How to Change Medicare Plans for 2027: Step-by-Step Enrollment Guide

How to Change Medicare Plans for 2027: Knowing how to change Medicare plans matters more this fall than it has in years, because more than a million people are being told their current Advantage coverage will not continue. Humana alone is sending non-renewal notices to about 600,000 members, roughly 8 percent of its Medicare Advantage enrollment, and expects to move around 40 percent of them into its other plans, which leaves about 360,000 to find coverage elsewhere. The notices are dated October 2 and the coverage ends December 31. Reports also point to reductions at Centene, Molina and UnitedHealthcare. If you received one of these letters, you do not need to panic, but you do need to act. Open enrollment began today and closes December 7, and a choice you make by then starts on January 1, 2027. Anyone who does nothing is moved to a different plan or to Original Medicare, depending on the situation. We will be updating this article monthly.

Other news makes the shopping season harder. CMS released the 2027 Star Ratings on October 8, and the number of Medicare Advantage drug plan contracts earning five stars fell from 22 to 15. About 71 percent of Advantage members are now in contracts rated four stars or higher. A proposed special enrollment period for people whose doctors leave a plan’s network was not included in CMS’s final rule, so there will be no new escape hatch if a provider drops out in the spring. The best protection is to check your doctors, drugs and pharmacy this week, while every option is still open. The steps below walk through the whole process, from reading the notice in your mailbox to confirming the new card in January, with a calculator at the end to test your own numbers.

Medicare Plan Change Dates You Need to Know

Should You Change Your Medicare Plan? Five Warning Signs

Many people skip the annual review because their plan has worked so far. That is a risky habit, because plans can change premiums, formularies, networks and copays every year, and the notice that explains it is easy to set aside. Consider switching if any of these apply:

• Your plan is not renewing. The notice will say so plainly, and you have the open enrollment window to pick a replacement.
• Your doctor, hospital or pharmacy is leaving the network or has changed status.
• A drug you take has moved to a higher tier, needs prior authorization or has been dropped from the formulary.
• Your total yearly cost is higher. Premium is only one part, so add the deductible, copays and drug costs.
• Your health has changed. A plan that fit when you were healthy may not fit after a diagnosis or a new specialist.

If none of those apply and your Annual Notice of Change shows small changes, staying put is a reasonable choice. The point is to decide on purpose.

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How to Change Medicare Plans: Seven Steps Before December 7

Step 1: Read your Annual Notice of Change. Every Advantage and drug plan must send one by the end of September. Look for the change in monthly premium, the deductible, the maximum out-of-pocket limit, specialist and hospital copays, and any change to the drug list or pharmacy network. If the notice is missing, ask the plan to send it or find it in your online account.

Step 2: Log in to your Medicare account. Use the MyMedicare login to save your medications, doses and preferred pharmacies. Plan Finder then calculates your likely total cost for each plan, not just its premium. Medicare Plan Finder was loaded with 2027 plan data by October 1, so numbers are current.

Step 3: Compare by total cost. For each plan add twelve months of premium, the deductible, expected copays and your estimated drug spending. Use the calculator below. Remember that a plan with a $0 premium can cost more than a plan with a $36 premium if your drugs sit on a higher tier.

Step 4: Check your doctors and hospitals. Call the office and ask whether they take the exact plan name for 2027. Insurers often list several plans with similar names, and a provider can be in network for one and not for another.

Step 5: Check the rules that control access. Look up prior authorization, step therapy and referral requirements for services you use. Reports note that Advantage plans will be able to process prior authorization requests electronically starting January 1, 2027, which may speed decisions but does not remove the requirement.

Step 6: Choose and enroll. You can enroll online through Plan Finder, call the plan or call 1-800-MEDICARE. You do not need to cancel your old plan if you are joining another Advantage plan or another drug plan, because the new enrollment replaces the old one. If you are leaving Advantage for Original Medicare, read the Medigap section below first.

