Medicare Advantage

Before Dec. 7 in Clovis: Your AEP Review Checklist

CLOVIS, N.M. — Fall mail is arriving in Curry County, and tucked inside those Medicare envelopes is one of the most important documents of the year: the Annual Notice of Change. It tells you exactly how your current plan will look in 2027 — and it lands just as the Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026) opens the window to switch.

Before Dec. 7Clovis, NM

You don't have to do anything. If you like your plan and it is offered again next year, it will renew on Jan. 1, 2027, with whatever changes the ANOC describes. But this is the once-a-year chance to compare, and a short checklist can make it a lot less stressful.

Step 1: Find and read the ANOC

Your plan is required to send an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) by late September. It is usually a slim booklet or a section of a larger packet, and it compares this year's plan to next year's — premium, deductible, copays, drug tier changes, and any change to the network or the pharmacy list.

Read the ANOC even if you love your plan. A single change — a drug moving to a higher tier, a specialist copay going up, a hospital leaving the network — is the kind of thing that only shows up here.

Step 2: Check your doctors and hospitals for 2027

Networks can change from one year to the next. Before Dec. 7:

• Look up each doctor you see regularly in the plan's 2027 provider directory (plans post them on their websites, or you can call member services).
• Do the same for Plains Regional Medical Center and any specialty clinic in Clovis or Portales you rely on.
• If you travel, or you have family in Albuquerque or Lubbock, check whether the plan covers care outside Curry County the way you need.

If a doctor you count on is not in the 2027 network, that alone is a reason to compare other options during Annual Enrollment.

Step 3: Run your prescriptions against next year's formulary

Drug coverage is the piece that changes most from year to year. For each medication you take:

• Confirm it is on the plan's 2027 formulary (drug list).
• Check the tier — a move from a lower tier to a higher one can change what you pay.
• Note any new prior authorization, step therapy, or quantity limits.
• Make sure your Clovis pharmacy is still a preferred or in-network pharmacy for 2027.

A few 2027 numbers to keep in mind at the program level: the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (it is $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge is $700 (up from $615 in 2026). CMS has also set the national base beneficiary premium at $41.33 for 2027 — that is a formula input, not what any particular plan will charge you. The 2027 Part B premium, Part B deductible and IRMAA income brackets have not been announced; CMS typically publishes them later in the fall.

If drug costs are hard to spread across the year, ask about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, an optional program that lets you pay Part D out-of-pocket costs in monthly installments instead of at the pharmacy counter.

Step 4: Compare what's available in Curry County

Clovis is in Curry County, and Medicare plan availability is set at the county level. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare will show every Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D plan offered in the ZIP codes around Clovis for 2027, along with the carriers offering them. You can enter your prescriptions and preferred pharmacy, and the tool will estimate your yearly costs under each plan.

If you have Original Medicare with a Medigap policy, remember that Medigap is a separate market with its own rules in New Mexico. Annual Enrollment mainly affects Medicare Advantage and Part D.

Step 5: Know the deadline and where to get help

The Annual Enrollment Period ends Dec. 7, 2026. Anything you enroll in or switch to during the window starts Jan. 1, 2027. After that, most people can only change plans in limited situations — although if you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (Jan. 1 – March 31) gives you one more chance to switch Advantage plans or return to Original Medicare.

For free, unbiased help, New Mexico's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — called the Benefits Counseling program at the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department — has counselors who can walk through your options with you at no cost. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day.