Before December 7: A Practical Checklist for Comparing Your 2027 Medicare Coverage

When to review Medicare coverage for 2027

Begin by checking the dates and making sure this review period applies to your situation.

If you have Medicare and are deciding whether to keep or change health or drug coverage for 2027, the 2026 Open Enrollment period runs from October 15 through December 7. It is the annual period for making coverage changes for the following year. Plan costs, coverage, providers, and pharmacies can change, so review your current plan before deciding. [Citations are displayed by the publisher.]

This guide focuses on reviewing coverage you already have. It is not a guide to signing up for Medicare for the first time. If you are newly eligible or unsure which enrollment period applies to you, check Medicare’s official guidance or speak with a SHIP counselor.

The open enrollment window does not mean you must switch plans. The useful question is whether your current coverage will still fit your care needs, prescriptions, and budget next year.

Start with your plan-change notice

Your plan’s annual documents are the starting point for finding changes that may matter to you.

Find your plan’s Annual Notice of Change, usually called the ANOC, and read it alongside your current plan information. The ANOC describes coverage and cost changes that take effect in January. If you did not receive one, contact your plan to ask how to get it.

As you read, mark changes that could affect care you rely on or expenses you expect. Look for updates to costs, covered services, prescription coverage, providers, and pharmacy arrangements. The details that deserve your attention depend on what you use.

Write down questions as they come up. For example: “Will my specialist still be included next year?” or “How will the plan cover this prescription in 2027?” A specific question is easier to check than a general request to explain the entire plan.

• Locate your ANOC and current plan information.
• Mark changes that may affect regular care, medicines, or expenses.
• Contact the plan if the notice is missing or a change is unclear.

List the care and prescriptions you actually use

A comparison is more useful when it reflects your real routine rather than a generic example.

Before comparing options, make a working list of the doctors and facilities you want to keep using, your prescriptions, and your preferred pharmacies. Add care you reasonably expect next year, such as recurring treatment or a planned procedure, if you know about it.

For each prescription, record the exact name and, if available, the strength and how often you take it. If you are helping someone else, check the list with them or use their current medication records rather than guessing. A medicine list that is incomplete or out of date may lead to a comparison based on the wrong information.

This is a planning list, not a prediction of every future health need. No comparison can guarantee what a particular medical event will cost or how plan rules will apply in every circumstance.

• Doctors, specialists, hospitals, and other facilities you want to continue using
• Current prescriptions, including strength when known
• Preferred pharmacies
• Care you expect to use, as far as you know
• Questions about access, coverage, or costs that need confirmation

Compare costs beyond the monthly premium

A premium is only one part of what you may pay; expected care and prescriptions shape the rest.

Compare the costs you could face over the year. Review the monthly premium, deductible, and copayments or coinsurance for services you expect to use, along with estimated prescription costs. If plan materials list an annual out-of-pocket limit, check what expenses count toward it rather than assuming every cost is included.

Imagine one option has a lower monthly premium but higher cost-sharing for a medicine you take regularly, while another has a higher premium and different prescription costs. Which looks less costly depends on the medicine’s coverage and the care you use. This example is a reason to compare categories, not a recommendation about which plan to choose.

Use the same list of medicines, pharmacies, providers, and expected services for each option. Otherwise, you may be comparing different assumptions. Treat estimates as a starting point and verify important details with the plan.

Use Medicare Plan Finder carefully

The official comparison tool can help organize options, but it does not choose a plan for you.

Medicare Plan Finder lets you compare plans using your ZIP code and can use saved medicines and pharmacies to estimate costs. CMS announced changes to the 2027 Plan Finder experience, including easier access to plan documents and more prominent notices about changes to current plans. Use those features to find and examine information, not as a personal recommendation.

Enter the ZIP code where you live, then check that the medicines and pharmacies shown are accurate and current. Open relevant plan documents and notices rather than relying only on a summary or displayed estimate. Pay particular attention to details that matter to you, such as coverage, costs, providers, and pharmacy arrangements.

If you are helping a family member, use their location and actual medication and pharmacy information. An old medication list or another person’s ZIP code can make the comparison less useful. Save any questions the tool does not resolve so you can follow up with the plan.

• Use the correct ZIP code.
• Check medicine and pharmacy details before comparing.
• Open plan documents and notices for the coming year.
• Write down questions the tool does not resolve.

Verify pharmacy and provider details before deciding

Check the details most likely to disrupt routine care or make a cost estimate misleading.

Pharmacy networks and costs can differ by plan. Medicare notes that using an out-of-network pharmacy may mean paying the full cost of a drug. Check whether your preferred pharmacy is in the network and whether another listed pharmacy would be practical for you.

Before enrolling, contact the plan about any unresolved detail that could affect your decision, especially a doctor, facility, prescription, or pharmacy you depend on. Ask a direct question, such as whether a named provider is included for the coming year or how the plan covers a particular prescription.

Keep a note of the date and answer, and ask where to find the relevant information in the plan documents. Plan Finder and summaries are useful starting points, but they do not guarantee how your particular coverage will apply. When a detail matters, confirm it with the plan.

Make a decision—or keep your current plan

A careful review may lead you to change coverage or to stay where you are.

Once you have reviewed the notice, care, prescriptions, pharmacy access, and likely costs, compare the options that remain plausible for your circumstances. CMS says people who are satisfied with their current plan generally do not need to re-enroll if it will still be offered, but they should first check what is changing.

If you choose a different plan, follow its enrollment instructions through an official channel and save the confirmation. Keep a record of the plan selected and the effective date shown in the confirmation. If you keep your current plan, save your comparison notes and plan documents for reference.

For one-on-one help, contact your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program, or SHIP. SHIPs provide free Medicare counseling. A counselor can help you work through options and questions; the decision remains yours.

1. Read your ANOC and list changes that could affect you.
2. Write down your doctors, medicines, pharmacies, and expected care.
3. Compare costs and access using the same information for each option.
4. Confirm important unanswered questions with the plan.
5. Decide before December 7, 2026, and save any enrollment confirmation.