Medicare Open Enrollment 2027: A Checklist for Black Seniors

Open Enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7, 2026. During this window you can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage Plan, join, switch or drop a Medicare drug plan, or move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. If you make a change, your new coverage starts January 1, 2027, as long as the plan gets your request by December 7. If you keep your plan, any changes to its costs or benefits also start January 1.

A second window follows. From January 1 to March 31, 2027, people already in a Medicare Advantage Plan can switch to a different Medicare Advantage Plan, or drop it and return to Original Medicare and join a separate drug plan. You can make only one change in that window. It does not let you move from Original Medicare into Medicare Advantage, or switch from one stand-alone drug plan to another.

The Part D cap goes up to $2,400. In 2027, your out-of-pocket costs for covered Part D drugs are capped at $2,400. Once you, or programs like Extra Help on your behalf, reach that limit, you pay $0 for covered Part D drugs for the rest of the year. The 2026 cap is $2,100. If your plan has a drug deductible, it can be no more than $700 in 2027.

Insulin stays at $35. Plans can't charge more than $35 for a one-month supply of each Part D-covered insulin, and there is no deductible for insulin.

More negotiated drug prices. Prices Medicare negotiated for 15 more Part D drugs take effect January 1, 2027. Ask your plan how they affect what you pay.

The 2027 Part B premium is not out yet. As of October 26, 2026, CMS had not announced the 2027 Part B premium or deductible, and Medicare.gov still lists 2026 figures: a standard premium of $202.90 a month and a deductible of $283. Check Medicare.gov's costs page for the 2027 amounts once they are published.

Your plan sends this notice, printed or electronic, by September 30. It lists changes in coverage, costs, provider networks and service area that take effect in January. Check your premium, each of your drugs and your doctors. If you didn't get it, call your plan. If you help a parent, ask to read it with them.

List each prescription, its dose and how often you fill it, plus your pharmacy. Plans cover different drugs, and costs may be lower at a preferred pharmacy, so this list is what makes a plan comparison accurate.

Medicare advises asking your doctors and pharmacies whether they are in network with any plan you are considering. Ask by plan name. If you are looking for a Black doctor, search our provider directory first, then confirm the network with the office. To check hospitals, our hospital pages help you look up the ones near you before you confirm they are in network. If a nursing home stay may be part of the coming year, our nursing home pages can help you compare options.

Use Medicare.gov/plan-compare. Add every drug you take regularly to get the most accurate estimate of monthly and yearly costs for each plan. When you sign in, you can also find and save your providers to compare plans with them in mind. Look at the total for the year, not just the monthly premium. CMS's 2027 Star Ratings for plan quality appear in Plan Finder too. Then check the help-paying section below: the income limits are higher than many people expect.

The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments. Every Part D plan offers it. It doesn't save money or lower drug costs, it changes when you pay. It may not be the best choice if you get or qualify for Extra Help. If you are already in it and stay in the same plan, your participation renews automatically for 2027.

Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) gives free, personal counseling and isn't connected to any insurance company. Find yours at shiphelp.org, the locator Medicare's own handbook points to. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To join a plan, select "Enroll" in Plan Finder, contact the plan directly, or call 1-800-MEDICARE. A paper form must reach the plan before the window closes. Keep your confirmation. If you want to keep your current coverage, you generally don't need to re-enroll. If a change doesn't appear in your account within 10 days, contact your plan.

• Doctor choice. With Original Medicare you can use any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare, anywhere in the U.S., and in most cases you don't need a referral to see a specialist. With Medicare Advantage, you may need to use doctors in the plan's network and service area for non-emergency care, and you may need a referral.
• Approvals. Medicare Advantage Plans may require prior authorization for certain drugs or services.
• Yearly spending. Original Medicare has no yearly limit on what you pay out of pocket unless you have supplemental coverage like Medigap, employer or retiree coverage, or Medicaid. Medicare Advantage Plans have a yearly limit on what you pay for covered services.
• Extra benefits. Most Medicare Advantage Plans offer benefits Original Medicare doesn't cover, like dental and vision coverage.
• Medigap. You can't use Medigap with a Medicare Advantage Plan. If you leave Medicare Advantage later, you may not be able to buy a Medigap policy, or it may cost more, unless you have guaranteed issue rights or are within your trial right period. Ask your SHIP about your rights before you switch.

Extra Help lowers what you pay for Part D, from the premium to coinsurance. You may qualify if your income and resources are below the 2026 limits in the table. Resources are money in bank accounts and investments, including IRAs. They don't include your home, car, household items, burial plot, up to $1,500 per person for burial expenses, or life insurance policies. With Extra Help in 2027, drugs will generally cost no more than $5.80 for each generic and $14.40 for each brand-name drug at a participating pharmacy.

You qualify automatically if you have full Medicaid, get help from your state paying Part B premiums, or get Supplemental Security Income. Medicare mails a purple letter to confirm it. Everyone else can apply any time at SSA.gov/extrahelp or call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 to set up an appointment. Your Extra Help application can also start a Medicare Savings Program application with your state, unless you say no. Medicare lets some people with Medicaid or Extra Help change drug coverage once a month, not just during Open Enrollment.

Medicare Savings Programs are run by your state and help pay Medicare premiums, and in the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program, deductibles and copays too. Anyone who qualifies also gets Extra Help. The federal limits for 2026 are below, and some states set higher limits or don't count certain income. Apply through your state Medicaid office; our state Medicaid pages list how to reach yours.

If you are in QMB, Medicare providers aren't allowed to bill you for Medicare deductibles, coinsurance or copays. Show both your Medicare and Medicaid or QMB card each time you get care. If a provider keeps billing you, call 1-800-MEDICARE.

Sit down with the Annual Notice of Change, the drug list and the doctor list together, then run the comparison in Plan Finder side by side. Bring the same list to a SHIP counselor if the choice is close. Keep copies of what you submit. If a caller claims to be from Medicare, be careful: Medicare and plans call only in limited situations, like when you are already a plan member or asked for a call back.