Reviewed by Donna Fuscaldo • Prepared with AI assistance
Medicare Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026. Changes made during that window generally take effect January 1, 2027. The immediate task is to examine your own plan’s renewal information, even if a national headline suggests premiums are falling. Medicare’s enrollment rules
The reason this matters now: CMS released its 2027 Medicare Advantage and prescription-drug premium outlook on September 28, 2026. Those national averages provide useful context, but they do not quote a price for your county, medications, doctors or care needs. A lower premium can coexist with a less useful network or higher spending elsewhere.
Hero image: AI-generated editorial illustration of adults comparing fictional health plans. It does not depict a real enrollment consultation or government document.
Look beyond the monthly price
One plan. Four checks: prescriptions, providers, total spending and the rules for changing coverage. Use the review tool below to find the questions you still need answered.
What CMS’s new 2027 premium figures actually say
Projected weighted average monthly plan premium for 2027, compared with $14.37 in 2026.
Projected average total monthly drug-plan premium for 2027, compared with $35.09 in 2026.
Projected average monthly Part D total premium in MA plans with drug coverage, after rebates; $11.32 in 2026.
These are three different measures. Do not add the $7 drug component to the $12 MA average as though they were a price list. They summarize different plan groupings and premium components. None is the standard Part B premium or a personal quote. CMS, September 28, 2026
Think of the release as a reason to inspect your choices, rather than a reason to stop inspecting them. Your comparison should use the 2027 version of every plan document. A screenshot saved last autumn, an old drug list or an advertisement without a plan year cannot settle what your coverage will cost next January.
When can you compare, enroll and use new coverage?
Start comparing your existing coverage with 2027 options and collect your plan documents.
Annual Open Enrollment: make a permitted health or drug coverage change.
The new coverage takes effect when the plan receives your enrollment request by December 7.
Start comparing 2027 options. Gather your Annual Notice of Change, prescriptions and provider list before the enrollment window begins.
Medicare’s handbook identifies October 1 as the starting point for comparing the coming year’s options. That is different from the October 15 opening of the annual enrollment window. Medicare & You calendar
Use the time before enrollment opens to resolve missing information. Put three items in one folder: your Annual Notice of Change, your current medication list and a list of providers you want to keep. Then note any unresolved question beside the plan document that should answer it. This gives you a concrete agenda when you call for help.
Which part of your plan needs the closest review?
Check any issue you have noticed. This tool organizes questions; it does not recommend a plan, determine eligibility or collect medical details. The selections are used only by this page’s tool and are not saved by it.
Check the Annual Notice of Change, then compare the 2027 details that matter to you. No selection here means there is no identified priority yet, not that a plan has passed a review.
Take your questions to the plan or SHIP
Your selected priorities become a practical call agenda below. It is generated on this page and is not submitted to Clayso. Add personal details only in your own private copy.
Select priorities above to build your agenda.
Without JavaScript, the guide below provides the same review routes. You can open each section using a keyboard or touchscreen.
Prescription or pharmacy issue → verify the exact drug and rule
Check the drug name, strength, quantity, formulary tier, pharmacy and any coverage restriction in the 2027 plan documents. Ask the plan how an existing approval or exception will be treated. Do not stop or change a medication because a comparison page raises a coverage question.
Provider issue → verify the specific plan network
Check the exact plan, not only the insurer’s name. Confirm the provider and location with the plan, and ask the provider’s office about participation. If the answers conflict, resolve that conflict before relying on a network listing.
Cost issue → compare a full year and a difficult year
Record annual premiums and the expected costs of your regular care. Separately check the plan’s cost-sharing rules and out-of-pocket limit for covered medical services. A budget estimate and a protection limit answer different questions.
Plan ending or coverage switch → check rights before acting
Read any termination notice carefully and contact Medicare or SHIP about the applicable enrollment rights. If you want Original Medicare with Medigap, verify whether you can buy the policy you want and what it will cost before treating the switch as complete.
Affordability or paperwork issue → ask about assistance
Ask SHIP about Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help, and take the notices to the conversation. A plan comparison alone does not determine whether you qualify for assistance.
Read the Annual Notice of Change before the advertisement
Your plan’s Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) describes coverage and cost changes that begin in January. Medicare says it arrives in September; if you have not received it, contact the plan. Medicare’s ANOC instructions
Read with a pen or a blank document beside you. For each change, write three short notes: what changed, whether you use that service and what still needs confirmation. A premium change gets one line. A change affecting a prescription you take every month deserves its own line, even if the premium stayed the same.
Do not assume the ANOC answers every question. Use the Evidence of Coverage, formulary and provider directory for detail. Medicare specifically encourages reviewing the ANOC and Evidence of Coverage each year. CMS enrollment guidance
Compare total annual costs, not just the premium
Medicare Plan Finder lets you enter your prescriptions to estimate monthly and yearly costs. Use the same drug list and pharmacies for each candidate so the comparison is consistent. Medicare comparison tools
| Compare this | What to record | What it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| Plan identity | Exact plan name, ID, county and 2027 coverage year | Comparing similar names with different benefits |
| Annual premium | Monthly plan premium × 12; separate other premiums | Mistaking one price component for the whole bill |
| Prescription estimate | Annual drug spending at the same selected pharmacy | Overlooking pharmacy-specific differences |
| Expected medical use | Your usual visits, tests and services under each plan’s rules | Choosing on a premium while ignoring recurring care |
| Access and restrictions | Providers, covered drugs, referrals and approval requirements | Treating a low estimate as proof the plan fits |
| Uncertainty | Every unresolved question and who will confirm it | Turning an unknown into an assumed zero |
A fictional example: the lower premium can cost more
Imagine two fictional options. Option A has a $0 monthly plan premium and estimated annual prescription spending of $900. Option B has a $20 monthly plan premium and estimated annual prescription spending of $500. For only those two components, A totals $900 and B totals $740: $20 × 12 + $500. B is $160 lower on that limited comparison.
