Medicare Plans 2027 - Medicare Advantage Plans 2027

Special plans may also be open to you. When you have both Medicare and Medicaid, a Dual Special Needs Plan may coordinate the two. When you have certain chronic conditions, such as heart failure or diabetes, a Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan may be offered where you live.

The federal government runs Original Medicare. Part A pays for inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing following a hospital stay, hospice and some home health care, and most people owe no Part A premium. Part B pays for doctor visits, outpatient care, preventive services, durable medical equipment and more.

With Original Medicare, you can use any doctor or hospital nationwide that accepts Medicare, without a network or referrals. The catch is cost: once you meet the Part B deductible, you generally owe 20% of the Medicare-approved amount, with no annual limit.

Private insurers offer Medicare Advantage plans, which take the place of Original Medicare as the way you receive benefits. About 34 million people are projected by CMS to be in Medicare Advantage in 2027. See Medicare Advantage plans 2027.

On the surface the national figures seem steady, but plenty is shifting beneath them. A number of the biggest insurers are reducing PPO plans and removing standard plans from counties where they lost money, while some smaller companies are expanding. So your plan may change significantly even in a year when the national average premium falls.

Source: company announcements and CMS 2027 landscape data reported by Becker’s on October 1, 2026. For 2027, Wellmark, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi are exiting Medicare Advantage as well.

Working together with Original Medicare, a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan covers some or all of your deductibles, coinsurance and copays. Plans come in 10 standardized letters, and in your state each letter carries the same benefits no matter which insurer sells it.

Plan letter determines Medigap benefits, which are standardized. Prices differ by insurer, age, ZIP code and tobacco use.

Your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, which begins once you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B, is the ideal time to buy. Outside that period, insurers in most states can ask health questions. Read more on Medicare Supplement plans 2027.

You get Medicare drug coverage either through a standalone Part D plan or inside a Medicare Advantage plan. For 2027, CMS is ending the Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration, returning standalone drug plans to normal market pricing. Compare plans with your exact drugs using the 2027 Part D plan finder.

A non-renewal notice should have reached you in early October if your Medicare Advantage plan is not being offered in your county for 2027. You do not lose coverage immediately; it lasts through December 31, 2026, which gives you time to decide.

Compare plans side by side with the Medicare Advantage plan finder.

Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are Medicare Advantage plans designed for particular groups. Their benefits, networks and drug lists are shaped around the members they serve, and many come with care coordinators. In 2027, SNPs are one of the few places large insurers are adding plans, even while cutting PPOs.

When you turn 65 in 2027, you get a seven-month Initial Enrollment Period: the three months before your birthday month, the birthday month itself and the three months that follow. If you sign up in the first three months, coverage begins on the first day of your birthday month.

When your income and savings are limited, two programs can greatly lower your Medicare costs:

If you qualify for both Medicare and full Medicaid, you may also be able to join a Dual Special Needs Plan. See help for low-income Part D beneficiaries.

You do not need to compare plans by yourself, and help should not cost you anything. Here are the free options:

Gather your Medicare card, a list of your drugs and doses, your doctors and your preferred pharmacies before you call. That way a long conversation becomes a quick one.