Chaperone Health Insurance Plus
What Your 2027 Medicare ANOC or Non-Renewal Notice Means
Reviewed October 2026 · Covers the 2027 plan year
Every fall, people in Medicare Advantage and Part D plans get a letter from their plan about next year. For most, it’s an ANOC, the Annual Notice of Change, which lists what’s changing in their plan on January 1. For some, it’s a non-renewal notice, which means the plan won’t be available to them at all next year. The two letters look similar, but they call for very different next steps, and the deadlines that come with a non-renewal are easy to miss.
I’m Roxroy Ashley, an independent licensed agent with HealthMarkets, based in Fort Lauderdale. I’ve spent the last 8 of my 14 years in insurance focused on Medicare, and every fall I sit down with clients to go through these letters line by line. This guide explains how to read your Medicare ANOC, what a non-renewal or service-area notice means for 2027, and what happens if you don’t act. When you’d like a second set of eyes on your letter, book a free plan review.
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Plan letters are written to meet Medicare’s rules, not to be easy to read, so when you bring me yours, I check:
- Each change in your ANOC or non-renewal notice that actually affects you
- Your doctors and hospitals against each plan’s network, including HCA Florida, Memorial, and Baptist Health
- Your full-year cost, not only the premium
If anything is unclear, I call your doctor’s office to confirm it. Your quote is free, with no obligation to enroll. Get your free quote and I’ll do the research for you.
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Why Choose Me to Review Your ANOC or Non-Renewal Notice
When you’re choosing who to read your plan letter with, here’s what to look for, and what you can expect from me.
I Read the Letter With You: Bring your ANOC or non-renewal notice to our call, and I’ll go through it with you section by section, in plain language, until every change makes sense.
Your Doctors, Hospitals, and Prescriptions Checked First: Before I recommend any plan, I check your doctors, hospitals, and every prescription against its network and drug list, including your pharmacy. If something is unclear, I’ll call your doctor’s office myself.
Every Question Answered, at Your Pace: Plan letters are written to meet Medicare’s rules, not to be easy to read, and most people spend less than an hour on them. I take as long as you need, explain each piece in plain language, and answer every question until it makes sense. There’s no pressure and no obligation to enroll.
The Plan That Costs Less for You: I compare what you’d actually spend in 2027 under each option, including premiums, copays, drug costs, and the out-of-pocket maximum, not just the monthly premium.
My Help Costs You Nothing Extra: Insurers pay my commission, and plan premiums are generally the same whether you enroll through me or directly, so you get personal guidance and ongoing support at no additional charge.
Both Paths, Side by Side: If your plan is leaving, I lay out the Medicare Advantage plans available to you alongside Original Medicare with a Medigap plan and Part D, and I explain what you’d gain and give up with each.
I Handle the Paperwork: If you choose a plan, I complete the application with you, confirm your enrollment window, and follow it through to approval, so the process is as simple as a conversation.
Licensed and Verified: I’m licensed in 33 states, I complete AHIP’s annual Medicare certification, and I’m certified for the 2027 plan year. You can verify my license (Florida License #W323530, NPN #17946070) anytime through your state’s insurance department.
I Stay Your Agent After You Enroll: Work with me directly, in person, by phone, on Zoom, or at your home in Broward, Miami-Dade, or Palm Beach, and I reply within 24 to 48 hours. I review your coverage every Annual Enrollment Period, so next year’s ANOC doesn’t catch you off guard, and I help with claims and billing in between.
You can read all 25 reasons we should work together on my Why Choose Me page.
What the Annual Notice of Change Is and When It Arrives
The Annual Notice of Change is a letter every Medicare Advantage plan and Part D drug plan sends its members each fall. It explains what will be different about the plan starting January 1 of the next year. Medicare requires plans to get it to members by September 30, so your ANOC for 2027 should have arrived by September 30, 2026. Some plans mail it, and some send it by email or post it in your online member account, depending on how you asked to receive plan materials.
The annual notice of change Medicare plans send is a summary of what’s changing, not the full rulebook. The full details are in your plan’s Evidence of Coverage, which plans make available each fall, usually on their website or by request. If you haven’t received your 2027 ANOC, call the member services number on your plan card and ask for a copy.
Getting an ANOC means your plan is continuing into 2027. If you do nothing, you’ll stay in the same plan, with its new costs and rules, starting January 1, 2027. That’s why the Annual Enrollment Period, which runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, is the time to read it and decide whether the plan still fits.
