Medicare 2026

Albuquerque Medicare enrollment for 2027: your window, your choices, and where to get free local help

ALBUQUERQUE — Starting October 15, 2026, people with Medicare in Albuquerque can review their coverage for next year and make changes that take effect January 1, 2027. The window closes December 7, 2026. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews for 2027 if it is still offered — with whatever changes are spelled out in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mailed you in September.

That is the whole shape of the season. The rest is figuring out whether your plan still fits.

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

The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is the one time of year almost anyone with Medicare can rework their coverage. During the window you can:

• Join a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time, if you have Parts A and B.
• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
• Drop a Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare (Part A and Part B).
• Join a stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, switch to a different one, or drop drug coverage.

Whatever you choose takes effect January 1, 2027. If you make more than one change during the window, the last one you submit by December 7 is the one that counts.

One note for Albuquerque readers: the CMS Landscape file for 2026 shows zero stand-alone Part D plans listed in Bernalillo County's Medicare Advantage lineup, because every Medicare Advantage plan available locally already includes drug coverage. Stand-alone Part D plans for people on Original Medicare are offered separately; you can see them on the Medicare.gov Plan Finder.

What is actually new for 2027

CMS has confirmed a few program-wide numbers for 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (it is $2,100 in 2026).
• The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (it is $615 in 2026).
• The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33. That is a formula input Medicare uses — it is not what any specific plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS usually publishes those in the fall, typically November. We will update coverage when they are posted; please do not act on any projection you see in the meantime.

The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan — the option to spread your drug costs across the year in level monthly bills instead of paying at the pharmacy counter — continues in 2027. You can opt in through your Part D or Medicare Advantage drug plan.

The Albuquerque picture: what is on the table

Albuquerque is in Bernalillo County, where 51 Medicare Advantage plans from 8 carriers are offered for 2026. All of them include prescription drug coverage, and 17 are Special Needs Plans (for people with specific conditions, who have both Medicare and Medicaid, or who live in an institution). By type, the county's lineup is split across HMO, HMO-POS, and PPO plans.

For 2027, CMS data shows 24 plans are not returning in the county, 9 are new, and 9 have been renamed. "Not returning" does not mean you lose Medicare — it means that specific plan will not be sold next year, and you'll want to pick a replacement during AEP so you have the coverage you want on January 1. Your plan is required to tell you in writing if it is leaving.

The eight carriers offering Medicare Advantage in the county for 2026 are Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), CHRISTUS Health Advantage, Devoted Health, Humana, Molina Healthcare of Arizona, Presbyterian Health Plan, SCAN Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan available in the county.

How to decide — without guessing

A good review for 2027 does not start with ads. It starts with four things sitting on your kitchen table:

1. Your plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). This came in September. It tells you exactly what is changing about your current plan for January — premium, deductible, drug tiers, provider network, extra benefits. 2. Your prescriptions. A current list, with doses, is the single most useful thing you can bring to any Medicare conversation. 3. Your doctors and hospitals. If staying in-network with specific Albuquerque providers matters to you, write them down. 4. How you want to pay. Original Medicare plus a Medigap plus a Part D plan is one shape; Medicare Advantage (usually with drug coverage built in) is another. Neither is universally better — it depends on your health, your providers, your budget, and your tolerance for paperwork vs. network rules.

Then compare on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder, which lets you plug in your drugs and your pharmacy and see your real projected 2027 costs plan by plan.

Local, free, unbiased help in Albuquerque

You do not have to figure this out alone, and you should not rely only on a sales call for a decision this big.

• New Mexico SHIP (Benefits Counseling), NM Aging and Long-Term Services Department: 1-800-432-2080. Trained counselors who do not sell insurance walk through your options with you.
• Medicare directly: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Medicare.gov Plan Finder: compare every Medicare Advantage and Part D plan available in your ZIP code for 2027.
• Social Security Administration: 1-800-772-1213 for questions about Part B enrollment and IRMAA.

Local senior centers and public libraries around Albuquerque often host SHIP counselors during AEP. Call ahead to confirm.

If you miss December 7

For most people, the next chance to change Medicare Advantage is the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 – March 31, 2027. During that window, if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to a different one or drop back to Original Medicare (and pick up a Part D plan). It is not a second chance to join Medicare Advantage from Original Medicare, and it is not a window for stand-alone Part D changes.

Special Enrollment Periods also exist for specific life events — moving, losing other coverage, qualifying for Extra Help, and so on.