Medicare 2026
Boston Medicare in 2027: the Part D numbers CMS has set, and the ones still coming
BOSTON — Fall 2026 is here, and with it the one window each year when most people with Medicare can change how their coverage works for next year. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any choice you make in that window takes effect January 1, 2027.
Compare Medicare options near you
Answer 3 quick questions to see Medicare listings from licensed insurance partners.
What’s your ZIP code?
Plan availability is set by your county, so we start here.
How old are you?
This helps match you with options you’re eligible for.
Do you have Medicare Parts A & B?
This affects which Medicare options you can choose.
These listings are provided by licensed insurance partners.
Medicare Advantage plans in your area are changing or leaving for 2027.
One call tells you whether your plan is on the list — before enrollment opens.
Available now — current wait: 0 min
A real person answers. No phone menu, ever.
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.
Available now — current wait: 0 min
A real person answers. About 5 minutes, no obligation.
Agents available Mon–Fri, 8am–6pm CT
Advertising disclosure: MyMedicarePlans.org may be compensated when you contact a partner or licensed agent. Listings are not ranked or endorsed by us, and we do not recommend specific plans. You can also contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local SHIP.
Speak to a Licensed Insurance Agent
Click to call 855-729-3240Found a plan you like online?
One free call confirms it's actually right for you — online directories are wrong more often than you'd think.
- Your doctors — confirmed in-network for 2027
- Your prescriptions — checked against the plan's 2027 drug tiers
855-729-3240 · free · about 5 minutes
Key takeaways
- The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to **$2,400 in 2027**, up from $2,100 in 2026, and the Part D maximum deductible rises to **$700** from $615.
- CMS has not yet published the 2027 Part B standard premium, deductible, or IRMAA brackets; those typically come out in November.
- If you do nothing by Dec. 7, 2026, your current plan simply renews for 2027 if it is still offered — read your Annual Notice of Change to see what shifted.
- Boston is in Suffolk County, where **52 Medicare Advantage plans from 11 carriers** are offered for 2026; the 2027 lineup includes some plans not returning, some new ones, and a few renamed.
CMS has already locked in some of the 2027 numbers that matter most for prescription drug coverage. Others — notably the Part B premium and the IRMAA income brackets — will not be official until later this fall. Here is what Boston residents can weigh now, and what to wait on.
What CMS has already confirmed for 2027
Three Part D numbers are set in stone for next year:
- Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (it is $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.
- Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). This is the ceiling — individual plans can set a lower deductible.
- Part D national base beneficiary premium: $41.33 for 2027. This is a formula input CMS uses behind the scenes; it is not what any specific plan charges.
The coverage gap — the old "donut hole" — remains gone. Part D in 2027 still has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic (where you hit the cap). The optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly bills instead of paying at the pharmacy counter, continues to be available.
What CMS has not announced yet
Two big pieces are still outstanding as of this writing:
- The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible. CMS typically publishes these in November.
- The 2027 IRMAA income brackets and surcharges — the amounts higher-income enrollees pay on top of the standard Part B and Part D premiums. These come out alongside the Part B figures.
For context only: in 2026, IRMAA surcharges begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer. The 2027 thresholds will shift, but we will not know by how much until CMS says so. Please don't rely on projections you may see online — wait for the official CMS announcement.
The Annual Notice of Change: your most important mail this fall
If you are already in a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, your insurer must send you an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) by the end of September. It spells out exactly how your plan is changing for 2027 — premium, deductible, copays, drug formulary, provider network, extra benefits, and whether the plan is being renamed, consolidated, or discontinued.
Read it. Compare the "2026" column to the "2027" column line by line. If something you rely on — a specific medication, a specialist, a dental benefit — has moved, that is your signal to shop during AEP.
If your plan is not being offered in 2027, your insurer will send a separate non-renewal notice and you will get a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new plan.
How Boston's local plan picture is moving
Boston is in Suffolk County, where the 2026 CMS Landscape file shows 52 Medicare Advantage plans offered by 11 carriers, all of them with drug coverage included. There are no stand-alone Part D plans listed for the county this year, which matters mainly for people on Original Medicare who want drug coverage — in that situation it is worth calling 1-800-MEDICARE or SHINE (the Massachusetts SHIP) to understand your options.
Across the Suffolk County lineup, the plan mix includes HMO, HMO-POS, and PPO options, along with 16 Special Needs Plans for people who qualify (for example, dual-eligibles with both Medicare and MassHealth). The carriers currently offering MA-PD plans in the area include Aetna (CVS Health), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Commonwealth Care Alliance, eternalHealth, Fallon Health, Humana, Mass General Brigham Health Plan, Molina Healthcare of Massachusetts, Tufts Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan offered in the county.
For 2027, CMS data shows the Suffolk County lineup includes some turnover: 14 plans are not returning, 12 are new, and 3 have been renamed. We can tell you that change exists — your ANOC will tell you specifically whether yours is one of them.
What a Boston resident should do between now and Dec. 7
- Open the ANOC when it arrives and compare 2026 to 2027.
- Make a short list of what you need the plan to cover: your doctors, your prescriptions, any hospital system (for example, Mass General Brigham, Beth Israel Lahey, Boston Medical Center), and benefits that matter to you.
- Use the official Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare plans side by side with your actual drug list and pharmacy.
- Wait for the 2027 Part B and IRMAA numbers before you finalize your budget planning, if those apply to you.
- If you do nothing, your current plan renews for 2027 as described in your ANOC — provided it is still offered.
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 Suffolk County
(MA penetration in Suffolk 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 exactly can I change my Medicare coverage for 2027?
What is the Part D out-of-pocket cap in 2027?
Why doesn't this article tell me the 2027 Part B premium?
What happens if I don't do anything during AEP?
- CMS — Medicare Part D program rules (medicare.gov)
- 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 Boston
Content Integrity Standards
- No invented figures. Program-level numbers come from CMS / Medicare.gov; we never use placeholder data.
- No plan rankings or recommendations. This is educational content. We don't rank, score, or recommend specific plans.
- AI-assisted, human-reviewed. Articles are produced with AI-assisted tools and reviewed by the responsible desk before publishing.
- Inline sourcing. Facts and figures are cited to primary sources — CMS, SSA, and Medicare.gov.
- Correction transparency. We fix errors openly and note when a page was last updated.
- Not a government site. MyMedicarePlans.org is privately owned and not affiliated with or endorsed by Medicare or any government agency.
This page was last updated: October 2026.