How do you stay up to date with changes in Medicare policies and plan options each year?

Answered by 28 licensed agents

I listen to a weekly podcast that does a deep dive on the news and notes of the industry. I just got back from an insurance conference in Las Vegas to keep me up to date and make connections. Because of the way the industry is constantly changing you have to keep up to date of you will be left behind.

Answered by Jonathan Potter on April 14, 2025

Broker Licensed in UT, AZ, CA & 14 other states

Answered by Jonathan Potter Medicare Insurance Agent
Well, hopefully you have an Independent Medicare Broker that does that for you... at no charge by the way. It's not easy to stay up with all of the nuances of Medicare and all of the plan options... that's why I HIGHLY recommend finding a broker that ONLY does Medicare.

Answered by Steve and Sue Brauer on April 8, 2025

Broker Licensed in AZ & CA

Answered by Steve and Sue Brauer Medicare Insurance Agent
The plan you are enrolled with should send you an email”annual notice of change” document in the month of October which is when open enrollment begins with Medicare advantage or prescription drug cards. This document tells you the changes made for the upcoming year. October 15- Dec 7 is the time to look at other companies offerings or to meet with a local agent to compare plans.

Answered by Terri Reagin on July 27, 2025

Broker Licensed in OK, AR, CO & 6 other states

Answered by Terri Reagin Medicare Insurance Agent
Each July, I take the annual AHIP Testing required to keep up with the current changes, along with regularly going onto SSA.GOV and MEDICARE.GOV. By actively reviewing plan information, utilizing Medicare.gov resources, to staying informed about Medicare policies and plan options each year, and making informed decisions about the healthcare coverage.

Answered by Colleen Williams on May 20, 2025

Agent Licensed in PA, FL & NJ

Answered by Colleen Williams Medicare Insurance Agent
There are a couple of ways you can stay up to date with the plan options each year. You can get in contact with a Medicare advisor or use plan finders online such as the one on Medicare.gov. If you already have a Medicare health plan, be mindful that you will receive an Annual Notice of Change document that will list the changes for the following year. These documents are usually sent out in September.

Answered by Tyler Coleman on August 6, 2025

Broker Licensed in AL, AZ, CA & 10 other states

Answered by Tyler Coleman Medicare Insurance Agent
Having a local broker is one of the best ways to stay on top of changes. They can research for you and normally receive the updates and changes from the insurance companies. They often hold seminars to communicate these changes annually and would be just a phone call away or a visit to their office to discuss your specific plan.

Answered by Alicia Hoilman on June 16, 2025

Broker Licensed in VA, DE, FL & MD

Answered by Alicia Hoilman Medicare Insurance Agent
Staying up to date with Medicare changes is crucial as an agent- both for compliance and to serve my client well. Here's how I do it effectively:

Subscribe to Offical CMS updates thru CMS.gov

Join carrier newletters with all the majors for example United Health Care, Aenta, Humana, Wellcare and more

Complete annual certifications thru the Carriers and AHIP

Attend webinars and events

Network with other agents

Answered by Nathan Danovski on July 23, 2025

Agent Licensed in NC, GA, SC & TN, VA, WV & WY

Answered by Nathan Danovski Medicare Insurance Agent
Things mainly change each calendar year: from the Part B premium, to the Part B one-time per year deductible, to the daily rate in a hospital or nursing home, etc. This all has to do with the global economy which used to only include the US inflation rate but as we all know, it has permanently been altered.

Answered by Steven Bleicher on May 25, 2025

Broker Licensed in AZ

Answered by Steven Bleicher Medicare Insurance Agent
As agents, we are required to certify annually on plans and benefits from all insurance carriers that we are authorized to represent.

Answered by Timothy Brown on May 21, 2025

Broker Licensed in PA, CT, DE & 15 other states

Answered by Timothy Brown Medicare Insurance Agent
To stay up to date with changes in Medicare policies and plan options each year, be sure to review your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which is sent to you by your Medicare Advantage or stand-alone Part D drug plan. This important document typically arrives in September and outlines all updates to your plan for the upcoming year—such as changes to premiums, copays, drug coverage, or provider networks. It's essential to read it carefully. If you're happy with the changes, no action is needed—your plan will automatically renew. But if something doesn’t work for you, don’t wait. Contact a local licensed Medicare agent during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15–December 7) to review other options that may better fit your needs. Staying informed each year ensures you're not caught off guard and that your plan continues to match your health and financial situation.