Interactive cost lab · Fictional examples
Turn over the price tag
Reveal the cost layers one at a time. The two examples are made up to explain the comparison, not to quote or recommend a Medicare plan.
Still check: providers, covered drugs, restrictions and other costs
Still check: providers, covered drugs, restrictions and other costs
Option B totals $740 versus A’s $900, a $160 difference in this fictional example. Provider access, covered drugs and every excluded cost still need review.
All layers are shown here: A has $0 annual premium plus $900 estimated prescriptions; B has $240 plus $500. The original arithmetic explanation above works without JavaScript.
This board excludes Part B premiums, medical care, noncovered services and other possible expenses. It uses fixed illustrative figures, not personal information or live plan data.
This illustration is arithmetic, not a real plan quote or a recommendation. It excludes Part B, medical care, noncovered services and other possible costs. Its purpose is to show why a $0 plan premium cannot, by itself, identify the less expensive option. Actual care use can also differ from an estimate.
Avoid counting the same cost twice
Check the label on the total you copy from a comparison tool. If it already includes premiums and drugs, do not add the premium again. Similarly, do not automatically add a deductible on top of an estimate that already reflects it. Keep the original description next to each number so you know what it includes.
Check prescriptions, pharmacies and providers separately
Each Medicare drug plan has its own covered-drug list, called a formulary. A familiar plan name does not prove that its 2027 drug list matches this year’s. Medicare’s formulary explanation
Pharmacy choice matters too. Preferred in-network pharmacies may have lower cost sharing; using an out-of-network pharmacy can mean paying the full cost. Compare the pharmacy you can realistically use, including travel and refill logistics. Medicare pharmacy rules
For medical access, make a short must-check list: primary care, specialists, hospitals and any service you regularly depend on. Medicare explains that Medicare Advantage plans may use networks and that out-of-network nonemergency care can cost more where it is offered. Compare Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage
Keep price and access as two separate columns. A lower total is useful only after you understand what is covered and where. If a needed service is uncertain, label it “unconfirmed” rather than assuming the best-case price.
Annual Open Enrollment does not guarantee a Medigap policy
The autumn window can allow a move from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare. But buying Medigap is a separate question. Federal Medigap protections include a six-month open enrollment period beginning when you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B; other rights depend on the situation, and states can provide additional protections. Medicare’s Medigap rights guide
Before switching, ask whether the desired Medigap policy is available to you, whether underwriting applies and what premium you would pay. Also consider separate drug coverage. An annual enrollment date should not be treated as proof that every part of a proposed replacement package is available.
If your plan is ending, do not rely only on this ordinary annual-enrollment guide. Keep the notice and ask Medicare or SHIP which rights and deadlines apply to your situation.
Ask about Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs
Extra Help assists qualifying people with Part D costs. Some people receive it automatically; others must apply. Review an actual eligibility decision rather than assuming a low-cost plan makes assistance unnecessary. Medicare’s Extra Help guidance
Medicare Savings Programs are state programs that can help eligible people with premiums and, for some categories, other cost sharing. State rules and individual circumstances matter. Medicare Savings Programs
For free counseling, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227); TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. Official Medicare help options
Bring your questions, renewal notices and candidate plan names to that conversation. Avoid posting your Medicare number, medication list or private plan documents in public comments. This article’s tool needs none of those details.
Medicare Open Enrollment 2027: quick answers
Do I have to change plans every year?
No. People keeping their existing Medicare coverage generally do not need to enroll again. Still review the coming year’s terms and any notice that the plan is ending. Keeping a plan should follow a review, not a guess about its future benefits.
Does a $0 Medicare Advantage premium mean Medicare is free?
No. A plan premium is only one component. Part B premiums and the plan’s cost-sharing rules can still matter. Check what each displayed price includes before comparing it with another plan.
Can the review tool choose the best plan for me?
No. It highlights topics to investigate. It does not access plan databases, check eligibility, rank insurers or enroll anyone. Use the official comparison service and personalized counseling for a coverage decision.
What should I save after enrolling?
Keep the confirmation, plan identification, date of the request and stated effective date. Check later notices for consistency. If something differs, contact the plan or Medicare rather than assuming the first screen settled the issue.
Sources and editorial scope
The news hook is the CMS September 28 premium release. The guide links directly to official enrollment, coverage, assistance and plan-comparison resources. National averages are projections, and the fictional arithmetic example is clearly labeled.
- CMS’s September 28, 2026 premium announcement
- Medicare Open Enrollment rules and effective dates
- Official Medicare Plan Finder
- Medicare and free SHIP counseling
Clayso is independent of Medicare, CMS and insurers. This is general educational information, not a benefits determination, insurance recommendation or individualized medical or financial advice. For Social Security deposit timing this month, see our October 2026 payment-date guide.