Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period, or AEP, doesn’t open until October 15. But if you wait until then to start thinking about your coverage, you’re already behind. The weeks right before AEP — roughly August and September — are when the most useful information becomes available: plan letters arrive, drug lists get updated, and you actually have time to think instead of scrambling before the December 7 deadline. This guide walks through what to do during these prep weeks so that when AEP 2026 opens, you’re ready to act instead of starting from zero.
Why the Weeks Before AEP Matter More Than People Think
Every year, Medicare Advantage and Part D plans are allowed to change their premiums, deductibles, covered drugs, and provider networks for the next plan year. Those changes take effect January 1, 2027, at the start of Plan Year 2027, but the plans themselves finalize the details months earlier. That means the information you need to make a good decision — whether to keep your current plan or look at others — starts becoming available well before AEP officially opens. If you wait until mid-October to start looking, you’re compressing weeks of research into a shorter window, often while also dealing with holiday travel and family obligations in November. Starting in August or September gives you breathing room to compare plans without pressure.
This is especially true if you’re on Medicare Advantage or a standalone Part D drug plan, since those are the plan types that change from year to year. If you have a Medigap policy alongside Original Medicare, your coverage generally doesn’t change annually in the same way, though it’s still worth checking whether your premium is changing and whether a Medicare Savings Program might help if costs feel tight.
Watch for Your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC)
If you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, your plan is required to mail you an Annual Notice of Change, often shortened to ANOC, by the end of September. This letter is arguably the single most important piece of mail you’ll get all year regarding your health coverage. It spells out exactly what’s changing about your specific plan for the next plan year — premium, deductible, copays, which drugs are covered and at what tier, and whether any doctors or hospitals are leaving the network.
Many people skip reading their ANOC because their plan hasn’t been a problem in the past, but a plan that worked well this year can quietly become a worse fit next year if a medication moves to a higher tier or a favorite doctor leaves the network. Set aside 15 minutes when it arrives to actually read it, not just file it away. If a term in the letter doesn’t make sense, our Medicare glossary can help translate the jargon into plain English.
Build Your Medication and Doctor List Now
One of the most useful things you can do before AEP opens has nothing to do with reading plan documents — it’s making a simple, up-to-date list of every medication you take (including dosage) and every doctor, specialist, and hospital you use regularly. This list becomes the yardstick you’ll measure any plan against, whether you’re comparing your current plan’s new details or looking at alternatives.
Without this list, it’s easy to get pulled in by a plan’s advertised premium or extra perks and miss that it doesn’t cover a medication you take every day, or that your longtime doctor isn’t in its network. Building the list in August or September, while there’s no pressure to decide anything yet, means it’s ready the moment AEP opens and you want to start comparing options through your plan’s website or a licensed agent.
Decide What You’re Actually Comparing
Before you dive into specific plans, it helps to get clear on what you’re actually looking for. Are you mostly concerned about monthly premium? Total out-of-pocket costs if you need a lot of care? Keeping a specific doctor? Making sure a particular medication is covered affordably? Different people reasonably prioritize different things, and knowing your own priorities ahead of time keeps you from getting swayed by whichever plan happens to have the flashiest marketing.
This is also a good time to revisit the basics of how Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare with Part D differ if you’ve never fully compared them, especially if your health needs or budget have changed since you first enrolled. Reviewing our Medicare enrollment periods overview can also help you understand exactly which window applies to your situation, since AEP isn’t the only time changes are allowed for everyone.
Common Prep Mistakes to Avoid
A few mistakes show up again and again during AEP prep season. Assuming last year’s plan will work the same way this year, without reading the ANOC, is probably the most common one. Waiting until late November or early December to even start looking is another, since it leaves little time to fix a mistake if you enroll in something that turns out not to fit. Comparing only premiums, without checking drug coverage or network details, is a third — a low premium can end up costing more overall if it doesn’t cover your medications well. For a fuller rundown of pitfalls people run into with Medicare decisions generally, our common Medicare mistakes page covers several worth knowing about ahead of time.
It’s also worth remembering that if you decide to keep your current plan, you generally don’t need to do anything at all — coverage continues automatically into Plan Year 2027. The prep work described here isn’t about forcing a change; it’s about making sure that whether you switch or stay, it’s a decision you actually made on purpose.
Getting Ready to Compare Once AEP Opens
Once October 15 arrives, having already read your ANOC and built your medication and doctor list means you can move straight into comparing real options instead of starting your research from scratch. Our detailed AEP 2026 guide walks through exactly what you can change during the window, how the process works, and what to expect once you make a decision.
The prep work in August and September is quiet and unglamorous — reading a letter, writing down a medication list — but it’s what makes the actual enrollment window far less stressful. A little bit of attention now can save a lot of scrambling in November.
Have questions? Kayla Price is a licensed insurance agent serving NC, SC, GA, FL, VA, MD, MI, KS, TX, and OH. Call (866) 648-1578 or visit priceservicesgroup.com.