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6 Things to Check Before Medicare Open Enrollment Ends Dec 7 That Most People Skip

By Curtis Jones · October 18, 2026

Medicare open enrollment started October 15 and runs through December 7. Whatever you pick takes effect January 1, and the plan must get your enrollment request by December 7. If you’re happy with your coverage, you don’t have to do anything. Medicare says it will continue automatically.

That automatic renewal is where people get caught. Plans can change premiums, drug lists, and networks every year, so a plan that worked in 2026 can cost you more in 2027 without a single new form. Six checks are worth doing before December 7.

Read your Annual Notice of Change. Every Medicare plan sends one each fall. Medicare says the ANOC includes any changes in coverage, costs, and more that will be effective in January, and it was due in September. If yours never arrived, contact your plan and ask for it.

Enter every drug you take. Medicare’s guide to joining a plan says to add all the prescription drugs you take regularly at Medicare.gov/plan-compare to get the most accurate monthly and yearly cost estimate. Typing in only the two pricey ones gives you an estimate for someone who isn’t you. Include the pharmacy you actually use, too.

Know the 2027 drug numbers. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 this year, and the standard deductible tops out at $700, up from $615, according to CMS’s 2027 rate announcement. Once your out-of-pocket drug costs hit the cap, you owe nothing more for covered Part D drugs that year. Your plan’s deductible may be lower than $700. The ANOC shows it.

Call your doctors and pharmacy yourself. Medicare’s guide says to ask your doctors and pharmacies whether they’re in network with the plan. Online directories aren’t always right. On Oct. 16, CMS proposed a rule that would require Medicare Advantage plans to verify and update their provider directory information at least every 90 days. It is only a proposal, aimed at 2028 plans, so for 2027 a phone call is still the safest check. If you spend part of the year in another state, ask whether the plan covers you there as well.

Think twice before dropping a Medigap policy. You can move from Original Medicare with a supplement to Medicare Advantage during open enrollment. Getting the supplement back is the hard part. Medicare’s Your Yearly Medicare Review warns that you may not be able to get the same Medigap policy back later, depending on your state’s Medigap rules and your situation.

Don’t panic if your plan is leaving. If your plan’s contract with Medicare isn’t renewed, you can switch now, and Medicare also gives you a Special Enrollment Period from December 8 through the last day of February. If you don’t join another Medicare Advantage plan before your current one ends, you’ll be enrolled in Original Medicare.

One number is still missing. As of October 18, CMS had not announced the 2027 Part B premium. This year’s standard premium is $202.90 a month, with a $283 annual deductible. Treat any 2027 figure you see as a guess until it comes from CMS or your Social Security notice.

Free, unbiased help is easy to find. Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program offers personal counseling, and shiphelp.org lists the number for yours. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), which Medicare says answers 24 hours a day, weekends included. Medicare also reminds people that much of the mail arriving this time of year comes from companies selling Medicare products. Its official sources are Medicare.gov, the Medicare & You handbook, and that phone line.

This article is for general information and is not insurance or benefits advice. Confirm plan costs and coverage with Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, your plan, or your local SHIP counselor.