2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Plans: What the New CMS Numbers Mean

On September 30, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released national projections for 2027 Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans. CMS expects broad Medicare Advantage availability and relatively stable national premiums, but those figures describe the market as a whole—not what any one person will pay or whether a particular plan will still fit their needs.

The practical takeaway is not that everyone should keep or change coverage. It is that every beneficiary should compare the plan-specific information in their Annual Notice of Change, Evidence of Coverage, formulary, provider directory, and Medicare Plan Finder before the December 7 deadline. Premiums are only one part of that review.

CMS projects that the weighted average monthly premium across all Medicare Advantage plans will decrease from $14.37 in 2026 to $12.00 in 2027, a 16.5% decline. That average includes plans with prescription drug coverage and Special Needs Plans. CMS also projects that about eight in 10 Medicare Advantage enrollees can remain in their current plan with the same or a lower premium.

A national weighted average is not a quote for your plan. Your premium may rise, fall, or stay the same, and you may also owe the Part B premium. A plan with a $0 or low additional premium can still have deductibles, copays, coinsurance, prior authorization rules, network limits, and a medical maximum out-of-pocket amount that materially affect total costs.

CMS says more than 99% of Medicare beneficiaries will have access to at least one Medicare Advantage plan in 2027 and 97% will have access to 10 or more choices. The agency expects approximately 5,532 Medicare Advantage plans nationally, compared with 5,553 in 2026.

Plans operate in defined service areas, and insurers may enter or leave particular counties each year. Availability also says nothing by itself about whether your doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, drugs, or preferred benefits are covered. Search using your permanent address and confirm details for the exact plan ID, not just the insurer name or a national headline.

For stand-alone Medicare drug plans, CMS projects the total average monthly Part D premium will increase from $35.09 in 2026 to $36.00 in 2027. CMS also says 88% of beneficiaries who do not receive the low-income subsidy will have access to a basic Part D plan costing $10.30 or less, while 93% will have access to an enhanced plan costing less than $6.

Those availability percentages do not mean the least expensive premium plan is the least expensive option for your prescriptions. A plan can have a low premium but place a drug on a different tier, use prior authorization or step therapy, exclude a drug from its formulary, or charge more at a particular pharmacy. Compare estimated annual drug and premium costs using your current medication list.

For Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage, CMS projects the average monthly Part D total premium after Medicare Advantage rebates will decrease from $11.32 in 2026 to $7.00 in 2027. This figure is the drug-premium component within MA-PD plans; it should not be added mechanically to the separate $12.00 average for all Medicare Advantage plans to predict an individual bill.

The actual premium and drug costs for an MA-PD plan depend on the specific plan and location. Review the plan’s total premium, deductible, formulary, pharmacy network, cost-sharing stages, utilization rules, and any separate charge for optional supplemental benefits. If you receive Extra Help, your premium and drug costs may differ from the standard figures shown.

CMS expects supplemental benefit offerings such as dental, hearing, and vision to remain stable overall. That does not guarantee that a particular plan will keep the same allowance, provider network, frequency limit, prior authorization rule, or covered services in 2027.

Read the benefit details rather than relying on a category label. For dental coverage, for example, confirm whether the plan covers preventive care only or also comprehensive services, which dentists participate, whether there is an annual allowance or maximum, and which exclusions apply. Use the same detail-level review for vision, hearing, transportation, food, and other supplemental benefits.

Medicare Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage begins October 15, 2026, and ends December 7, 2026. During that period, eligible beneficiaries can join, drop, or switch Medicare Advantage plans; switch between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage; or join, drop, or switch a stand-alone Medicare drug plan when the applicable rules are met. Changes generally take effect January 1, 2027.

If you are satisfied with your coverage, you generally do not need to re-enroll—but doing nothing means accepting the plan’s 2027 terms if it continues. Review the Annual Notice of Change even when the premium is unchanged. If you move from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare, investigate Part D and Medigap timing and eligibility before acting because Medigap protections vary and medical underwriting may apply outside protected periods.

Start with your must-have doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and prescriptions. Then compare the exact 2027 plan’s premium, medical and drug deductibles, copays and coinsurance, maximum out-of-pocket limit for covered medical services, formulary tiers, pharmacy pricing, network, referrals, prior authorization, travel needs, and supplemental-benefit limits.

Use Medicare Plan Finder for an initial comparison, then verify important details in current plan documents and directly with the plan and providers. Medicare Choose’s plan checkup and comparison tools can help you organize the decision, but no comparison tool can guarantee that a provider will remain in network or that a drug will be covered for the entire year.

For official help, call 1-800-MEDICARE or contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program for free, unbiased counseling. If you have employer, union, retiree, Medicaid, or Veterans Affairs coverage, speak with that program’s benefits administrator before joining or dropping a plan because a change can affect coverage you may not be able to restore.

Keep notes showing the date, representative, plan ID, and answers to your questions. Do not cancel existing coverage until you understand when the new coverage begins and any consequences for other benefits. Plan choice is personal: the right comparison depends on your care, medicines, finances, location, and coverage rules—not the national average alone.

CMS: “Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Programs Expected to Remain Stable in 2027,” released September 30, 2026. Medicare.gov: “Open Enrollment” and Medicare Plan Finder. These official sources provide the national 2027 premium and availability projections, Open Enrollment dates and permitted changes, and plan-comparison resources described in this article.