Medicare 2026

Mandan Medicare resources: SHIP plus licensed agencies

MANDAN, N.D. — Picking a Medicare plan can feel like reading a foreign language. The good news: you don't have to figure it out alone, and you don't have to pay anyone to get straight answers.

Mandan seniors have free, unbiased help nearby

If you live in Mandan or anywhere in Morton County, there are two main places to turn for help — your state's SHIP counselors, who give free, unbiased guidance, and licensed insurance agents, who can walk you through specific plans. Both have a place. Knowing which to use, and when, can save you a lot of stress.

What SHIP is (and why it's free)

SHIP stands for State Health Insurance Assistance Program. It's a federally funded program that exists in every state to help people with Medicare understand their options. In North Dakota, it's run through the North Dakota Insurance Department and is often called SHIC — the Senior Health Insurance Counseling program.

SHIC counselors are trained volunteers and staff. They don't sell insurance, they don't earn commissions, and they aren't tied to any carrier. That's the key difference: their only job is to help you understand your choices.

You can reach North Dakota SHIC by calling 1-888-575-6611 or visiting insurance.nd.gov and searching for "SHIC." They can help you:

• Compare Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare
• Look at Part D drug coverage
• Understand Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policies
• Check if you qualify for programs like Extra Help or the Medicare Savings Program
• Review a plan's coverage against the medications you actually take

When a licensed agent makes sense

Licensed agents and brokers are also useful, especially once you've narrowed down what you want. A good agent can explain plan details, help you enroll, and stay in touch year after year when things change.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Agents are paid commissions by insurance companies. That doesn't make them dishonest, but it does mean they can only sell the plans they're contracted to sell.
• Ask any agent which carriers they represent. If they only offer one, you're getting a narrower picture.
• You should never be pressured, cold-called, or asked to sign the same day. That's a red flag.

Independent agents who represent multiple carriers generally give you a broader view than "captive" agents who work for a single company.

What's available around Mandan

Mandan is in Morton County, where 20 Medicare Advantage plans were offered for 2026, according to CMS Plan Finder data. Five carriers offered Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage (MA-PD) in the area. North Dakota has 11 stand-alone Part D plans for 2026, sold statewide — a counselor can help you compare them if you're on Original Medicare and need drug coverage. The 2027 lineup is in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

Roughly 5,800 people age 65 and older live in Morton County, so you're far from alone in sorting through this.

Availability is set at the county level, not the city, so the same options generally apply whether you're in Mandan, Fort Rice, or elsewhere in Morton County.

Program numbers worth knowing

A few program-wide facts that apply no matter which plan you pick:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your covered drug spending hits that, you pay nothing more for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• Coverage gap ("donut hole"): gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: an optional program that lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments.
• IRMAA (higher-income surcharges): begin above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

Key dates to circle

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7. This is when most people compare plans and switch for the following year.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan and it isn't working out, you can change once during this window.