Medicare 2026

Medicare in Kentucky for 2027: 21 Advantage Plans Leaving, 30 New, and What Else Changes

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentuckians on Medicare will see a reshuffled menu of Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, a smaller lineup of stand-alone Part D drug plans, a higher cap on what drug plans can charge out of pocket in a year, and a 3.6 percent cost-of-living bump in Social Security checks beginning in January. The Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any plan choice made during it takes effect January 1, 2027.

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How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Kentucky for 2027?

Kentucky will have 123 Medicare Advantage plans available across its 120 counties for 2027, compared with 114 in 2026. Of the 2026 lineup, 21 plans are not returning anywhere in the state, 30 plans are new to Kentucky for 2027, and 23 plans are changing in at least one of these ways: a different premium, a different drug deductible, a different plan type, or a different plan name.

Because Medicare Advantage is sold county by county, a plan counted statewide may not be offered in your ZIP code. Two documents will tell you where you stand. The first is the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which plans mail in late September; it spells out what is different about your current plan for 2027. The second is a non-renewal letter, which only arrives if your plan is leaving. If you get that letter, you have a Special Enrollment Period that runs through the end of February 2027 to join a different Medicare Advantage plan or move back to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Part D plan.

One carrier, Provider Partners Health Plans, will not offer a Medicare Advantage plan anywhere in Kentucky for 2027. One carrier is new to the state's Medicare Advantage market for 2027: American Health Advantage of Indiana.

Which Kentucky counties see the most Medicare Advantage change for 2027?

Five Kentucky counties stand out for the amount of churn in their 2027 Medicare Advantage lineups. In Barren County, 14 plans are leaving and 13 are changing. In Jefferson County — home to Louisville and the state's largest group of Medicare members — 13 plans are leaving and 14 are changing. Knox, Lewis, and Russell counties each see 14 plans leaving and 13 changing.

If you live in one of those counties, read the ANOC closely even if you plan to stay put. A plan that is "changing" could have a different name, a different plan type (for example, HMO versus PPO), a different premium, or a different drug deductible for 2027. None of those shifts are necessarily good or bad; they just mean the plan you have in 2026 is not identical to the plan you would have in 2027.

How many stand-alone Part D drug plans does Kentucky have for 2027?

Kentucky will have 8 stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans available for 2027, down from 10 in 2026. They come from 4 insurers. Stand-alone Part D plans are the drug coverage people pair with Original Medicare or with a Medicare Advantage plan that does not include drugs.

Two national Part D rules matter for every Kentuckian with drug coverage in 2027. The annual out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs is $2,400 — up from $2,100 in 2026 — meaning once your covered drug spending reaches that amount, you pay $0 for covered drugs for the rest of the plan year. The maximum drug deductible any Part D plan may charge in 2027 is $700; many plans set theirs lower. The Part D base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33, a national figure used mainly to calculate the late-enrollment penalty; actual plan premiums are set plan by plan.

How many Medigap insurers are listed for Kentucky on Medicare.gov?

Medicare.gov lists 25 Medicare Supplement (Medigap) insurers for a ZIP code in Kentucky. Medigap policies work only with Original Medicare, not Medicare Advantage, and they help pay cost-sharing such as deductibles and coinsurance that Original Medicare leaves to you.

Federal rules give you your strongest guaranteed right to buy a Medigap policy during the six-month window that starts when you are 65 or older and first enrolled in Part B. Outside that window, Kentucky's rules on medical underwriting apply; the plan comparison and your rights are described on Medicare.gov.

What national Medicare numbers are set for 2027, and what is not?

Three national 2027 figures are confirmed. The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400. The maximum Part D deductible any plan may charge is $700. The Part D base beneficiary premium is $41.33. Social Security announced on October 14, 2026 that benefits payable beginning January 2027 will include a 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment.

Two important figures are not yet announced: the 2027 Part B standard monthly premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets and surcharges that apply to higher-income beneficiaries. CMS typically releases those in the fall, usually November. Watch Medicare.gov for the official numbers rather than estimates.

What should Kentuckians do before December 7, 2026?

A short checklist for the Annual Enrollment Period for 2027:

• Open the ANOC from your current Medicare Advantage or Part D plan and note any changes for 2027.
• If you got a non-renewal letter, mark the Special Enrollment Period that runs through February 2027.
• Make a list of your prescriptions, doctors, and preferred pharmacies, then run them through the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov.
• If you are on Original Medicare with a Medigap policy, confirm your stand-alone Part D plan still fits for 2027 — Kentucky has 8 of those plans available.
• Submit any plan change by December 7, 2026, so coverage starts January 1, 2027.

Where can Kentuckians get free help with Medicare for 2027?

Two free, official resources answer plan questions without selling anything. Medicare.gov hosts the Plan Finder, the Medigap search, and the formal rules on enrollment periods. 1-800-MEDICARE is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can walk you through options for your ZIP code.