Medicare 2026

Medicare in Minnesota for 2027: 35 Advantage Plans Leaving, 19 New, and What Else Changes

ST. PAUL — Minnesotans with Medicare will see a smaller Medicare Advantage menu for 2027, a new national cap on what Part D drug plans can charge out of pocket, and a 3.6 percent cost-of-living bump to Social Security benefits that begins in January. The dates that matter most are already on the calendar: Annual Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any choice made then takes effect January 1, 2027.

Medicare 2026Minnesota

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

Minnesota has 66 Medicare Advantage plans offered across the state for 2027, compared with 82 in 2026. Within that shift, 35 plans are not returning anywhere in Minnesota, 19 plans are new, and 24 are changing in some way — a different premium, drug deductible, plan type or plan name. Humana is not offering a Medicare Advantage plan anywhere in the state for 2027.

Medicare Advantage plans are sold county by county, so a plan counted in the statewide total may or may not be offered in any one of Minnesota's 87 counties. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov shows exactly which plans serve a given ZIP code.

Two pieces of mail do the heavy lifting here. The Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), sent each fall by the current plan, lays out what is different for the coming year. A separate non-renewal letter arrives only when the plan itself will not be offered in 2027. A member whose plan is leaving qualifies for a Special Enrollment Period that runs through the end of February 2027 to join another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Part D plan.

Which Minnesota counties have the most Medicare Advantage change for 2027?

Five Twin Cities-area counties show the largest churn in Minnesota for 2027: Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Ramsey and Scott. Each of the five has 18 plans leaving and 6 plans changing. Residents of those counties are the most likely to open an ANOC or a non-renewal letter this fall, and the most likely to need a fresh look at the Plan Finder before December 7, 2026.

Change does not automatically mean a worse plan — it just means something is different. The point of the ANOC is to let the member see the specifics in writing and compare them to other 2027 options for the same ZIP code.

How many stand-alone Part D drug plans are available in Minnesota for 2027?

Minnesota has 9 stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans available for 2027, down from 11 in 2026, offered by 5 insurers. Stand-alone Part D is the drug coverage used alongside Original Medicare (and alongside most Medigap policies); people enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan generally get their drug coverage through that plan.

Two national Part D rules apply across every plan in 2027: the out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs is $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and no plan may set a drug deductible higher than $700. Plan-specific premiums, formularies and pharmacy networks vary and should be checked on the Plan Finder.

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

A ZIP code search on Medicare.gov returns 10 Medigap (Medicare Supplement) insurers for Minnesota. Minnesota is one of three states (with Massachusetts and Wisconsin) that standardizes Medigap differently from the lettered plans used elsewhere, so comparisons are made within the Minnesota framework rather than by Plan G, N and so on.

Medigap works only with Original Medicare, not with Medicare Advantage. The rules on when a person can buy a Medigap policy without medical underwriting are set federally and by Minnesota; details are on medicare.gov.

What national Medicare changes take effect in 2027, and what about Social Security?

For 2027, the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 and the maximum allowed Part D deductible is $700. The Part D base beneficiary premium — a national figure used to calculate the late-enrollment penalty — is $41.33 for 2027; actual plan premiums are set plan by plan.

The Social Security Administration announced on October 14, 2026 a 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment for benefits payable beginning January 2027. For most people, Part B premiums are deducted from the Social Security payment, so the net deposit depends on both figures.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income-related surcharges, have not yet been announced. CMS typically releases them in the fall, usually November. Watch medicare.gov for the official numbers.

What should Minnesota Medicare members check before December 7, 2026?

Before December 7, 2026, every Minnesota Medicare member can take five concrete steps:

• Open the ANOC from the current Medicare Advantage or Part D plan and note what is changing for 2027.
• Watch for a non-renewal letter; if one arrives, the Special Enrollment Period runs through the end of February 2027.
• Run the current prescription list, pharmacy and doctors through the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov for the home ZIP code.
• Confirm the 2027 Part D rules (the $2,400 cap and the $700 maximum deductible) when comparing drug coverage.
• If help with drug costs is a question, ask about Extra Help (the Part D Low-Income Subsidy) at medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.

Where can Minnesotans get free Medicare help?

Free, official Medicare help is available two ways: at medicare.gov, which hosts the Plan Finder and the Medigap search, and by phone at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Both are run by the federal Medicare program and do not sell plans.