Medicare AEP 2027 Opens October 15: What to Check Before You Decide

Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period opens Thursday, October 15 and closes Monday, December 7. Whatever you choose takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan renews automatically, including whatever changes it has made for next year.

Your plan already told you what those changes are. It mailed you an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) in late September. If it is still sitting unopened on the counter, open it before October 15.

Four things to check in your ANOC

1. Your prescriptions. Has any drug moved to a higher tier, been dropped, or picked up a prior-authorization requirement? This is where most of the money is.
2. Your doctors and hospitals. Networks change every year. Check each doctor you want to keep, not just the hospital system.
3. The out-of-pocket maximum. On a Medicare Advantage plan, this is your worst-case year.
4. Premium, deductible and copays. People check these first, but they are rarely the biggest change.

What is new for 2027

• The Part D drug cap goes up to $2,400. Once your out-of-pocket drug costs reach $2,400 in 2027, you pay nothing more for covered drugs for the rest of the year. In 2026 the cap is $2,100.
• The Part D deductible can be as high as $700, up from $615. Many plans charge less. Check yours in the ANOC.
• The Part B premium is not set yet. CMS normally announces it in November. The Medicare Trustees project about $209.50 a month, up from $202.90 in 2026. Treat that as an estimate until it is official.

What AEP can and cannot do

During AEP you can switch Medicare Advantage plans, move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, or join, drop or switch a Part D drug plan.

AEP is not a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) window. In Ohio, once your first six months on Part B have passed, a Medigap application can be medically underwritten, and Ohio has no “birthday rule.” My full AEP guide for Ohio explains what that means for you.

If you have Medicaid or Extra Help as well as Medicare, you have extra chances to change coverage during the year. AEP is still the best time to do a full review, because every plan resets on January 1.

Get ready in ten minutes

Before you compare anything, write down:

• every prescription, with its exact name and dose
• every doctor you want to keep
• anything you expect next year, such as a surgery, a move or a lot of physical therapy

With that list, a comparison takes about twenty minutes. Without it, you are guessing.

Free help, no pressure

I am an independent, licensed Medicare broker in Middleburg Heights, and I review plans for people across Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina and Summit counties. A review costs you nothing, and the premium is the same whether you enroll through me, through the plan or on Medicare.gov.

Call 440-622-2112, or come to one of my free library talks: see upcoming events. October and November fill up fast, and the last week before December 7 is the worst time to be making this decision carefully.

Sources

• CMS — Announcement of CY 2027 Medicare Advantage Capitation Rates and Part C and Part D Payment Policies (Part D deductible and out-of-pocket threshold)
• CMS — 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles
• MOAA — Medicare report estimates future Part B premiums (2026 Trustees Report projection)
• Medicare.gov — Joining a plan

For information on all of your options, including plans I do not offer, contact Medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or reach Ohio’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program (OSHIIP) at 800-686-1578.