Medicare Advantage

North Las Vegas Medicare review: the Annual Notice of Change and your Dec. 7 to-do list

People in North Las Vegas can choose from 72 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 74 this year. Eleven of this year’s plans are gone, 9 are new to Clark County, and 33 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 15 of them under a new name.

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The envelope that arrived from your Medicare plan in late September is not junk mail. It is the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), and it tells you exactly how your 2027 coverage will differ from the plan you have today. With the Annual Enrollment Period running Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026, this is the window to compare, confirm and — only if you want to — switch. Any change you make now takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.

What is the Annual Notice of Change and why does it matter in North Las Vegas?

The Annual Notice of Change is the plan-year "diff" your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan mails every fall. It lists what will change on Jan. 1, 2027 compared with 2026 — the monthly premium, the deductible, copays for primary care and specialists, drug tiers, the pharmacy network and extra benefits like dental or over-the-counter.

Read it next to your current Evidence of Coverage. Most complaints every January come from people who skipped this step and discovered a copay or a covered drug had shifted. The ANOC is the shortest document in Medicare that can save you the biggest surprise.

How do I check my doctors, hospitals and prescriptions for 2027?

Pull up next year's plan documents and run four checks before Dec. 7, 2026.

1. Doctors: Search the plan's 2027 provider directory for each physician you see by name. In-network for 2026 does not guarantee in-network for 2027. 2. Hospitals: Confirm the hospital you would choose in an emergency or for a planned procedure is in the 2027 network. In the North Las Vegas area that often means checking systems like Valley Health, Dignity Health and UMC against the plan's listing. 3. Prescriptions: Enter every drug you take into the plan's 2027 formulary — brand name, dose and quantity. Watch for tier changes, prior authorization and step therapy. 4. Pharmacy: Make sure your pharmacy is still a "preferred" network pharmacy for 2027. The same drug can cost different amounts at different pharmacies in the same plan.

The fastest way to compare across plans is the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, which lets you enter your drugs and pharmacy once and see every plan side by side.

How many Medicare plans and carriers can North Las Vegas residents choose from?

North Las Vegas is in Clark County, where CMS lists 74 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 carriers for the 2026 plan year. By plan type, there are 38 HMOs, 21 HMO-POS plans and 15 PPOs. Thirty-four are Special Needs Plans (for people with certain chronic conditions, who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, or who live in an institution), and 71 include Part D drug coverage.

The 12 carriers serving the county are Aetna (CVS Health), Alignment Health Plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Centene (WellCare), Champion Health Plan, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Kaiser Permanente, Molina Healthcare of Nevada, SCAN Health Plan, Select Health and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan by carrier so you can see what is available before you compare. CMS will refresh these counts for 2027 in the fall.

What 2027 numbers are already confirmed, and which ones aren't?

Two Part D numbers are set. In 2027 the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026). Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs hits the cap, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year. The optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan still lets you spread those costs across the calendar year in monthly installments.

Two numbers are not yet set. CMS has not published the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets and surcharges — those usually come in November. For 2026, IRMAA surcharges begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer. Check medicare.gov once CMS posts the 2027 figures.

What is the Dec. 7 deadline and what happens if I miss it?

Dec. 7, 2026 is the last day to make a change for Jan. 1, 2027 coverage during the Annual Enrollment Period. You can switch between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, change Medicare Advantage plans, join or drop a Part D plan, or move to a different Part D plan.

If you miss Dec. 7 and you are on Medicare Advantage, you still have one more window: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, Jan. 1 – Mar. 31, 2027, when you can switch to a different MA plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan). Outside those windows, you generally need a Special Enrollment Period.

And if you do nothing by Dec. 7? Your 2026 plan renews into 2027 with the changes spelled out in the ANOC — assuming the plan is still offered.

Your checklist before Dec. 7, 2026

• Find the ANOC that arrived in September; mark the changes to premium, deductible, copays and drug tiers.
• Confirm each doctor and hospital you use is in the 2027 network of any plan you are considering.
• Enter your drugs and pharmacy into the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare plans head-to-head.
• Check that your pharmacy is a preferred (not just standard) network pharmacy for 2027.
• If you take expensive drugs, note how the 2027 $2,400 Part D out-of-pocket cap would apply.
• Decide by Dec. 7, 2026. If you are happy, you do not have to do anything.

For personalized help, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.