Medicare Advantage

Your ANOC arrived in Toledo: a 2027 Annual Enrollment review checklist before Dec. 7

People in Toledo can choose from 87 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 99 this year. 31 of this year’s plans are gone, 19 are new to Lucas County, and 28 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 4 of them under a new name.

TOLEDO — Fall 2026. The envelope that lands in Toledo mailboxes every September has a dull name and a big job. It is the Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC, and it tells you exactly how your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan will be different on January 1, 2027. Reading it now, before Annual Enrollment closes on December 7, 2026, is the single most useful thing most people on Medicare can do this fall.

Nothing bad happens if you do nothing — your current plan rolls over if it is offered next year. But rolling over is a choice, too, and the ANOC is how you make it with your eyes open.

What is the ANOC and why does it matter in Toledo this fall?

The ANOC is a plain-language letter your Medicare Advantage or stand-alone Part D plan must send you by late September. It compares this year's plan to next year's: the monthly premium, the deductible, the copays for doctor visits and hospital stays, the drug tiers, and the extra benefits like dental or over-the-counter allowances.

If something you use is changing — a drug moving to a higher tier, a specialist copay going up, a dental benefit shrinking — the ANOC is where you will see it first. Toledo residents whose plans serve Lucas County will each get their own ANOC; the specifics vary plan by plan, which is why there is no shortcut past reading yours.

What should a Toledo resident actually check line by line?

Work through four lists, in this order:

1. Your doctors. Open the plan's 2027 provider directory on the carrier's website, or call the plan, and confirm each primary care doctor and specialist you see is in-network for next year. Networks in northwest Ohio can shift between ProMedica, Mercy Health, University of Toledo Medical Center and independent practices — do not assume last year's answer still applies. 2. Your hospitals. Check the hospital you would want for a planned procedure or an emergency. In-network status is set by contract, and contracts renew. 3. Your prescriptions. Pull up the 2027 drug list (formulary) and look up every medication by name and dose. Note the tier, any prior authorization, and whether your pharmacy is still a preferred pharmacy. 4. Your total costs, not just the premium. The premium is one line. Add in the deductible, the copays you actually use, and the Part D out-of-pocket cap, which is $2,400 for 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).

The Evidence of Coverage, which arrives with or after the ANOC, is the long version if you need to look up a specific rule.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Lucas County for 2027?

Toledo is in Lucas County, where CMS's 2026 Landscape Source File lists 99 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers: 37 HMO, 26 HMO-POS and 36 PPO plans, with 88 of them including Part D drug coverage and 33 structured as Special Needs Plans for people with certain conditions, dual Medicare-Medicaid status, or who live in a nursing facility. The 2027 county lineup will be posted by CMS at Medicare.gov for Annual Enrollment.

The carriers serving Lucas County in 2026 are Aetna (CVS Health), CareSource MyCare Ohio, Centene (WellCare), Communicare Advantage, Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Medical Mutual of Ohio, MediGold, Molina Healthcare of Ohio, Paramount Elite Medicare Plans, Perennial Advantage, SummaCare Medicare Advantage Plans, UnitedHealthcare, Valor Health Plan and Zing Health. The table below lists every plan by carrier so you can match your ANOC to the official listing.

Where should I compare plans if mine is changing in 2027?

Start at Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. It is the only tool that pulls every plan available in your ZIP code, lets you enter your prescriptions and preferred pharmacies, and shows an estimated annual cost. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for help walking through options.

A few things to keep in mind as you compare:

• Plan type matters. HMOs usually require you to stay in-network and get referrals; PPOs let you go out of network at a higher cost; HMO-POS plans sit in between.
• Drug coverage is separate math. The 2027 Part D maximum deductible is $700 (up from $615 in 2026), and the $2,400 out-of-pocket cap applies once your drug spending gets there.
• Special Needs Plans are only for people who qualify (certain chronic conditions, Medicaid eligibility, or institutional care). If one applies to you, your options narrow but often fit better.

What is the December 7 deadline, and what happens after it?

December 7, 2026 is the last day of Annual Enrollment for 2027 coverage. A choice made on or before that date starts January 1, 2027. If you take no action, your current plan renews with the changes described in your ANOC.

After December 7, you still have one more window if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 – March 31, 2027, lets you switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or go back to Original Medicare once. It does not let someone on Original Medicare pick up a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time.

A note on figures still to come: CMS announces the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, later in the fall — usually in November. Those numbers were not yet published as of September 2026.