Answered by Anna Davis CIC-RSSA on August 6, 2025

Broker Licensed in CA

Answered by Anna Davis CIC-RSSA Medicare Insurance Agent
The way to stay up to date with changes in one’s Medicare plan is to have an experienced veteran and knowledgeable broker assigned to you who knows the plans offered each year from the carriers. This way you won’t have to try to figure it out yourself but let the licensed broker do the necessary research for you.

Answered by Vernon Jones on August 20, 2025

Broker Licensed in NC & SC

Answered by Vernon Jones Medicare Insurance Agent
ALWAYS(and rarely do I use that word) consult UNBIASED data sources such as the official government medicare website: www.medicare.gov or Kaiser Family Foundation: kff.org or Medicare Rights Center: https://www.medicarerights.org/

Note: KFF is the leading health policy organization in the U.S.

As a one-of-a-kind information organization, we bring together substantial capabilities in policy research, polling, and journalism in one organization to meet the need for a trusted, independent source of information on national health issues—one with the scope and reach to be a counterweight to health care’s vested interests and a voice for people.

We are headquartered in San Francisco with a building in Washington, DC, conference centers in both offices, and staff members in almost every state. Dr. Drew Altman, KFF’s president and chief executive officer, founded the modern-day organization in 1991. You can read more about the organization’s history, mission, focus, and key programs in a president’s message by Dr. Altman.

Answered by Thomas Magnus on June 30, 2025

Broker Licensed in CA, AZ, NV, OR & WA

Answered by Thomas Magnus Medicare Insurance Agent
I'm required to stay current Medicare publishes changes that they're going to make every year so we just review the bulletins and applied the changes. Most of the changes are pretty nominal. There might be an introduction or something here or there. Last year there was big changes to drugs plans which was very good. Dropped the max out of pocket down to $2,000 which it previously was $8,000 .

If you'd like to discuss this in more detail, contact me.

Answered by Gary Henderson on April 10, 2025

Agent Licensed in TX, AK, AL & 46 other states

Answered by Gary Henderson Medicare Insurance Agent
Your Medicare agent should be informing you of these changes to Advantage plans. He is permitted to do son on or after Oct 1st of each year. As for Medicare supplement policies, depending on which plan you are on, the only changes could be the Part B deductible and the High deductible amount for those on the HDF or HDG plans. Congress controls those numbers, not the plan. Supplement premium increases can happen anytime during the year.

Answered by Andrew Kramer on June 17, 2025

Agent Licensed in FL

Answered by Andrew Kramer Medicare Insurance Agent
Having a licensed professional agent is the best way to stay up to date on changes to Medicare.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have

Answered by Marcie Barnes on April 19, 2025

Agent Licensed in TX, AK, AL & 48 other states

Answered by Marcie Barnes Medicare Insurance Agent
Visit MEDICARE.gov, which is the official federal government website, scroll down to the last tab titled "Get important news & updates," and subscribe to their newsletter email. Also, keep your agent's contact handy and do not hesitate to call him/her every time you need answers.

Answered by Andre Cabral on July 14, 2025

Agent Licensed in NJ

Answered by Andre Cabral Medicare Insurance Agent
First, every August I must recertify with every Carrier in my area... so... as an Independent Broker after becoming able to enroll people in the Carriers they need... in September all Plans will be released for my chance to review them... and then in October I can meet with all clients to make sure they get the right Plan for their needs.

Answered by John L Herman Jr on April 14, 2025

Broker Licensed in MD, DE & PA

Answered by John L Herman Jr Medicare Insurance Agent
Since I am in the business, I read all the articles on Medicare, which you too can do, but I get much of my information directly from the Insurance Carriers and some information directly from Medicare. I find that 98% of Medicare Supplement clients never change their policies. As for Medicare Advantage Plans, they seem to change each year to some degree and that means clients/policyholders need to really talk to their agent or a new agent about comparing their current Medicare Advantage Plan to a new plan during the Annual Enrollment Period between October 15th and December 7th each year. There are usually some changes in the Medical Benefits and many times there could be changes to their Drug Formulary and that means you need to check to see if your current prescriptions are still covered on their formulary list. You also wish to make sure your doctors/providers are still on your plan as well as they are permitted to leave the plan any month of the year with 30 days notice to the carrier, but you cannot do that. -- Gary Haft

Answered by Gary Haft on May 26, 2025

Agent Licensed in FL, AL, DC & 9 other states

Answered by Gary Haft Medicare Insurance Agent
It is a industry standard maintain and to gain training annually to stay update on policies and plan options and changes yearly.

