Medicare 2026

Jacksonville Medicare: your Oct. 15–Dec. 7, 2026 window to shape 2027 coverage

JACKSONVILLE — It is Annual Enrollment season again, and for people on Medicare in Duval County, the calendar is the thing to watch. From October 15 through December 7, 2026, you can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, or move back to Original Medicare. Any choice you lock in during that window starts January 1, 2027.

If you like your plan and it is being offered again next year, you do not have to do anything — it will renew. But before you decide to sit tight, it is worth reading the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mailed you in September. Premiums, drug lists and provider networks can shift from one year to the next.

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

The Annual Enrollment Period is the one time of year almost everyone with Medicare can make these moves:

• Join a Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage) if you have Original Medicare.
• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
• Drop a Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare.
• Join, switch or drop a stand-alone Part D drug plan.

Whatever you choose, the new coverage starts January 1, 2027. If you make more than one change in the window, the last one you submit by Dec. 7 is the one that takes effect.

A separate window — the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027 — lets people already in an Advantage plan make one more switch or move back to Original Medicare. It is a safety net, not a substitute for using AEP.

The 2027 numbers CMS has already set

Two Part D figures are confirmed for next year:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• Part D national base beneficiary premium: $41.33 for 2027. This is a formula input CMS uses, not the premium any specific plan charges.

The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three phases. If drug costs are hard to budget month to month, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year.

Two important figures are not out yet: the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets. CMS typically publishes those in November. Until then, no one has the real numbers — be careful of anyone who claims they do.

Jacksonville's local picture

Jacksonville is in Duval County, where CMS lists 90 Medicare Advantage plans from 13 carriers for plan year 2026. That includes HMO, HMO-POS and PPO plans, and 44 Special Needs Plans designed for people with specific conditions, dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility or who live in institutional settings. Every Medicare Advantage plan in the county for 2026 includes drug coverage.

The carriers offering Medicare Advantage with drug coverage in Duval County are Aetna (CVS Health), American Health Advantage of Florida, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Florida Blue, Florida Blue HMO, Florida Complete Care, Gold Kidney Health Plan, Humana, Longevity Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan available in the county.

For 2027, there is movement in the lineup: 18 plans are not returning, 15 are new, and 17 have been renamed. That does not tell you whether your specific plan is affected — your ANOC does. If your plan is being discontinued, you will get a separate non-renewal notice and a Special Enrollment Period to pick something else.

Note on drug-only coverage: the Landscape file shows 0 stand-alone Part D plans flagged for Duval County in the 2026 data we are working from. Stand-alone Part D availability is set at the regional level, so check medicare.gov's Plan Finder with your ZIP code to confirm what is actually offered to you.

How to use the window well

A few steps that cost nothing and save headaches:

1. Read your ANOC. It lists exactly what is changing in your current plan for 2027. 2. Make a list of your drugs, doses and pharmacies. This is the single most useful thing to have in front of you on Plan Finder. 3. Check your doctors. If you are in or considering a Medicare Advantage plan, confirm your providers are in-network for 2027. 4. Compare on medicare.gov. The official Plan Finder shows every plan available at your ZIP code, with real 2027 costs once plans load. 5. Decide by Dec. 7. After that, your options narrow until the next AEP, with limited exceptions.

Where to get unbiased, local help

You do not have to figure this out alone, and you do not have to talk to a sales agent to get answers. In Florida, the SHINE program (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) is the state's SHIP — free, unbiased Medicare counseling run through the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the local Area Agency on Aging in Jacksonville. Counselors can sit with you, review your drug list and walk through Plan Finder with you.

• SHINE (Florida SHIP): 1-800-963-5337
• Medicare: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7
• Plan comparison: medicare.gov/plan-compare