What should my parent review during Medicare Open Enrollment?

Updated October 6, 2026 · General information, not professional advice

What Open Enrollment is and why it matters

Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7 every year. During this window your parent can switch Medicare Advantage plans, move between Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare, or join, switch or drop a Part D drug plan. Changes made by December 7, 2026 take effect January 1, 2027.

Plans change their premiums, drug lists, copays and networks every year. If your parent does nothing, they usually stay in the same plan with its new 2027 terms, which may cost more or drop a drug or doctor.

Many families set a reminder each October to sit down with their parent, the plan's notice and the prescription list for an hour. Doing it early in the window leaves time to call doctors and ask questions before the December 7 deadline.

Step 1: Read the Annual Notice of Change

Plans mail an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) by the end of September. It lists what changes next year. Look for:

• Premium and deductible changes.
• Drugs moved to a higher tier, dropped, or given new limits like prior authorization or step therapy.
• Copay changes for doctor visits, specialists, hospital stays and skilled nursing.
• Changes to the yearly out-of-pocket maximum (Medicare Advantage).
• Doctors, hospitals or pharmacies leaving the network.
• Extra benefits being cut, like dental or hearing.
• A notice that the plan is ending in your parent's area. That gives them a special right to choose a new plan.

Step 2: Check drugs, doctors and pharmacies

1. Make a list of every prescription with dose and how often it's taken.
2. Enter them in Medicare's Plan Finder at Medicare.gov and compare estimated 2027 costs across plans, including at your parent's preferred pharmacy.
3. Call each doctor's office and ask, "Will you be in network with this plan in 2027?"
4. Check mail-order pricing for long-term medications.

Also check the plan's star rating (1 to 5) on Plan Finder. If your parent is in a Medicare Advantage plan, ask each doctor whether the plan has been difficult about approvals, and look at copays for hospital stays, skilled nursing and home health, since those are the costs that hit hardest after a fall or illness.

Step 3: Know the 2026 and 2027 cost numbers

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026, rising to $2,400 in 2027. Once your parent reaches it, they pay nothing more for covered drugs that year.
• Maximum Part D deductible: $615 in 2026, $700 in 2027.
• Part B: the standard premium is $202.90 a month and the deductible is $283 in 2026. Medicare usually announces the next year's Part B figures in the fall, so check Medicare.gov for 2027 amounts.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets your parent spread drug costs into monthly payments instead of paying large amounts at the pharmacy.

Step 4: Look for help paying

If your parent's income is limited, check whether they qualify for Extra Help with drug costs or a Medicare Savings Program that pays the Part B premium. In 2026, Extra Help limits are $23,940 in yearly income and $18,090 in resources for one person. These programs also give special chances to change plans during the year.

Avoid pressure and get free help

• Medicare and Social Security will not call to sell plans or ask for a Medicare number. Hang up on cold callers.
• Don't let a TV ad or a friend's plan decide; compare with your parent's own drugs and doctors.
• Get free, unbiased one-on-one help from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
• If your parent is in Medicare Advantage and regrets a choice, they get one more chance to switch plans or go back to Original Medicare from January 1 to March 31.

If your parent's care needs are changing too, seniorcare.si can show licensed home care and other providers near your ZIP code.