Medicare 2026

Confused About Medicare in Troy? Start With These Two Doors

In Troy, the questions pile up fast once Medicare enters the picture. When should you sign up? Do you need a drug plan? What changes in 2027? The good news: you don't have to figure it out alone, and you don't have to guess who is giving you a straight answer. Troy residents have two very different kinds of help available — and knowing which door to knock on first can save you a lot of frustration.

Start with SHIP — it's free and doesn't sell anything

Every state has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program, or SHIP. In Michigan, it's called MMAP — the Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program. MMAP counselors are trained volunteers and staff who help you understand your choices. They don't sell insurance, they don't earn commissions, and they don't favor one carrier over another.

That's a big deal in a county like Oakland, where 103 Medicare Advantage plans were available for 2026. The 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. When someone has no financial stake in your decision, you can trust that the pros and cons they lay out are just that — pros and cons.

MMAP can help you with:

• Understanding Original Medicare (Parts A and B) versus Medicare Advantage
• Comparing Part D drug plans against your prescription list
• Reviewing Medigap (supplement) options
• Applying for programs that help with premiums or drug costs if you're on a limited income
• Sorting out billing problems or denied claims

You can reach MMAP statewide at 1-800-803-7174, or find a local counselor through mmapinc.org.

When a licensed agent makes sense

Licensed insurance agents and brokers serve a different role. They can actually enroll you in a plan — SHIP counselors can't. A good agent will walk you through options from the carriers they represent and handle the paperwork.

The key thing to remember: agents are paid by insurance companies. That doesn't make them dishonest — many are excellent — but it does mean their recommendations are limited to the plans they're contracted to sell. If an agent only works with two carriers, you're only hearing about two carriers.

A few questions worth asking any agent before you sign anything:

• Which carriers are you appointed with?
• Are you an independent broker or captive to one company?
• Will you review my plan with me every year during Annual Enrollment?
• Can you show me how my specific prescriptions are covered?

The Troy area, by the numbers

Troy is in Oakland County, and plan availability is set at the county level. For 2026, Oakland County had 103 Medicare Advantage plans and 13 different carriers offering Medicare Advantage with drug coverage. There were no stand-alone Part D plans listed separately in that landscape data for the area, so most drug coverage decisions happen inside MA-PD plans or through Original Medicare paired with a Medigap and separate drug coverage. The 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

With more than 235,000 residents age 65 and older in the county, the demand for clear guidance is enormous — which is exactly why free help exists.

Rules worth knowing before you meet with anyone

Whether you talk to MMAP or a licensed agent, come prepared. A few facts will shape almost every conversation:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your drug spending hits that ceiling, you pay nothing more for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: up to $615 in 2026 and up to $700 in 2027, depending on the plan.
• The donut hole is gone. As of 2025, Part D has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: you can choose to spread drug costs across the year in monthly installments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA: higher-income surcharges on Part B and Part D premiums start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.
• Enrollment windows: Annual Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7. Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment runs January 1 through March 31.

How to decide which door to knock on

Here's a simple way to think about it:

• If you want to learn, compare, and understand — start with MMAP.
• If you want to enroll and want ongoing help managing your plan year to year — a licensed agent can do that.
• Many Troy residents actually use both: MMAP to understand the landscape, then an agent to handle enrollment once they know what they're looking for.

Neither path costs you money out of pocket. SHIP is federally funded. Agents are paid by carriers, not by you.