How to Read Your 2027 ANOC
Most ANOCs open with a summary table comparing this year’s costs to next year’s, followed by more detailed sections. Here’s what I look at first with clients:
Premium: whether your monthly plan premium is going up, going down, or staying the same in 2027. In most cases, you also keep paying your Part B premium, whatever your plan charges.
Cost sharing: your copays and coinsurance for primary care, specialists, hospital stays, outpatient surgery, and emergency care, plus any change to your deductible and your yearly out-of-pocket maximum. A small change in a specialist copay can matter more than the premium if you see that specialist often.
Drug list: whether each of your prescriptions is still covered, whether it moved to a different tier, and whether new rules apply, such as prior authorization or step therapy. The ANOC usually describes formulary changes in general terms, so I check each medication by name against the 2027 drug list.
Network: whether your doctors, hospitals, and pharmacy will be in network in 2027. Networks can change during the year too, so I confirm the ones that matter most to you directly, including South Florida systems like HCA Florida, Memorial Healthcare System, and Baptist Health.
Benefits: changes to extra benefits like dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter allowances, and transportation, along with any change in how you get referrals or approvals.
One more thing to watch for: if your plan is being combined with another plan from the same company, the ANOC will say so and describe the plan you’ll be moved into. That’s still an ANOC, not a non-renewal, but the new plan can have a different network or drug list, so it deserves a close look. For a broader view of what’s changing across plans this year, see my guide to 2027 Medicare Advantage changes in South Florida.
What a Non-Renewal or Service-Area Reduction Notice Means
A non-renewal notice means your plan won’t be offered to you in 2027. There are two common reasons. Either the insurance company is ending that plan’s contract with Medicare entirely, or the plan is continuing but dropping certain counties from its service area, which Medicare calls a service-area reduction. Either way, if you live in an affected area, your coverage in that plan ends December 31, 2026.
Medicare requires the plan to mail affected members a notice at least 90 days before coverage ends. For plans ending December 31, 2026, that means the letter was due by October 2, 2026. Your plan must keep covering you through the end of 2026, so there’s no need to drop it early. The letter is important: keep it, because it’s proof that you qualify for the enrollment rights described below.
A plan leaving your area isn’t a reflection on you or your health. Insurance companies make these decisions plan by plan and county by county. The same company may still offer other plans in Broward, Miami-Dade, or Palm Beach, but those plans can have different networks, drug lists, and costs, so I compare each one against your doctors and prescriptions the same way I would any other plan.
Your Special Enrollment Period After a Non-Renewal
If your plan is leaving, you have two windows to choose new coverage. The first is the Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 to December 7, 2026. Any plan you choose during that window starts January 1, 2027, so this is the simplest way to avoid a gap.
The second is a Special Enrollment Period just for people whose plans aren’t renewing. According to Medicare, it runs from December 8 through the last day of February of the following year, so for 2027 it runs from December 8, 2026, through February 28, 2027. During that window, you can join another Medicare Advantage plan, or go to Original Medicare and join a standalone Part D drug plan. Timing matters here, because new coverage starts the first day of the month after you enroll. If you enroll by December 31, 2026, your new plan starts January 1, 2027. If you enroll in January, it starts February 1, and if you enroll in February, it starts March 1.
My advice is to use the Annual Enrollment Period if you can. Waiting until the Special Enrollment Period is allowed, but enrolling after December 31 means at least a month with only Original Medicare and no drug coverage. If you need help picking dates, my 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Checklist walks through the whole season step by step.
What Happens if You Do Nothing
If you get an ANOC and do nothing, you stay in your plan for 2027 with its new costs and rules.
If you get a non-renewal notice and do nothing, you won’t be left without health coverage. Medicare says you’ll be enrolled in Original Medicare if you don’t join another Medicare Advantage plan before your current plan ends. Starting January 1, 2027, Part A and Part B would cover your hospital and medical care, and you’d pay Original Medicare’s deductibles and, for most Part B services, 20% coinsurance, with no yearly out-of-pocket limit.
The bigger risk is prescription drug coverage. Most Medicare Advantage plans include drug coverage, but Original Medicare doesn’t, and you aren’t automatically placed in a new Part D plan (people who get Extra Help may be an exception, since Medicare can assign them to a drug plan). Until you join a Part D plan, you’d pay full price for your prescriptions. You can still join one during the Special Enrollment Period through February 28, 2027. Waiting too long can also cost you later: if you go 63 days or more in a row without Part D or other creditable drug coverage, you may owe a late enrollment penalty that’s added to your Part D premium for as long as you have drug coverage.
