PREPARE FOR A BETTER COMPARISON
What Should I Bring to an Annual Medicare Plan Review?
You do not need to understand every Medicare rule before a review. Bring accurate information about your current coverage, prescriptions, pharmacies, providers, expected care and priorities.
Bring your Medicare card, current insurance cards, Annual Notice of Change, complete medication list, preferred pharmacies, doctors, hospitals, upcoming treatment information and the questions you want answered.
The medication list should include exact names, dosages, quantities and refill frequency. Provider names should include practice locations because the same physician may participate differently at different locations.
You can prepare the list before plan-specific 2027 information may be discussed. Use the Springfield AEP guide for the 2026 timeline.
COVERAGE DOCUMENTS
Start With What You Have Now
- Medicare card: bring it securely so Parts A and B effective dates can be confirmed when necessary.
- Current plan card: include Medicare Advantage, Part D, Medigap, Medicaid or other related coverage.
- Annual Notice of Change: keep the complete document, not only a photograph of the first page.
- Evidence of Coverage or Summary of Benefits: useful when a specific cost, rule or benefit needs confirmation.
- Recent plan notices: include formulary, provider, premium, Extra Help or coverage-change letters.
- Other insurance information: employer, retiree, VA, TRICARE, Medicaid and assistance information can affect the review.
If you have not received your ANOC, contact the plan. Read what the Medicare Annual Notice of Change should contain.
PRESCRIPTIONS
Bring More Than a List of Drug Names
| Information | Example of the detail needed | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Exact medication | Full brand or generic name and formulation | Similar names or formulations can have different coverage |
| Strength | Milligrams, concentration or device strength | The formulary may list some strengths differently |
| Quantity and days’ supply | Number dispensed for 30 or 90 days | Pricing and quantity limits depend on the submitted amount |
| Frequency | Daily, weekly, monthly or as needed | Helps estimate annual fills and cost |
| Pharmacy | Exact location, mail order or specialty pharmacy | Preferred and standard network pricing may differ |
| Coverage approval | Prior authorization and expiration date | A new plan or plan year may require a new review |
Bring prescription bottles, a pharmacy printout or a carefully prepared list. Do not rely only on memory. Use the Part D formulary and drug-tier guide to record coverage details, and compare preferred, standard and mail-order pharmacy options. If a drug is changing, read what to do when a prescription is no longer covered.
With those details collected, follow the complete process to compare Part D plans using exact prescriptions and pharmacies. When prescription coverage is included in a Medicare Advantage plan, use the separate guide to compare Medicare Advantage prescription coverage.
DOCTORS AND FACILITIES
List Everyone You Actually Want to Keep
- Primary care
Physician name, practice and complete location. - Every specialist
Include infrequent but important specialists. - Hospitals
Local hospital plus the regional system you would use for specialty care. - Outpatient facilities
Surgery centers, infusion locations, imaging and laboratories. - Therapy and equipment
Physical therapy, home health and durable-medical-equipment suppliers. - Behavioral healthcare
Clinicians, facilities and telehealth arrangements.
A statement that a provider “takes Medicare” does not prove participation in a particular Medicare Advantage plan. Use the Medicare Advantage provider-network checklist to verify the exact plan, plan year and service location. Use the guide for a plan that loses a doctor or hospital when access is changing.
EXPECTED CARE
Share What May Be Different Next Year
A comparison based only on last year’s claims can miss upcoming needs. Bring information about:
- Planned surgery, therapy, imaging or procedures.
- New diagnoses or specialists you expect to see.
- Expensive equipment, injections or infusion therapy.
- Travel, seasonal residence or extended visits outside the area.
- Dental, vision or hearing needs you realistically expect to use.
- Changes involving Medicaid, Extra Help or other coverage.
If Medicaid affects the available plan choices, first confirm the difference between full-benefit and partial-benefit dual eligibility. Then use the D-SNP plan-comparison checklist to verify providers, prescriptions, costs and Medicaid coordination.
You are not predicting every possible illness. You are identifying known information that can materially change the comparison.
COSTS AND PRIORITIES
Decide What You Want the Review to Solve
Budget
Consider the monthly premium you can sustain and the medical cost exposure you are comfortable carrying during a high-use year.
Provider access
Identify which physicians, systems and travel patterns are non-negotiable and which are preferences.
Prescription access
Flag expensive, specialty or clinically sensitive medications that require especially careful verification.
Also bring a list of questions. Examples include referral requirements, out-of-network coverage, prior authorization, inpatient costs, international travel, dental limits and how to request help after enrollment.
PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION
Share Medicare Information Securely
Your Medicare number and insurance identifiers are sensitive. Do not post them publicly, send them to an unknown social-media account or provide them to an unsolicited caller.
Verify who you are working with. A legitimate review should not require you to surrender your Medicare card, pay for a government benefit or respond to pressure from an unexpected caller.
Thompson Medicare Brokerage uses your information to assist with the review and enrollment services you request. Ask how information should be transmitted before emailing or texting sensitive identifiers.
READY-TO-USE CHECKLIST
Your Annual Medicare Review Checklist
- Medicare card and current insurance cards
- Annual Notice of Change and important plan letters
- Every medication with strength, quantity and frequency
- Preferred local, mail-order and specialty pharmacies
- Primary doctor, specialists and complete practice locations
- Preferred hospitals, outpatient facilities and equipment suppliers
- Known procedures, treatment or travel expected next year
- Budget priorities and benefits you genuinely use
- Medicaid, Extra Help, employer, retiree, VA or other coverage information
- Your written questions and concerns
What a useful review should produce
You should understand what changed, what was verified, which tradeoffs matter and why keeping or changing coverage is being recommended. “This plan has more benefits” is not a complete explanation.
Begin with why Medicare coverage deserves a yearly review, then use this checklist to prepare. The evergreen Medicare Annual Enrollment Period guide explains the October 15–December 7 election window, while the Springfield guide adds local planning.
Gathering the information in the fall matters because waiting until January can leave narrower enrollment options. Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment is not a second full AEP.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Preparing for a Medicare Review FAQ
Do I need my Medicare card for a plan review?
It can be useful for confirming eligibility and effective dates, especially if an enrollment is requested. Protect the number and share it only through an appropriate secure process.
Can the pharmacy print my medication list?
Many pharmacies can provide a dispensing history, but confirm that it includes every medication, the current strength, quantity and how you actually take it. Add drugs filled elsewhere.
Should I bring doctors I see only occasionally?
Yes. An infrequent specialist may still be very important to your care and should not be omitted from a provider review.
Do I need the entire ANOC?
Bring or retain the complete document. A summary page may not include every cost, coverage or rule change that matters.
How early can I prepare?
You can update your doctors, prescriptions, pharmacies, documents and questions before October. Upcoming-year plan-specific Medicare Advantage and Part D information must be discussed only during the permitted marketing period.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION
Official Medicare review resources
Independent Medicare guidance
Turn Your Information Into a Careful Comparison
Thompson Medicare Brokerage helps Missouri and Illinois beneficiaries organize their doctors, prescriptions, pharmacies and coverage priorities into a personalized Medicare review.
Thompson Medicare Brokerage is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. This article provides general educational information. Enrollment rights, coverage, costs, provider participation, formularies and plan availability depend on individual facts, location and the applicable plan year. Thompson Medicare Brokerage does not offer every plan available in every area. Contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program for information about all available options.