Medicare’s annual open enrollment period ends Dec. 7, and any plan change made by then starts Jan. 1, 2027. The window opened Oct. 15, which leaves a few weeks to compare drug coverage and Medicare Advantage options before the deadline passes, according to Newsweek’s summary of the 2027 changes.
The Dates That Matter
Open enrollment runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026. According to Crowdfunded Wealth, a change made in the window starts on Jan. 1, 2027, but the plan has to receive the request by Dec. 7.
The same guide lists what can be changed during the period: joining, dropping or switching a Medicare Advantage plan, with or without drug coverage; moving between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage; and, for people in Original Medicare, joining, dropping or switching a drug plan. Anyone who needs a refresher on the basics can find one in this explainer on the Dec. 7 deadline and 2027 premiums, and a lighter companion read looks at common choices that backfire.
What the Plan Notice Shows
Plans mail an annual notice of changes each fall, and Jolt Journal recommends reading it first for premiums, deductibles and the drug list. The same article advises comparing each prescription’s tier on the plan formulary and checking whether a pharmacy stays in the plan’s network.
Medicare Advantage members whose insurer is leaving their area must pick a new plan, Jolt Journal notes. Newsweek adds that some insurers are withdrawing plans from certain areas, trimming supplemental benefits such as dental coverage, or raising cost-sharing, though it gives no figures.
CMS projects a calmer picture overall. Jolt Journal reports that the agency expects the average monthly Medicare Advantage premium to fall from $14.37 to $12.00, with about 34 million enrollees, and that dental, vision and hearing extras are expected to stay stable on average. Scam warnings are worth keeping in view during enrollment season, and the reminder in this guide to Social Security imposter scams is a good place to start, along with a piece on balancing a busy household calendar.
2027 Part D Numbers
The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises from $2,100 to $2,400 in 2027, and the standard deductible goes from $615 to $700, according to BenefitsUSA. The cap limits cost sharing on covered drugs, not premiums, and coinsurance between the deductible and the cap stays at 25 percent, Crowdfunded Wealth says.
Premiums move too. BenefitsUSA lists the national base beneficiary premium at $41.33, up from $38.99, and Jolt Journal says CMS projects stand-alone drug plans will average $36, up from $35.09. The Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration ends with 2026, so individual plan premiums can differ from last year by more than the base figure suggests.
Budget-minded households may want to line these figures up against other year-end money checks, such as money mistakes retirees should never make and the November Social Security payment dates. For a lighter break from the numbers, there is a roundup of social norms that some say should be abandoned and a look at the most unflattering things boomers still wear.
Optum notes that beneficiaries enrolled in the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan in 2026 are automatically re-enrolled for 2027 unless they change plans. Those who switch plans must re-enroll with the new plan, and enrollment can begin or end at any time during the year.
Costs Outside the Drug Plan
Part B figures are still projections. BenefitsUSA estimates the standard monthly Part B premium at about $209.50 for 2027, up from $202.90, with a Part B deductible near $292; it says CMS is due to publish final numbers in mid-November.
BenefitsUSA also lists estimated 2027 hospital figures: a Part A inpatient deductible of about $1,788 per benefit period, up from $1,736, and a Part A premium of about $330 a month for people with 30 to 39 quarters of work, up from $311. For people with fewer than 30 quarters, it estimates about $600 a month, up from $565. These are estimates until CMS confirms them.
BenefitsUSA’s own estimate puts the start of income-related surcharges at about $112,000 for single filers and about $224,000 for joint filers in 2027, up from $109,000 and $218,000. Those thresholds are the site’s projections, not CMS figures.
Income-related surcharges are billed on top of the drug premium and do not count toward the Part D cap, Crowdfunded Wealth explains. The 2027 income-related amounts had not been published as of that article’s Oct. 30 date.
After Dec. 7
The deadline does not end every option. Crowdfunded Wealth describes a separate Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2027, open only to people already in a Medicare Advantage plan, who can switch to another Advantage plan or drop it and return to Original Medicare.
That window is narrower than the fall period and is open only to people already in Medicare Advantage. For everyone else, Dec. 7 is the date to circle, since coverage chosen by then is what starts Jan. 1, as Newsweek reports.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Los Angeles Times – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons
