Medicare 2026

Before You Open That ANOC Letter, Read This

Columbus, Ohio — fall 2026. If you have Medicare and live in or around Columbus, this is the stretch when the mail gets heavy and the choices get real. The Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change you make now takes effect January 1, 2027. Here is what we actually know about 2027 so far — and what Medicare has not yet announced.

What CMS has confirmed for Part D in 2027

Three Part D numbers are already locked in for next year:

• 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 Part D drugs the rest of the year.
• Maximum Part D deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). Plans can set a lower deductible, but none can go above this ceiling.
• National base beneficiary premium: $41.33 for 2027. This is a formula input Medicare uses behind the scenes — it is not what any particular plan charges you.

The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic. If monthly drug costs are hard to manage, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread what you owe at the pharmacy across the calendar year at no extra cost.

What CMS has not announced yet

Two big numbers for 2027 are still pending:

• The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible. CMS typically announces these in the fall, often in November.
• The 2027 IRMAA income brackets and surcharges, which affect higher-income beneficiaries. For context, in 2026 IRMAA begins above $109,000 in income for a single filer; the 2027 thresholds will be published alongside the Part B figures.

We will not estimate those numbers here, and we would encourage you to be skeptical of anyone who does. Watch medicare.gov for the official release.

Why your Annual Notice of Change matters more than any headline

Every Medicare Advantage and Part D plan sends an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) in September. It is the only document that spells out, for your specific plan, what is changing on January 1 — the premium, the deductible, the drug list (formulary), the pharmacy network, the provider network, and the copays for the services you actually use.

A few things to check in yours:

• Is your plan still being offered in 2027? (If not, you have a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new one.)
• Are your prescriptions still covered, and at the same tier?
• Are your doctors and preferred hospitals still in-network?
• Did the maximum out-of-pocket change?

If you cannot find the ANOC, call the number on your member ID card and ask them to resend it.

How the Columbus-area plan lineup is shifting

Plan availability is set at the county level. Columbus is in Franklin County, where 92 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 carriers are offered for 2026, every one of them including drug coverage. By plan type, that breaks down to 37 HMO plans, 17 HMO-POS, 37 PPO, and 1 PFFS, with 30 of the 92 structured as Special Needs Plans (for people with Medicaid, certain chronic conditions, or who live in a nursing home).

For 2027, the lineup moves: 27 plans are not returning, 14 are new, and 5 are being renamed. If your plan is on the "not returning" list, your ANOC — or a separate non-renewal notice — will say so, and you will have time to pick a replacement.

The carriers offering Medicare Advantage with drug coverage in Franklin County are Aetna (CVS Health), CareSource MyCare Ohio, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Medical Mutual of Ohio, MediGold, Molina Healthcare of Ohio, Perennial Advantage, The Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan offered in the county for the current plan year.

One note for Columbus residents who want a stand-alone drug plan to pair with Original Medicare: those (PDPs) are sold on a separate statewide list, not inside the county Advantage count above. The Medicare Plan Finder on medicare.gov shows the PDPs available in your ZIP code.

A simple plan for the next few weeks

• Open your ANOC when it arrives and compare the 2027 column to 2026.
• List your prescriptions and your doctors, then check them against your plan's 2027 formulary and network.
• Use medicare.gov's Plan Finder to compare plans side-by-side using your drug list.
• Decide by December 7, 2026. If you do nothing, your current plan renews for 2027 (if it is being offered) with the changes in the ANOC.
• If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan and change your mind in January, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31, 2027) gives you one more chance to switch to a different MA plan or return to Original Medicare.