What to Bring to Your Medicare Review
Six things in a folder. Arrive with them and the appointment is about your coverage. Arrive without them and it becomes a scavenger hunt with a deadline attached.
By Timothy Jones, licensed independent Medicare agent · · 6 min read
The short answer
Bring your Medicare card, every insurance card you use now, a written list of prescriptions with strengths, your doctors and preferred hospital, the Annual Notice of Change if it has arrived, and a note about anything that changed in your health this year. None of that requires 2027 plan details to be public.
The September prep checklist is the work you do at the kitchen table. This is the folder you walk in with. Same information, packed so we do not spend the first twenty minutes reconstructing it from memory.
Put these in the folder
- 01
Your Medicare card
The red, white, and blue card with your Medicare Number. If you only have a photo of it on your phone, that is enough. The number is what lets me confirm you are who the record says you are.
- 02
Every insurance card you use now
Advantage, Supplement, Part D, employer, retiree, Medicaid, VA — whatever is in the wallet. People often forget the drug plan card because it lives in a different slot. Bring that one.
- 03
A written list of prescriptions, with strength
Drug name, milligrams, and how often. Not “my blood pressure pill.” This list does more to decide whether a plan fits than any brochure. If you take it, it goes on the paper.
- 04
Your doctors and the hospital you would want
Primary care, each specialist, and where you would want to be admitted. If any of them are in Portland, mark that. Clark County plans split hardest on who crosses the river.
- 05
Your Annual Notice of Change, if it has arrived
It is due by September 30 and it is the only letter that tells you, in writing, what your current plan is changing next year. Leave it in the envelope if you have not opened it. We will open it together.
- 06
Anything that changed this year
A new diagnosis, a surgery on the calendar, a drug you started or stopped, a doctor you added. These change the review more than a published benefit does, and they are the details people forget once they sit down.
Leave these at home
- –Your Social Security card. The Medicare card is the one that matters here.
- –Passwords, bank statements, or tax returns. A review is not an application for a loan.
- –Every medical bill from the last decade. One recent Explanation of Benefits is useful if you have a specific charge you want explained. A shoebox is not.
Clark County detail that is easy to miss
If any doctor or hospital on your list is in Portland or elsewhere in Oregon, write the city next to the name. A plan that looks ordinary on paper in Vancouver can fail the moment care regularly crosses the river. That is a network question, not a premium question, and it is why the provider list belongs in the folder.
Book the review, then pack the folder
You can schedule today. Before October 1 we review your current coverage and your IEP or Annual Enrollment timing. After October 1 we can put those same lists next to 2027 options. No charge, and no obligation to change anything.
📅 Book in 30 secondsOr call (360) 472-4261
Questions
What if I do not have my Medicare card?+
A photo of it, or a Medicare.gov account printout with the same number, is enough to start. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE and ask them to send a replacement. Do not cancel the appointment over a missing card.
Can my spouse come and bring their cards too?+
Yes. If you want both records reviewed in the same sitting, bring both sets of cards and both prescription lists. Say that when you book so the time on the calendar matches the work.
Do I need this folder if I am only asking a question?+
If the question is “should I enroll at 65 while I am still working,” the cards and the employer coverage letter matter more than the prescription list. If the question is “does my plan still fit,” bring the whole folder.
I have not received my Annual Notice of Change yet. Should I wait?+
No. Book the review. The notice is required to arrive by September 30. If it is late, call the plan and ask them to send a copy. We can still do the lists and the current-plan review without it.
When can we talk about specific 2027 plans?+
October 1. CMS rules do not allow agents to discuss next-year benefits or premiums before that date. Everything on this list can be gathered in September. The appointment itself can be booked now and held after October 1 if you want the comparison in the same visit.
Keep reading
- The September prep checklist
- How to read your Annual Notice of Change
- Medicare in 2027: what changes
- Medicare help in Vancouver, WA
Process notes verified August 31, 2026. Annual Enrollment runs October 15 – December 7 each year.
Disclaimer: American Senior Choices is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 5 organizations which offer 33 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.