The Medicare Review
Medicare open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026. Plans change every year, even when yours stays the same. This free one-page sheet walks through what changed, checks your doctors and prescriptions, and keeps a record of what you decided.
Get the free sheet
Enter your email and we'll send the printable sheet straight to your inbox. Now and then after that, a short note with one idea in it. Unsubscribe any time.
How to use it
- 1
Find the Annual Notice of Change
Your plan mailed it in September. It lists what is different next year: premium, deductible, copays, which drugs are covered and which doctors are in the network.
- 2
Copy this year and next year side by side
Section 2 of the sheet. Seeing the two numbers next to each other is usually what tells you whether to look around.
- 3
Check every doctor and prescription against next year
A plan you were happy with can drop a doctor or move a drug to a higher tier. Medicare Plan Finder, at medicare.gov/plan-compare, shows next year's plans.
- 4
Decide, and write down the confirmation number
If you switch, the new plan starts January 1. Keep the confirmation number with the sheet in case anything goes wrong.
Free, unbiased help
- Compare plans: medicare.gov/plan-compare, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
- Talk it through with someone local: your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) gives free one-on-one Medicare counseling. shiphelp.org or 1-877-839-2675.
- Missed the deadline? If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, you can make one change between January 1 and March 31.
Medicare never calls to ask for your Medicare number. Open enrollment is a busy season for calls that pretend to be Medicare. Hang up, and call 1-800-MEDICARE yourself if you are unsure.
Where everything else goes
Keep it with The Household Record
The Household Record is a write-in workbook for the rest of it: every account the household runs on and where each password is kept, a monthly budget for life on a fixed income, and a one-page sheet that tells the family where everything is.
See The Household RecordGeneral information, not insurance or legal advice. Resilient Edge Group is not connected with Medicare or any insurance company and does not sell insurance.