You’d also lose any extra benefits your Medicare Advantage plan included, like dental or vision, and you’d need to decide whether to add a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan to help with Original Medicare’s out-of-pocket costs. That’s where guaranteed issue rights come in.
Medigap Guaranteed Issue Rights When Your Plan Leaves
Outside of your first Medigap open enrollment period, insurance companies in most cases can review your health history before selling you a Medigap plan, and they can turn you down or charge more. A Medicare Advantage plan leaving Medicare or leaving your area is one of the situations that gives you a guaranteed issue right instead. With that right, insurance companies must sell you certain Medigap plans, can’t make you answer health questions, and can’t charge you more because of past or present health conditions.
The window is limited. Under federal rules, you can apply as early as 60 days before your Medicare Advantage coverage ends and no later than 63 days after it ends, and your Medigap coverage can’t start until your Medicare Advantage coverage ends. For a plan ending December 31, 2026, that means applying between early November 2026 and early March 2027, ideally before December 31 so your Medigap plan starts January 1. Only certain lettered Medigap plans are included, and people under 65 who have Medicare because of a disability may have different options under state rules.
Moving to Medigap is a real trade-off, not an automatic upgrade. A Medigap plan works alongside Original Medicare, lets you see any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare, and can make your costs more predictable. On the other hand, you’d pay a monthly Medigap premium on top of your Part B premium, you’d need a separate Part D plan for drugs, and you’d give up extra benefits like dental or vision that many Medicare Advantage plans include. My guide to switching from Medicare Advantage to Medigap without underwriting covers which plans qualify, how to apply, and what to keep as proof.
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Frequently Asked Questions About ANOC and Non-Renewal Notices
What Is ANOC in Medicare?
ANOC stands for Annual Notice of Change. It’s the yearly letter your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan sends by September 30 explaining what’s changing in your plan on January 1, such as premiums, copays, the drug list, and the network. Some plans call it the Annual Notice of Changes. If you get one, your plan is continuing next year.
I Didn’t Get My ANOC Letter. What Should I Do?
Call the member services number on your plan card and ask for a copy, or check your online member account, since some plans send it by email or post it there. If your plan sent a non-renewal notice instead, you won’t get an ANOC for that plan. Either way, it’s worth reading before the Annual Enrollment Period ends on December 7, 2026.
What Should I Do if My Medicare Advantage Plan Is Discontinued?
Keep the notice, keep using your plan through December 31, 2026, and choose new coverage. You can pick a new plan during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 to December 7, 2026) for coverage starting January 1, 2027, or during the Special Enrollment Period from December 8, 2026, through February 28, 2027. If you’d prefer Original Medicare, a discontinued Medicare Advantage plan may also give you a guaranteed issue right to certain Medigap plans, with a deadline of 63 days after your coverage ends.
Will I Be Moved to a New Plan Automatically?
Usually not. If your plan is being combined with another plan from the same company, your ANOC will explain the plan you’ll be moved into. But if you got a non-renewal notice and don’t choose a new plan, you’ll be enrolled in Original Medicare without drug coverage. People who get Extra Help may be assigned a Part D plan.
Can My Plan Change Its Network or Drugs During the Year?
Yes, in some cases. Plans can add or drop doctors and make some formulary changes during the year, with notice to affected members. That’s one reason I confirm your key doctors and medications directly, and I help clients sort out network and coverage questions between enrollment seasons.
Is There Anywhere Else I Can Get Help With My Notice?
Yes. You can contact Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In Florida, you can also get free, unbiased Medicare counseling through the state’s SHIP program, called SHINE.
Do You Offer Every Medicare Plan in My Area?
No. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 8 organizations which offer 65 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
Book a Free Plan Review
Got your ANOC or a non-renewal notice? Pick a time for a free 15-minute call by phone or video, and have your letter and your medication list handy. I’ll explain what’s changing and what your options are, and my help never costs you anything extra.
Call or text: (954) 410-3710
Email: contact@chaperonehealthinsuranceplus.com
Office: 6360 NW 5th Way Ste 101, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
Meet by: phone, video, at my office, or at home in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach.
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How we'll work together
Five steps, no pressure, and I stay with you after you enroll.
1
We talk about you
By phone, Zoom or face to face. Your health, your budget, your doctors.
2
I check the details
Doctors, hospitals, prescriptions and pharmacy, checked against each plan.
3
We compare real costs
A full-year estimate for each option, explained in plain language.
4
You decide, I enroll you
No pressure. If you choose a plan, I handle the application with you.
5
We review every year
Plans and networks change. I check yours each year and help with claims in between.