Step 7: Confirm and keep records. Write down the date, the plan name and any confirmation number. Look for a confirmation letter and new card in December, and call the plan if nothing arrives by mid-December. Keep your old card until you receive the new one.

Plan Exits for 2027: What to Do If You Got a Non-Renewal Letter

Plan exits are the reason many people are changing this year. A Johns Hopkins study published in JAMA found about 2.9 million Advantage members, roughly 10 percent, had to change plans for 2026. This year’s exits include Humana plans rated 3.5 stars or lower. Humana’s chief financial officer described the move as cutting the lower tail of profitability. Aetna is also not paying commissions on 123 Advantage plans in 33 states for 2027, which means brokers may steer less business to them even though the plans still exist.

If your plan is leaving, you have three options. First, you can choose a replacement Advantage plan during open enrollment. Second, you can return to Original Medicare and add a standalone drug plan. Third, you can buy a Medigap policy, and in many cases the federal guaranteed issue right lets you do it without health questions. That window is reported to run for 63 days after your coverage ends, and it generally opens about 60 days before. Do not wait until the last week, because Medigap applications can take time and insurers in most states can deny applicants or charge more after the protected window.

Compare Medigap Plan G pricing against replacement Advantage plans before deciding. If your health needs are high and your doctors are outside a narrow network, a supplement can be worth its higher premium. If you are healthy and your doctors are in several networks, an Advantage replacement may cost far less.

2027 Star Ratings: How to Use Them When You Switch

Star Ratings measure plan quality on a five-star scale, using measures such as member experience, preventive care and drug safety. CMS released the 2027 ratings on October 8, and they appear in Plan Finder. Here is what changed:

Use the ratings as a tie-breaker, not as the main reason to switch. A five-star plan can still leave out your specialist, and a three-star plan can be a fine fit if your doctors and drugs are covered. Ratings are also contract-level, so one contract can cover many plans in many counties. Look at the details for the plan sold where you live.

Medicare rules have long allowed one move per year to a five-star plan if one is offered where you live, outside the normal enrollment windows. Availability depends on your county, so check in Plan Finder before assuming you can use it. CMS also removed a health equity reward from the Star Ratings system for 2027 and added new drug safety measures, which may shift which plans earn bonuses in future years.

Changing Part D Drug Plans: What to Check First

If you have Original Medicare, your drug coverage is a separate plan, so switching it is simple and does not affect your doctors. The test for a new drug plan has four parts. Every drug on your list should appear on the formulary at a tier you can afford. Your pharmacy should be a preferred pharmacy, because that usually lowers copays. Prior authorization, step therapy and quantity limits should not block a medication you need. And the plan’s total yearly estimate in Plan Finder should be lower than the one for your current plan.

Because the number of standalone plans is shrinking in many regions, check that your current plan is still offered in your region before assuming it renews. The 2027 maximum Part D deductible is $700 and the out-of-pocket cap is $2,400, so every drug plan has the same ceiling, but premiums and formularies differ. If your plan charged less than the maximum deductible this year, confirm what it charges for 2027, since many plans raise it.

Moving Between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage

Open enrollment lets you move in either direction. Going from Original Medicare to Advantage is usually straightforward. You choose a plan, enroll and your old drug plan ends automatically if the Advantage plan includes drug coverage. Going the other way takes more planning because of Medigap. In most states, a Medigap insurer can ask health questions if you apply outside your six-month window, and can deny coverage or charge more. People who leave Advantage during the first year after joining it for the first time may have a 12-month trial right to buy Medigap without health questions. Others may have rights because their plan is leaving or because of a state rule.

Use this order if you are leaving Advantage for Original Medicare:

1. Check whether you have a guaranteed right or whether your state has a birthday rule or a similar protection.
2. Apply for the Medigap policy and get written acceptance with a start date of January 1.
3. Enroll in a standalone Part D plan so that you are not without drug coverage.
4. Only then confirm the Advantage plan is ending, so that no gap occurs.

