Renert, The Greenlight Insurance Agency
Not happy with your Medicare plan? Maybe your doctor left the network. Maybe a drug you take costs more than it did last year. Or maybe you opened the letter from your plan and saw changes coming in 2027 that you don’t like.
Every year, Medicare gives you a set time to review your coverage and make a change. Here’s how it works, in plain English.
When is the Annual Enrollment Period?
Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs from October 15 to December 7 every year. If your new plan gets your request by December 7, your new coverage starts January 1.
If you’re happy with your current plan and it still fits your needs, you don’t have to do anything, as long as your plan isn’t ending. Your coverage will continue automatically. If you got a letter saying your plan won’t be available in 2027, call us so you’re not left without coverage.
What can you change?
During the AEP, you can:
Switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan, with or without drug coverage.
Join, drop, or switch a Medicare drug plan (Part D) if you have Original Medicare.
Move from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan.
Move from a Medicare Advantage plan to Original Medicare.
There’s no single "right" answer. The best choice depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, your budget, and how you like to get your care.
Start with your Annual Notice of Change
If you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan or a Part D drug plan, your plan sends you an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) each September. It lists what’s changing for next year, like premiums, copays, deductibles, drug coverage, and which doctors and pharmacies are in the network.
Don’t toss it. Read it and ask yourself:
Will my premium or out-of-pocket costs go up?
Are my drugs still covered, and at what cost?
Are my doctors, hospitals, and pharmacy still in the network?
Are any benefits I use being cut or changed?
If you didn’t get your ANOC, contact your plan.
Check your doctors and your drugs
Before you pick any plan, new or current:
Make a list of your doctors and specialists and check that each one works with the plan. Ask the doctor’s office too.
Make a list of every prescription you take, with the dose. Check that each one is covered and see what it will cost over the full year, not just per month.
Check your pharmacy. Costs can change depending on which pharmacy you use.
Missed something? There’s one more chance
If you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you also get the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (OEP) from January 1 to March 31. During this time you can make one change: switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan, or drop your plan and go back to Original Medicare (and join a separate drug plan). Your change starts the first of the month after the plan gets your request.
If your plan is leaving Medicare or not renewing for 2027, your plan will send you a notice. You’ll also get a special window, from December 8 through the last day of February, to pick new coverage. If you don’t join a new plan, you’ll be enrolled in Original Medicare. A change made by December 31 starts January 1.
Outside of these windows, you generally need a Special Enrollment Period, for example if you move or lose other coverage.
A note on Medicare Supplement (Medigap)
If you’re thinking about Original Medicare, some people also look at a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy. The rules for buying one vary by state. In most states, outside of certain protected times, insurers can ask health questions before they sell you a policy. New York is different: insurers must accept applications year-round. Rules where you live may not be the same, so check before you make any change.
Help paying for drug costs
If your income and resources are limited, you may qualify for Extra Help, a Medicare program that helps pay Part D premiums, deductibles, and copays. Some people get it automatically, like those with full Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program. Others can apply through Social Security. People with Extra Help may also be able to change their drug coverage more often than once a year.
How Greenlight helps
We’re The Greenlight Insurance Agency, a father-and-son team, Scott and Jordan Renert, helping people with Medicare since 2007. We’re independent agents licensed in 18 states, which means we work with several insurance companies, not just one.
Here’s what we’ll do with you:
Review your current plan and your Annual Notice of Change.
Check your doctors and prescriptions against the options in your area.
Compare your choices side by side, including keeping what you have.
Help you enroll before December 7, if a change makes sense.
There’s no cost to you for our help, and no obligation.
Talk to us before December 7
Not sure if your plan is still the right fit for 2027? Let’s look at it together.
Call our office: 631-998-4221
Call or text Jordan: 631-406-9070
Book a call: calendly.com/j-renert
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 6 organizations which offer 20 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.
Sources: Medicare.gov: Changing plans Oct 15–Dec 7 (AEP); Medicare.gov: Joining a plan; Medicare.gov: Plan Annual Notice of Change (ANOC); Medicare.gov: Plan Non-Renewal Notice; Medicare.gov: Special Enrollment Periods; Medicare.gov: Your Yearly Medicare Review (PDF); Medicare.gov: Help with drug costs (Extra Help); Medicare.gov: Medigap, get ready to buy; NY DFS: Information for Medicare beneficiaries.