Answered by Toni Cormier on July 12, 2025

Broker Licensed in TX, CA & OK

Answered by Toni Cormier Medicare Insurance Agent
I get the privilege of having an amazing FMO that brings out every major carrier throughout the calendar year to keep us up to date. We get training every single Tuesday and Friday every week of the year. I like to take pride in being completely up to date with Medicare legislation changes and carrier plan/network changes.

Answered by Robert Rowe on June 16, 2025

Broker Licensed in MI

Answered by Robert Rowe Medicare Insurance Agent
As a licensed agent, we are required to go through multiple certifications every year to stay on top of these annual changes. We have to take a course the government provides that goes over national changes and then we have to go through certifications with every company we work with. It will take anywhere from 1-3 weeks a year to get all of those certifications done before we can legally represent those Medicare plans and companies.

Answered by Abigail Turner on July 28, 2025

Broker Licensed in KS, AR, AZ & 13 other states

Answered by Abigail Turner Medicare Insurance Agent
I believe it's important for a senior to have a trusted resource to guide them through the yearly changes in Medicare and Medicare plan changes, such as an independent licensed agent. An independent agent, such as myself, would know about these changes in Medicare policies and plan options and having yearly reviews would help you, the Medicare beneficiary, stay up to date with the latest changes. I hope this helps.

Answered by Joseph Lombardo on April 18, 2025

Agent Licensed in NY, CT, NJ & PA

Answered by Joseph Lombardo Medicare Insurance Agent
Your plan mails out an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) by the end of September every year, you need to carefully review this document and if the changes don’t meet your needs you should contact your agent to review a new plan. You should meet with your agent every year to make sure your current plan still meets your needs of if you need to consider changing plans and/or carriers.

Answered by Danielle Moody on August 2, 2025

Broker Licensed in FL, AK, AL & 27 other states

Answered by Danielle Moody Medicare Insurance Agent
I stay up to date by subscribing to many of my carriers' newsletters, attend lots of ongoing training sessions training webinars and am in several online groups and forums that discuss the latest in the medicare industry.

I am have software that will notify me of any changes to specific plans when the yearly changes come out around September and October so I prepared to let my current clients know and review these changes and options with them.

Answered by Eric Jensen on July 14, 2025

Broker Licensed in FL, AZ, CA & 8 other states

Answered by Eric Jensen Medicare Insurance Agent
Find yourself a good agent who will keep in touch with you throughout the year. Your agent should inform you of any changes to your plan and provide you with information regarding other plans that may fit your needs.

Answered by Rob Campbell on August 22, 2025

Broker Licensed in NC, AZ, CT & 11 other states

Answered by Rob Campbell Medicare Insurance Agent
I track Medicare news the way sports fans track scores... daily and with plenty of coffee! All year I sift through CMS updates, insurer trainings, and enough fine print to wallpaper the house. Then I run it through it again and translate it into plain English you can actually use.

Starting in October, I call each client to discuss what’s changing for the upcoming year. During Annual Enrollment (October 15th through December 7th), we huddle up, compare the new line‑up of plans, and pick the one that makes the most sense for you and your family. No acronyms, no guesswork, just clear choices. I stay on top of the rules so you can stay on top of life.

Answered by Joshua Filmore on April 10, 2025

Broker Licensed in FL, AR, GA & 6 other states

Answered by Joshua Filmore Medicare Insurance Agent
Every year I have to re-certify with Medicare. This is a multi-hour process of study and then a final exam which must have a 90% score to remain certified by Medicare to be an agent that can sell Medicare products. Additionally, each carrier I represent (about 12-15 each year) has their own compliance study and tests to certify knowledge to sell their plans each year. These also have to be completed with a 85-90% score. I complete all this over a 1-2 week period each year to be compliant for Medicare Annual Enrollment which runs from Oct 1-Dec 7.

Answered by Donald Heath on April 9, 2025

Agent Licensed in CA, AZ, CO & NM, NV, TX & WA

Answered by Donald Heath Medicare Insurance Agent
Each year you will receive a pamphlet called ANOC. Annual notice of change.

This will describe the differences from year to year. My best advice would be to call your local agent.

Answered by Anthony Albano on August 11, 2025

Agent Licensed in FL

Answered by Anthony Albano Medicare Insurance Agent

Tags: Agent Interview The Medicare System

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