By Sara Duris
Q. What is a Medicare Annual Notice of Change and why is it important?
A: Usually in September every year, individuals with Medicare Advantage Plans or Part D Prescription Drug plans will receive an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and Evidence of Coverage (EOC) notice. These contain information about any changes in coverage for the coming year. It’s important to read these notices so you can decide if your coverage will continue to meet your needs or if you should change it. Specifically, individuals should check to see if there are changes to the plan’s provider network, the cost of the premium and/or deductible, or co-pays and fees, and the plan’s formulary (the list of drugs the plan covers.)
If you are unhappy with any changes to your plan, you might want to enroll in a different plan for 2027, which you can do during Open Enrollment starting in October.
You can do this by going online to Medicare.gov and clicking on “Find Health and Drug Plans.” If you don’t have computer access or aren’t comfortable going online, Area Agency on Aging (AAA) has counselors certified by the State Health Insurance Program, or SHIP, (formerly MMAP) who are available to assist with objectively reviewing your current Medicare plan and comparing other Medicare drug plan choices. This service is free and confidential.
Medicare open enrollment occurs Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026. You should consider making an appointment if the following applies, you are:
- Changing from Original Medicare with a prescription drug plan to a Medicare Advantage plan.
- Changing from a Medicare Advantage plan back to Original Medicare with a prescription drug plan.
- Switching from one Medicare Advantage Plan to another.
- Joining a Medicare Drug Plan.
- Switching from one Medicare Prescription Drug Plan to another.
- Dropping your Medicare Prescription Drug coverage completely.
For assistance, call the State Health Insurance Program at 1-800-803-7174, or Area Agency on Aging at 269-408-4354. You can also check out our website for more information about other topics SHIP covers, and a list of volunteer counselor locations within Berrien, VanBuren and Cass counties. Visit www.areaagencyonaging.org/medicare-medicaid/
Q. How do some people qualify to get Social Security Disability faster than others? My niece was approved after just one month, I guess because she has a certain disease. I have been trying to get mine approved for the past six months.
A. The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Compassionate Allowances are used to quickly identify disease and other medical conditions that, by their definition, automatically meet Social Security’s standards for disability benefits. According to SSA’s website, these conditions primarily include certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and a number of rare disorders that affect children. The Compassionate Allowances List (CAL) includes over 300 such conditions. The CAL helps to reduce the waiting time to reach a disability determination for individuals with the most serious disabilities. SSA uses the same
rules to evaluate CAL conditions when evaluating both Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.
The CAL is continually being reviewed and modified. Just last month, the SSA Commissioner announced the addition of 14 conditions to the CAL. SSA receives information from the public, comments from the Social Security and Disability Determination Service communities, counsel from medical and scientific experts, research with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and information received from past public outreach hearings regarding potential CAL conditions.
For more information about Social Security Disability benefits and the Compassionate Allowances List, visit www.ssa.gov or call the national 800 number, 1-800-772-1213, or the local Social Security office. You can submit the name of a medical condition for consideration for the CAL by following this link to the online form: https://www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances/submit_potential_cal.html
As always, if you have additional questions about aging and disability issues, you can contact Area Agency on Aging’s Info Line at 1-800-654-2810.
Sara Duris is community information liaison of Region IV Area Agency on Aging in Southwest Michigan. Questions on age or independence services? Call the Info-Line for Aging & Disability at 800-654-2810 or visit areaagencyonaging.org. The Generations column appears each weekend in The Herald-Palladium.