Medicare Part D

Savannah Part D members: how to spot 2027 drug list changes in your ANOC

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Every fall, Part D drug plans mail one of the most important pieces of Medicare paperwork you will get all year: the Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC. It lands in September, and it spells out exactly how your plan will be different starting January 1. For 2027, that letter is where you will find out whether the medicines you take are still covered the same way — or whether the rules around them have quietly shifted.

Medicare Part DSavannah, GA

If you live in Savannah, which is in Chatham County, the ANOC is worth reading before the Annual Enrollment Period closes on December 7. Once that window shuts, your 2027 plan is largely set.

What the ANOC actually is

The ANOC is a plain-language summary your Part D plan (or the drug portion of your Medicare Advantage plan) is required to send you each fall. It compares your 2026 plan to your 2027 plan, side by side. Premium, deductible, pharmacy network and — most importantly for many Savannah readers — the drug list, called the formulary.

Plans update their formularies every year. That is normal. What matters is whether YOUR specific medicines are affected.

The four changes to look for on your drug list

When a plan changes how it covers a drug, it usually falls into one of four buckets. The ANOC will flag each one.

1. Tier change. Every covered drug sits on a tier, and the tier drives what you pay. A drug can move up a tier (usually costs more) or down a tier (usually costs less). The drug is still covered — the price to you just shifts.

2. Prior authorization (PA). Your plan will now require your doctor to send paperwork explaining why you need the drug before it will pay. If your prescription filled easily last year and suddenly gets rejected in January, a new PA rule is a common reason.

3. Quantity limits. The plan caps how much of the drug it will cover in a set period — for example, a certain number of pills per month. If you need more, your prescriber has to request an exception.

4. Step therapy. The plan wants you to try a cheaper or preferred drug first. Only if that one does not work will it cover the drug you and your doctor originally chose.

A drug can also be removed from the formulary entirely, though that is less common. The ANOC will list removals separately.

How to read your ANOC in about 20 minutes

Pull out your current medication list first — every prescription, the dose, and how often you take it. Then open the ANOC and go straight to the section labeled something like "Changes to the drug list" or "Formulary changes." Match each of your drugs against it.

For every drug that shows up in that section, ask three questions:

• Is it still covered?
• Is it on the same tier?
• Are there any new requirements (PA, quantity limit, step therapy)?

If any answer surprises you, you have time — but not unlimited time — to act.

Your options during AEP

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7. During those weeks, you can switch to a different stand-alone Part D plan or a different Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage for 2027. The plan finder at medicare.gov lets you enter your specific drugs and compare how each available plan would handle them.

A few program-level facts to keep in mind as you compare:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027, and the traditional coverage gap ("donut hole") no longer exists — Part D now has three phases.
• The Part D deductible cannot exceed $615 in 2026, and the maximum rises to $700 in 2027.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the year in monthly installments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D premiums begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

CMS releases the 2027 versions of these figures ahead of open enrollment; check medicare.gov for the updated numbers when you compare plans.

If January arrives and something changed anyway

Even careful readers get caught off guard. If you go to fill a prescription in early 2027 and hit a new PA, quantity limit or step therapy rule, Part D plans generally must provide a transition fill — typically a one-month supply — so you do not go without your medicine while your prescriber requests an exception or you switch to an alternative. You can also file a coverage determination request with your plan at any time.

Between January 1 and March 31, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period gives Advantage enrollees one more chance to switch plans or return to Original Medicare. Stand-alone Part D members do not get that second window, so December 7 is the real deadline for them.

Where to get help in Savannah

You do not have to figure this out alone. Georgia's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), known locally as GeorgiaCares, offers free, unbiased Medicare counseling to Chatham County residents. Medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048) are open around the clock during AEP.