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Special Enrollment Periods and the January to March Window

The January to March window has limits. It cannot be used to join an Advantage plan from Original Medicare for the first time, and it does not let people in Original Medicare add a standalone drug plan. You also get only one change. People who rely on it should know that coverage typically starts the first day of the month after the plan receives the request. The proposed new window for provider terminations did not become final, so do not count on it.

How to Apply: Online, by Phone or With Help

You have four ways to enroll in a new plan. Plan Finder lets you compare and enroll online without paying a fee. You can call the plan directly, and the representative will confirm your name, Medicare number and plan choice. You can call 1-800-MEDICARE at any hour. You can also meet a counselor from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program, who gives free, unbiased help and has no commission. Brokers can help too, but they are paid by insurers and may not show every option, so ask which companies they represent and compare their suggestions against Plan Finder. You need your Medicare number to enroll, and nothing else. You do not need it to research plans.

Medicare Enrollment Processing Time

Processing times vary and there is no single official guarantee, so treat these as typical. Choices made by December 7 are designed to take effect on January 1, 2027. Plans usually send a confirmation and a new member card before the new year. If you have heard nothing by mid-December, call and ask for written confirmation. If you are buying Medigap, the insurer may take days or weeks to decide, so keep your current coverage until you have written approval. For drugs, ask your new plan about a temporary supply for medications that are not on its formulary or that need prior authorization. Many plans offer one for new members, but the rules vary, so ask before the first refill.

Medicare Payment Schedule After You Switch

• Part B premium: stays the same no matter which plan you choose, and is deducted from your Social Security check or billed by Medicare.
• Advantage or drug plan premium: paid to the new plan by bill, bank draft or withholding from Social Security, usually starting in January.
• Medigap premium: paid directly to the insurer, monthly or annually.
• Final bill from your old plan: may arrive in January for coverage through December 31, so keep paying until you confirm there is no balance.
• Prescription Payment Plan: if you used it, joining a new plan ends your participation, so sign up again with the new plan.

Medicare Plan Change Calculator for 2027

Use the calculator below to compare your current plan with a new one and to track your deadlines. Enter premiums, deductibles, expected copays and drug costs for each plan, and it shows the yearly difference and the savings per month. A second tool counts the days until December 7 and works out the Medigap guaranteed-issue window from the date your plan ends. Use plan numbers from your Annual Notice of Change and Plan Finder, since defaults are only examples.

Medicare Open Enrollment Scams: How to Protect Yourself

State officials are already warning about scams. A Michigan consumer protection release issued October 12 makes these points. Medicare and CMS will not call or visit your home to sell you a plan, and insurance agents cannot claim to be calling on Medicare’s behalf. Caller ID can be faked, so hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE yourself. You only need your Medicare number when you actually enroll. Ignore anyone who says you must join a drug plan or lose your Medicare coverage, because the drug plan is voluntary. Be careful with mail that looks like a government notice, because it often comes from private companies and the disclaimer is in small print. The same warning applies to the new $90 payment, which is described as automatic, so no caller can speed it up. Report suspected fraud to your state Senior Medicare Patrol or to 1-800-MEDICARE.

Official Websites and Phone Numbers to Change Medicare Plans

How to Change Medicare Plans FAQs

Conclusion

The best time to change Medicare plans is the week you receive your notice, and the best way is to compare total cost, networks and drug coverage in one sitting. This year the stakes are higher because more than a million people are in plans that are ending or shrinking, and the rules offer less rescue after December 7 than many people expect. Read your Annual Notice of Change, enter your drugs and pharmacy in Plan Finder, call your doctors, check Medigap rights if you plan to leave Advantage and enroll before December 7. Keep your confirmation, watch for your new card in December and ignore anyone who calls promising to do it for you. We will keep this article updated as CMS releases more figures.

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