Key Takeaways
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Many extra benefits in Medicare Advantage plans—like dental, vision, hearing, and wellness perks—are not guaranteed for the full year and can change mid-year.
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Reviewing your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and staying alert to plan notifications are essential to avoid losing services you rely on.
The Reality of Extra Benefits in 2025
Medicare Advantage plans often market themselves with an impressive list of extra benefits. These include dental cleanings, hearing aids, vision checkups, gym memberships, transportation, over-the-counter (OTC) allowances, and more. While these extras can improve your quality of life, they aren’t permanent or guaranteed—even if you’re mid-year in your coverage.
In 2025, these additional services remain optional and vary widely by plan. More importantly, they can be reduced, restricted, or even discontinued during the plan year. That’s why it’s essential to understand how these benefits work and what your rights are when they change.
What Makes These Benefits So Unstable?
Medicare Advantage plans are run by private organizations approved by Medicare. While they must offer all the core benefits of Original Medicare (Part A and Part B), any extras they include are optional and not required under federal rules.
This flexibility allows plans to:
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Change the terms of extra benefits mid-year
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Limit access to providers or service areas
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Require prior authorization for benefits that used to be more accessible
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Substitute one benefit for another (e.g., replacing transportation with a wellness app)
As a result, you may find that a benefit you relied on in January becomes unavailable—or less valuable—by July.
What Triggers Mid-Year Changes?
In theory, Medicare Advantage plans are supposed to maintain the same benefit structure for the entire year. But some shifts are allowed or happen in practice for several reasons:
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Network changes: Your dental or vision provider may leave the plan’s network.
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Benefit restructuring: A plan may change how a benefit is delivered (e.g., fewer covered visits or a new copayment).
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Contract updates: Some supplemental benefit vendors may end their agreement with your plan.
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CMS permissions: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may permit mid-year changes under special circumstances.
How Will You Know If Something Changes?
In most cases, your plan is required to notify you about significant mid-year changes. This may come as a formal letter, email, or message in your member portal.
However, these notices can be easy to miss—especially if you:
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Opted out of paper communications
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Don’t regularly check your online member account
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Disregard generic-looking envelopes or emails
Staying informed is your first line of defense. Skimming over these notifications can leave you caught off guard when you attempt to use a benefit that’s been dropped or modified.
Mid-Year Enrollee Notifications in 2025
Starting this year, a new requirement aims to keep beneficiaries more informed. Between June 30 and July 31, Medicare Advantage plans must now send a Mid-Year Enrollee Notification of Unused Supplemental Benefits. This summary lists the extra services you’ve not used in the first half of the year.
While this notice is mainly intended to prompt usage, it also gives you a snapshot of what’s still available—and helps you detect any benefits that may have been quietly altered or removed.
What You Can—and Can’t—Do About Mid-Year Reductions
Unfortunately, most mid-year changes to extra benefits do not qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). You usually can’t switch plans outside of the annual Medicare Open Enrollment (October 15 to December 7) just because an extra benefit was reduced or taken away.
That said, here’s what you can do:
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Use what’s left: If a benefit is still available, even in a limited form, take advantage of it before it disappears entirely.
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Contact your plan: Ask for clarification or appeal if the benefit’s change violates the terms in your Evidence of Coverage (EOC).
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Report issues to Medicare: If a benefit was altered without proper notification, call 1-800-MEDICARE to file a complaint.
And when Open Enrollment comes around, be ready to compare plans and choose one that better suits your needs for the following year.
Annual Notice of Change (ANOC): Your Early Warning
Every year, your Medicare Advantage plan must send you an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) by September 30. This document outlines what’s changing in your plan for the next year, including premiums, cost-sharing, and extra benefits.
If you’ve lost a benefit mid-year—or are worried about losing it next year—this is your best opportunity to:
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Spot changes to key services
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Compare competing plans for 2026
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Decide whether to stay in your current plan or switch
Make sure to review the ANOC as soon as it arrives. Mark your calendar and set reminders to revisit your coverage before Open Enrollment begins.
Extra Benefits in 2025: What’s Common—and What’s Fading
Here’s a general look at where supplemental benefits stand in 2025:
Still widely available:
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Routine dental cleanings and X-rays
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Basic vision exams and eyewear allowances
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Annual hearing tests
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Transportation to medical appointments (limited miles)
Becoming less common:
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Grocery cards and food delivery services
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Comprehensive gym memberships
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Companion care and caregiver support services
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Transportation for non-medical reasons (e.g., social visits)
If you count on any of these benefits, it’s wise to check if they’re part of your plan’s current offering—and confirm whether they are guaranteed through the end of the year.
Tips to Protect Yourself in a Changing Plan Landscape
Even if your current plan looks solid, here’s how to avoid unpleasant surprises:
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Save every plan document: Keep your Evidence of Coverage, ANOC, and provider directories.
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Track benefit usage: Make a note each time you use a service like dental, vision, or OTC allowance. This will help you identify if something changes.
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Ask about changes: Don’t assume that silence means nothing has changed. Call your plan if something seems off.
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Prepare for Open Enrollment: Start comparing plans by October, even if you don’t think you’ll switch.
Why These Benefits Aren’t Guaranteed
Unlike Parts A and B, which are backed by law and funded by federal dollars, extra benefits in Medicare Advantage plans are considered supplemental. This means:
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They are provided at the discretion of the plan
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They can vary widely from one ZIP code to another
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They are influenced by each plan’s available funding and partnerships
So while they may be appealing during enrollment season, their long-term availability isn’t guaranteed.
What You Can Expect Going Forward
CMS continues to evaluate how supplemental benefits are communicated and delivered. In 2025, efforts are underway to improve transparency and encourage more consistent offerings—but until regulations change, your best protection is proactive monitoring.
You should expect the following each year:
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ANOC sent by September 30
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Open Enrollment running October 15 through December 7
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Mid-Year Unused Benefits Notification arriving between June 30 and July 31
These timelines give you specific points during the year to assess your coverage and make informed decisions.
Stay Ahead of Mid-Year Surprises
As helpful as extra Medicare Advantage benefits can be, you shouldn’t treat them as permanent features. Treat them as temporary bonuses—great to use while they last, but not something to rely on without backup.
If you need consistent access to dental, vision, hearing, or transportation benefits, explore other forms of coverage or benefits that aren’t subject to yearly renewal or mid-year adjustment.
And when the time comes to make decisions about your coverage, don’t do it alone. A licensed agent listed on this website can help you understand the fine print, compare your options, and find a plan that meets your needs—even when things change mid-year.
