Stay Vigilant This Annual Enrollment: Protect Yourself, Know Your Options, and Never Go It Alone

Welcome back! Last month I promised to show you the red flags of Annual Enrollment, and right on schedule, the phones are ringing. The Annual Enrollment Period runs through December 7th, and any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027. This is the season when the wolves in sheep’s clothing are busiest, so let’s talk about protecting yourself, knowing where you stand, and why you should never have to navigate any of this alone.

The phone call you never asked for.

Here’s a rule every Medicare beneficiary should know by heart: if you did not ask for help, and you did not give anyone permission to contact you about your Medicare, no one should be calling you about it. Medicare’s marketing rules prohibit agents, brokers, and plans from making unsolicited calls. A stranger calling to say your plan is “changing,” that you “qualify for more benefits,” or that you need to “verify” your Medicare number is breaking a major Medicare compliance guideline — period. And remember, Medicare itself will never call you out of the blue asking for your Medicare number, Social Security number, or bank information. Medicare doesn’t sell anything.

What to do when they call.

Hang up. You don’t owe a scam caller a polite goodbye. Never confirm your Medicare number, date of birth, or any personal information. Write down the date, time, phone number, and company name the caller used. Then turn them in. Report it to 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or to the  Senior  Medicare  Patrol  at 1-877-808-2468, a free program that helps stop fraud in its tracks. Every report protects you and your neighbors. And if you ever suspect you’ve been switched to a plan you didn’t choose, call me right away. That can be fixed, and I’ll help you do it.

 Know what you have before you decide what you want.

The best defense against a high-pressure pitch is knowing exactly what you have. Pull out your ANOC — the Annual Notice of Change I asked you to hold onto last month — and know your premium, copays, out-of-pocket maximum, and whether your doctors and prescriptions are still covered in 2027. Then look at the full picture: what your current plan offers next year, and what competing plans from other carriers offer in your area. A plan waving “shiny add-ons” isn’t automatically better than one that quietly covers your doctors and medications at a lower cost.

The right broker in your corner.

That’s where a trusted, local broker earns your confidence. A proper review is respectful and unhurried. It starts with your needs, not a sales script. A good broker lays your current coverage side by side with what the market offers for the year ahead, explains the differences in plain English, and tells you honestly when your plan still fits. You should never feel pressured, and you should never be asked to sign anything on the spot.

 That’s the standard I’ve held myself to since 2006, because a broker’s role is serious. This isn’t a magazine subscription or a phone plan. This is your health plan! It deserves honesty, care, and someone who treats it that way.

Not just for Annual

Enrollment — all year long.

Too many people learn the hard way that the person who enrolled them in October is nowhere to be found in March. That’s not how it should be. Your broker should be there all year — when a claim is denied, when the pharmacy says your drug isn’t covered, when you move, lose a spouse, or simply have a question keeping you up at night. Medicare doesn’t stop being confusing on December 8th, and your support shouldn’t either. If you’re on a Medicare Advantage plan and something isn’t working come January, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 through March 31, allows one plan change. You have options.

You are never alone.

Medicare has a way of making good, capable people feel isolated — sitting at the kitchen table with a stack of mail and a ringing phone, unsure who to trust. You don’t have to live that way. Simple question or complicated situation, you deserve real answers from someone who knows you, and who will still pick up the phone next year and the year after that.

About the Author:

Jim Schmidt is a trusted Medicare Advocate here in Arizona, since 2006. Jim never charges a fee for those that are in need or reach out to him. Contact Jim any time at 480-296-3900 or JimSchmidt@MedicareAndYou.Reviews

I do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.