Preparing for Annual Election
Update the information that drives the comparison before the season becomes urgent.
Start with the current plan notice
Read the Annual Notice of Change for the January coverage year, noting premium, hospital, physician, drug and service-area revisions. Locate the matching Evidence of Coverage for complete detail. Write down what changed rather than assuming a plan remains identical because the name did not change.
Official source: Medicare: Annual Notice of Change ↗ · Medicare: Evidence of Coverage ↗
Make a current care inventory
List the actual primary doctor, specialists, hospitals and recurring facilities. Confirm participation in the specific plan contracts under consideration with both the plan and provider offices. A specialist can be in one contract of the same carrier but not another. Include planned treatments that may require approval, and note any provider who recently left the network.
Official source: Medicare: Provider network fact sheet ↗
Use current prescriptions and pharmacies
Record drug names, strength, quantity, frequency and preferred pharmacy. Enter them for each coming-year plan in Medicare’s plan comparison and inspect covered status, tier, prior authorization and pharmacy pricing. The 2026 $2,100 Part D cap addresses covered drugs only; verify next year’s published figures before describing a next-year cap.
Official source: Medicare: What drug plans cover ↗ · Medicare: Drug plan rules ↗ · Medicare: Compare plans ↗
Set a budget and two care scenarios
Compare monthly Part B plus plan premiums and drug spending, then add routine medical use. Separately model a year with more services using the exact plan’s medical maximum and network provisions. Record the family’s priority among access, travel, predictable monthly expense and exposure to large bills. The plan with the smallest premium may not have the lowest annual expense.
Official source: Medicare: Medicare Advantage guide ↗ · Medicare: 2026 costs ↗
File only when the new choice checks out
Open Enrollment runs October 15–December 7 with changes generally effective January 1. Verify residence, A/B dates and the exact plan ID before submitting. Keep an enrollment confirmation and follow up on the ID card and drug benefit. If no change is appropriate, existing coverage generally continues subject to the plan’s published changes.
Official source: Medicare: Open Enrollment ↗ · Medicare: Joining a plan ↗ · Medicare: Yearly review ↗