Medicare Open Enrollment for 2027: What Is Changing and How to Prepare

Medicare's yearly window to change coverage opens October 15 and closes December 7, 2026. Whatever you pick takes effect January 1, 2027. This is the one stretch of the year when anyone on Medicare can switch drug plans, move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, or change from one Advantage plan to another, no questions asked.

The biggest change for 2027 is in what you pay for prescriptions. The cap that limits your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs is going up, and so is the Part D deductible. Both numbers are official now, set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, so this is not a forecast that might move before January.

The dates that matter

Open Enrollment is fixed by law and does not move: October 15 through December 7, every year. Your enrollment request has to reach the plan by December 7 for coverage to begin January 1. Miss it, and in most cases you are locked into your current plan for the year.

There is a second, narrower window after that. From January 1 through March 31, 2027, people already in a Medicare Advantage plan can make one change, such as switching to a different Advantage plan or going back to Original Medicare. It is a backstop, not a do-over for everyone, so the October-to-December window is the one to use.

Drug costs: a higher cap and a higher deductible

Since 2025, Part D has capped what you pay out of pocket for covered drugs in a year. That cap started at $2,000, rose to $2,100 for 2026, and rises again to $2,400 for 2027. Once your own spending on covered drugs hits that ceiling, you pay nothing more for them the rest of the year. The old coverage gap known as the donut hole is gone.

The Part D deductible, the amount you pay before the plan starts sharing drug costs, also goes up, from $615 in 2026 to $700 in 2027. Here is how the standard numbers line up.

A few things to keep in mind about that table. The base beneficiary premium is a national benchmark, not the premium you actually pay; your plan's premium can be higher or lower, and many Advantage plans fold drug coverage in at no separate premium. The cap and the deductible are the standard figures, and some plans are more generous. The point is the direction: in 2027 you can spend a bit more before the plan kicks in, and a bit more before the cap protects you.

If the cap sounds out of reach, look at what you actually spent this year on your own prescriptions. Anyone hit hard by drug costs should also check whether they qualify for Extra Help, which lowers or erases Part D premiums and deductibles. See our guide to Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help for who qualifies and how to apply.

Read the one letter your plan sent in September

By September 30, your plan had to send you a document called the Annual Notice of Change. It spells out exactly how your plan is changing for 2027: the premium, the deductible, the copays, and, the part people miss, whether your drugs are still covered and whether your doctors and pharmacies are still in network.

This is the single most useful piece of mail you will get this fall, and it is easy to toss with the junk. Pull it out and check three things: Is my monthly premium changing? Are the drugs I take still on the plan's list, at the same tier? Are my doctor and my pharmacy still in the network? If any answer is no, that is your signal to shop.

How to compare plans without getting buried

The Plan Finder at Medicare.gov is the tool to use, and it does the math that sales calls will not. Enter the drugs you take and your pharmacy, and it estimates your total yearly cost, premium plus deductible plus copays, for each plan in your area. The cheapest premium is often not the cheapest plan once your specific drugs are counted.

• Have your current plan's Annual Notice of Change and a list of your prescriptions, with doses, in front of you.
• On Medicare.gov, sort plans by estimated total yearly cost, not by premium alone.
• Confirm every drug you take is covered and check its tier, since a covered drug on a high tier can still be expensive.
• Check that your doctors and your pharmacy are in the plan's network before you switch.
• If you want free, unbiased help, your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) offers one-on-one counseling at no cost.

One more option worth knowing about, especially if a big drug bill early in the year would strain your budget. The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments instead of paying the pharmacy all at once. It is voluntary, it costs nothing to join, and it does not lower your total bill; it just changes the timing. You sign up through your plan.

Expect more calls, mail, and ads

Open Enrollment is also peak season for aggressive marketing, and a lot of it blurs the line into a scam. Medicare will not call you out of the blue to sell a plan, and no legitimate plan asks for your Medicare number over an unsolicited call. If a pitch pressures you to act today or promises extra benefits that sound too good, hang up and compare on Medicare.gov or through SHIP instead.

For the wider set of benefit changes landing next year, see our roundup of senior benefits changes for 2026. And for the drugs whose prices Medicare negotiated directly, which affects what some plans charge, see Medicare's first negotiated drug prices.

The bottom line

You do not have to do anything during Open Enrollment; if you take no action, your current plan rolls over into 2027 with its new costs. But rolling over is a choice, and it is often the wrong one, because plans change their drug lists, networks, and prices every year. Spend twenty minutes with your Annual Notice of Change and the Plan Finder before December 7. For most people it is the highest-paid twenty minutes of the fall.

This article is a news report for general information and is not professional or financial advice. Plan costs and coverage vary by plan and location; confirm your own plan's details with Medicare and your plan before making a decision.