Medicare 2026
What Sacramento Medicare Members Can Change This Fall
Sacramento, Calif. — The fall window to set your Medicare coverage for 2027 opens Oct. 15, 2026, and closes Dec. 7, 2026. Any change you make during that stretch takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. For the roughly 243,000 people age 65 and older in Sacramento County, this is the main yearly chance to look at what you have, compare it to what's being offered, and decide whether to switch, drop, or stay put.
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Medicare Advantage plans in your area are changing or leaving for 2027.
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Medicare Advantage plans in your area are changing or leaving for 2027.
Is your plan on the list? One call tells you — before enrollment opens.
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- Your doctors — confirmed in-network for 2027
- Your prescriptions — checked against the plan's 2027 drug tiers
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Key takeaways
- The Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026, and any change you make starts Jan. 1, 2027.
- During the window, you can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, or return to Original Medicare.
- If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews for 2027 if it is still offered — read the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mails you.
- Free, unbiased local help is available in Sacramento through California's SHIP program, called HICAP.
What the Oct. 15 – Dec. 7 window actually lets you do
The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is wider than many people realize. Between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7, 2026, a person with Medicare in Sacramento can:
- Join a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time (if you have Parts A and B).
- Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
- Drop a Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare (Parts A and B).
- Join a stand-alone Part D drug plan, switch to a different one, or drop drug coverage.
Whatever you choose during the window begins Jan. 1, 2027. If you make more than one change before Dec. 7, the last one on file wins.
Note for Sacramento specifically: CMS data shows no stand-alone Part D plans listed for Sacramento County for the current plan year, while every Medicare Advantage plan offered here includes drug coverage. Availability can shift year to year, so when the 2027 Plan Finder opens on medicare.gov in early October, it is worth checking again.
What's on the table in Sacramento County
Sacramento is in Sacramento County, where 38 Medicare Advantage plans from 10 carriers are offered for the current year. By type, that breaks down to 29 HMO plans, five HMO-POS plans, and four PPO plans; 16 of the 38 are Special Needs Plans (SNPs) for people with specific conditions, dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility, or who live in an institution.
For 2027, 13 plans are not returning to this market, seven are new, and nine have been renamed. "Renamed" does not necessarily mean the benefits changed — but it does mean the plan name on your card or in Plan Finder may look different. The table below lists every Medicare Advantage plan offered in Sacramento County, with carrier and plan type.
If you do nothing
Nothing dramatic happens. If your current plan is offered again in 2027, you stay enrolled and your coverage simply rolls over on Jan. 1. If your plan is one of the 13 not returning next year, your carrier is required to notify you, and you get a Special Enrollment Period to pick something else.
Either way, in late September your plan sends an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). It is worth opening. The ANOC spells out the 2027 premium, deductible, drug tiers, copays, network changes and extra benefits for your specific plan — the details no outside article is allowed to summarize for you.
The 2027 numbers CMS has confirmed
A few program-level figures for 2027 are already set:
- The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs hits that cap, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
- The Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). Plans can set a lower deductible, or none.
- The Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 for 2027. This is a formula input CMS uses — it is not what any specific plan charges.
The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS typically publishes those in November. We will update coverage when the numbers are out; please don't act on anyone's guess in the meantime.
One useful tool, now in its second year: the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in level monthly bills, instead of paying a big amount at the pharmacy counter. It is optional and free to opt into; ask your Part D or Medicare Advantage plan.
How to compare without getting lost
A few practical steps:
1. Read your ANOC and your Evidence of Coverage. Flag anything that changed. 2. Make a short list: your doctors, your hospital preference, your current prescriptions with doses, and your pharmacy. 3. Go to medicare.gov/plan-compare, enter your ZIP code and drugs, and sort by total yearly cost — not just premium. 4. Confirm your providers and pharmacies are in-network for any plan you are seriously considering, by calling the plan directly.
Star Ratings, published by CMS, can help you compare plan quality on things like member experience and customer service. In Sacramento County's current data, no contracts here are rated 4 stars or higher — ratings change each year, and they are one input among several, not a verdict.
Free, local help in Sacramento
You do not have to figure this out alone, and you do not have to call an agent to get answers.
- HICAP (Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program) is California's SHIP — the State Health Insurance Assistance Program. HICAP counselors are trained volunteers who give free, unbiased, one-on-one help with Medicare choices. They do not sell plans. Reach California HICAP at 1-800-434-0222 or find your local office at aging.ca.gov/hicap. The Sacramento-area office is operated through Agency on Aging \ Area 4.
- Medicare itself: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7, or medicare.gov.
- Social Security for enrollment and premium questions: 1-800-772-1213 or ssa.gov.
By the numbers
Medicare Part B premium, 2006–2026
The standard monthly Part B premium has climbed from $88.50 in 2006 to $202.90 in 2026. Hover any point for that year’s premium.
Source: CMS. Standard premium shown; in some hold-harmless years many existing enrollees paid less. Confirm at Medicare.gov.
By the numbers
How people get Medicare in Sacramento County
(MA penetration in Sacramento County)
MA penetration from CMS enrollment data; Medigap share is an estimate. U.S. average is about 54% Medicare Advantage. These are area-level figures, not plan-specific.
Key dates
Medicare enrollment periods at a glance
- Around your 65thInitial Enrollment PeriodA 7-month window around the month you turn 65 — your first chance to sign up.
- October 15 – December 7Annual Enrollment PeriodAnyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
- January 1 – March 31Medicare Advantage Open EnrollmentIf you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can make one change.
- January 1 – March 31General Enrollment PeriodFor people who missed their first chance to sign up for Part B.
- VariesSpecial Enrollment PeriodTriggered by life events like moving or losing other coverage.
Dates are set by Medicare and apply nationwide. Confirm your personal windows at Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.
Explore
When can you enroll? An interactive year
Enrollment windows are federal and the same nationwide. Confirm your personal dates at Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.
Explore
The parts of Medicare
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
When does a change I make during AEP actually start?
Can I go back to Original Medicare if I'm in a Medicare Advantage plan?
What if I miss the Dec. 7 deadline?
Do I need to do anything if I like my plan?
- CMS — Medicare enrollment periods (medicare.gov)
- CMS — MA/Part D Landscape & Plan Finder data
For personalized answers, contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local SHIP.
Also for Sacramento
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This page was last updated: October 2026.