Medicare 2026

Medicare Annual Enrollment Period in Scottsdale runs Oct 15–Dec 7

Scottsdale, Ariz. — Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) opened October 15 and closes December 7, 2026, and the choices you make during this window will shape your coverage for all of 2027. This is the one stretch of the year when nearly every person on Medicare can review, switch, or drop a plan — no special circumstances required.

Scottsdale, Ariz. — The clock is ticking on Medicare's biggest window of the year

If you live in Scottsdale, that deadline matters for a practical reason: the plans available in Maricopa County refresh every year, and so do the program-wide rules underneath them.

What you can actually do between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7

The Annual Enrollment Period is broader than many people realize. During this window, you can:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or go the other direction.
• Change from one Medicare Advantage plan to another — with or without drug coverage.
• Join a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan, drop one, or switch to a different one.
• Return to Original Medicare and pick up a Part D plan separately.

Any change you make during AEP takes effect January 1, 2027. If you make more than one change during the window, the last choice on file wins.

One thing AEP does not cover: Medigap (Medicare Supplement) plans. Those follow their own rules in Arizona, and switching Medigap policies outside your initial enrollment window can involve medical underwriting. If a Medigap change is on your mind, that's a separate conversation worth having with your local SHIP counselor.

What's new for 2027 — the numbers to know

Even if you like your current plan, it's worth a look this fall because the underlying Part D rules keep evolving:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your covered drug spending hits that ceiling, you pay nothing for covered prescriptions the rest of the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027 (plans can charge less).
• The coverage gap — the old "donut hole" — is gone. As of 2025, Part D has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across monthly payments instead of paying a big bill at the pharmacy counter. It's optional and free to opt into.
• IRMAA surcharges — the higher Part B and Part D premiums for higher-income households — kick in above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026 (roughly double that for joint filers), based on your 2024 tax return.

Scottsdale is in Maricopa County — here's why that matters

Medicare Advantage and Part D availability is set at the county level, not the city. Scottsdale sits inside Maricopa County, which is one of the largest and most competitive Medicare markets in the country. That means Scottsdale residents typically have a wide range of Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D options to compare each fall.

Volume is not the same as fit, though. In Maricopa County, the CMS Landscape lists 79 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers for 2027, compared with 88 plans from 16 carriers in 2026 — with 17 new plans, 13 not returning, 13 renamed, and 20 continuing plans changing something in their terms. A plan's network of doctors and hospitals, its drug formulary, and its rules around referrals and prior authorization can all change from one year to the next. That's why CMS mails an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) each September — it spells out what's different about your current plan for the coming year. If you haven't opened yours, this week is a good time.

A simple checklist before December 7

You don't need to overhaul everything. But a 20-minute review usually pays off:

1. Read the ANOC for your current plan. Note any changes to premiums, drug tiers, or provider networks. 2. List your prescriptions — names, doses, and how often you take them. 3. List the doctors and specialists you want to keep, plus your preferred pharmacy and hospital. 4. Run the numbers on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder (medicare.gov/plan-compare). It will show you which plans in Maricopa County cover your drugs and whether your providers are in-network. 5. If nothing about your health, drugs, or preferred doctors has changed — and your plan isn't changing either — you may not need to do anything. Coverage renews automatically.

What if you miss the deadline?

If December 7 passes and you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one more chance: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 – March 31, 2027. During that window you can switch to a different Advantage plan or drop back to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan). It's narrower than AEP — you can't, for example, jump from Original Medicare into an Advantage plan for the first time during that window.

Outside those periods, you generally need a Special Enrollment Period, triggered by events like moving, losing other coverage, or qualifying for Extra Help.