Changes are coming, and you're not alone if you have questions. Here's what we know, and what you can do now to be ready.
Every year brings changes to Medicare, and 2027 is already generating a lot of questions.
I can tell, because these are some of the most common searches people are making right now:
These are good questions. They're also questions where a general internet answer can only take you so far, because so much of Medicare depends on where you live, what you take and how you actually use your coverage.
So let's walk through each one, and then talk about what to do with the answers.
Two numbers are moving next year.
The standard Part D deductible increases from $615 in 2026 to $700 in 2027.
The annual Part D out-of-pocket threshold increases from $2,100 to $2,400. Once your spending on covered Part D drugs reaches that threshold, your cost sharing drops to $0 for the rest of the calendar year.
A point that trips people up: these two numbers are not stacked on top of each other. What you pay toward the deductible counts toward the $2,400. It isn't $700 and then another $2,400.
Here's the part that matters most, though. That $700 is the standard deductible, which is the maximum a plan is allowed to charge. Your individual drug plan may have no deductible at all, a lower one, or one that only applies to certain drug tiers while lower-tier generics are covered right away.
That's why the headline number tells you very little about what you'll actually pay. Your costs depend on your specific plan's formulary, tiers and pharmacy network — in other words, on your actual medication list.
One more thing worth knowing: all Part D plans are required to offer an option that lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments instead of absorbing a large amount in January. If a high-cost medication makes the start of the year difficult for you, that's worth asking about.
This one is getting a lot of attention right now, and there's some confusion about how it works.
The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge is a temporary program that allows eligible Medicare Part D beneficiaries to obtain certain GLP-1 medications for weight management for $50 per month. It started July 1, 2026 and is currently scheduled to run through December 31, 2027.
Here's the unusual part, and the reason it confuses people: the Bridge operates outside the normal Part D benefit.
What that means in practical terms:
There are also eligibility requirements. You need Medicare prescription drug coverage, either through a standalone Part D plan or a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage. There are clinical criteria involving body mass index and certain related health conditions, and those criteria are evaluated based on when the medication was first started.
And if you're already getting a GLP-1 through your Part D plan for a condition Part D covers, that's a different situation — you would continue getting it through your plan under normal Part D rules.
Whether one of these medications is appropriate for you is a conversation for you and your doctor. What I can help with is understanding how it fits — or doesn't fit — into your overall drug coverage and costs.
This is probably the most important question being asked right now, and the honest answer is: some are.
Several carriers have announced plan and market exits for 2027. This has been happening for a few years now, and it has affected a meaningful number of people. It's real, and I'm not going to tell you otherwise.
But here's where an internet search stops being useful.
Medicare Advantage is local. Plan availability is built around a plan's approved service area, which is why your ZIP code and your county matter so much. A plan disappearing in one county does not mean that same plan is disappearing somewhere else. A headline about a national carrier's exits tells you almost nothing about whether your plan is affected.
So there's no reason to panic. There is a reason to pay attention.
Watch your mail for your Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC. You should receive it by September 30. It explains what's changing in your plan for January — benefits, costs, and potentially your network or service area.
Don't throw that letter away. It's the single most useful piece of paper you'll get all year.
And if your plan is actually being discontinued, that matters even more. A plan termination can come with additional enrollment rights, and depending on the circumstances, potentially additional Medigap protections as well. Those rights have deadlines, which is exactly why you don't want to discover the letter in a pile in January.
This is not really a question of which one is universally better. They're two different ways of structuring your Medicare coverage, and the right answer depends on your health, your doctors, your travel, your budget and your tolerance for uncertainty.
With Medicare Advantage, you receive your Medicare benefits through a private, Medicare-approved plan. Depending on the plan, you may have provider networks, copays and other cost sharing, along with an annual medical out-of-pocket maximum that caps your exposure. Many plans also include supplemental benefits like dental, vision, hearing, transportation or over-the-counter allowances. Those extras vary considerably from plan to plan and year to year.
With Original Medicare plus a Medigap policy, you generally have broader access to any provider who accepts Medicare, nationwide. A plan like Medigap Plan G covers most Medicare-approved cost sharing after you've satisfied the Part B deductible. You pay a monthly Medigap premium, and because current Medigap policies don't include outpatient prescription drug coverage, most people who want drug coverage add a separate Part D plan.
Now here is the point I want you to remember, because it's the one that causes the most heartache:
Medicare's October–December enrollment period does not automatically give you guaranteed acceptance into a Medigap plan.
Outside of your one-time Medigap Open Enrollment Period, medical underwriting may apply, unless you qualify for a guaranteed-issue right or your state provides additional protections. In plain language: you can apply, and you can be declined.
That's why I always recommend finding out whether you can qualify for Medigap coverage before making any decision to leave a Medicare Advantage plan. Leaving first and asking later is how people end up stuck.
There is no single national Plan G price. There never has been.
Plan G benefits are standardized, which means Plan G from one company covers the same things as Plan G from another. But the premium is not standardized. It varies by insurance company and by location, and it's also affected by the company's pricing method and other rating factors.
Two people with the same birthday, living in different states — or sometimes different ZIP codes — can see meaningfully different premiums for identical coverage.
So when you see someone online quote a single "2027 Plan G price," that number may have very little to do with what's actually available to you. The only way to know your number is to look at your area, with your details.
By September 30 — You should receive your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) from your current plan.
Beginning in October — Information about next year's Medicare health and drug plans becomes available.
October 15 through December 7 — Medicare Annual Enrollment, commonly called AEP. This is when most people can make changes.
January 1, 2027 — Changes made during AEP generally take effect.
January 1 through March 31, 2027 — The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, which gives people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan a limited additional opportunity to make a change.
Separate from all of these, certain life events and circumstances can create Special Enrollment Periods outside the normal calendar.
We don't have to wait until October 15 to get organized. Honestly, the people who have the easiest AEP are the ones who did a little work in September.
Here's what's useful to do right now:
Then, once 2027 plan information is available in October, we have something meaningful to compare it against.
Sometimes the best decision will be changing plans.
Sometimes the best decision will be keeping exactly what you already have.
The point is to know the difference — and to make that call on purpose, with your own information in front of you, instead of defaulting into next year and hoping it works out.
Every year I talk with people who switched when they shouldn't have, and people who stayed when they shouldn't have. The common thread in both is that nobody walked them through it.
If you'd like help reviewing your ANOC or preparing for 2027, visit BobWisecarver.com and schedule a conversation with me.
We'll go through it together and make sure your coverage still fits your life.
— Bob
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
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