Medicare Open Enrollment: what to check before December 7

Every fall, the Medicare ads start. The mailbox fills up, the TV gets louder, and it's easy to tune it all out. Don't. Plans change every year, even when your parents don't.

Here's my note to you: Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7. Any change you make starts January 1.

Start with the letter you probably tossed

Every plan mails an Annual Notice of Change in the fall. It lists what's different next year: the premium, copays, covered drugs, and which doctors are in the network. If your parent can't find it, call the plan and ask for another copy.

Five things to check

• Drugs. Is every prescription still covered, and at what price? Plans change their drug lists every year.
• Doctors and hospitals. If your parent has Medicare Advantage, are their doctors still in the network?
• Pharmacy. Is their usual pharmacy still one the plan prefers?
• Total cost. Add up the premium, deductible, and copays for the year. A low monthly premium can still cost more overall.
• Extras. Dental, vision, and hearing benefits change too. Are they still included, and does your parent use them?

Use the free plan finder

Medicare.gov has a Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare. Enter your parent's drugs and pharmacy, and it compares plans side by side with an estimated yearly cost. Sit down together and do it at the kitchen table. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE.

What's new for 2027

• The most anyone pays out of pocket for covered drugs in a Part D plan rises to $2,400 for the year. After that, covered drugs cost $0 for the rest of the year.
• The highest deductible a drug plan can charge rises to $700.
• Every drug plan offers a way to spread drug costs into monthly payments, so your parent doesn't pay a big bill at the pharmacy counter all at once.

The part nobody told me

Open Enrollment lets your parent switch plans. It doesn't guarantee a Medigap plan will accept them. As I explained in my Medigap note, in most states a Medigap company can ask about health and say no after your first sign-up. Check before you drop a Medicare Advantage plan.

If your parent is happy and nothing important changed, doing nothing is fine. The plan renews on its own.

Missed the deadline? If your parent has Medicare Advantage, there's a second window from January 1 to March 31 to switch plans or go back to Original Medicare.

Free help exists. Every state has a SHIP program (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) with trained counselors who explain Medicare at no cost. They don't sell anything.

Let's figure this out together.

I'm not a lawyer or financial advisor. This is what I've learned as a daughter going through it. Check the details for your own plan and state.