Medicare 2026

Before December 7: Your Portland Medicare Choices

PORTLAND, Ore. — Fall 2026 is the stretch when Medicare lets you redo your coverage for the year ahead. From October 15 through December 7, 2026, people on Medicare in Portland can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D drug plan, or move back to Original Medicare. Whatever you pick during that window starts January 1, 2027.

If you do nothing, nothing breaks. Your current plan rolls into 2027 if the carrier is still offering it — just with whatever changes are spelled out in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) that landed in your mailbox in late September.

What you can actually change in the window

The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is the one time of year almost anyone with Medicare can rework their coverage, no questions asked. In Portland, that means you can:

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

One Portland-specific note: Multnomah County's Medicare Advantage lineup for 2026 includes 58 plans that come with drug coverage built in, and CMS currently shows no stand-alone Part D plans listed for the county's 2026 landscape. If you want a stand-alone drug plan with Original Medicare, use Medicare's Plan Finder at medicare.gov to see 2027 options as they post.

When new coverage starts

Mark one date: January 1, 2027. That is when every choice made during AEP kicks in. You do not need to cancel your old plan — enrolling in a new Medicare Advantage or Part D plan automatically ends the one you had. If you move from Advantage back to Original Medicare and sign up for a stand-alone Part D plan, that switch also takes effect January 1.

If January 1 comes and you want to change your mind about a Medicare Advantage plan, there is a second window — the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 – March 31, 2027 — when you can switch Advantage plans once or go back to Original Medicare.

What's actually new for 2027

A few program-level numbers are already locked in by CMS for next year:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• Part D national base beneficiary premium: $41.33 for 2027. This is a formula input CMS uses, not what any single plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, plus the IRMAA income brackets for higher earners, have not been announced yet. CMS typically releases those figures in November. We will not estimate them here — check medicare.gov when they post.

The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") is gone as of 2025; Part D now has three phases. If your drug costs come in waves, ask any plan about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which spreads your out-of-pocket drug costs across the year in monthly bills.

The Portland lineup, by the numbers

Portland sits in Multnomah County, where plan availability is set. For the 2026 plan year, CMS lists 59 Medicare Advantage plans from 13 carriers serving the county, including HMO, HMO-POS and PPO designs and 15 Special Needs Plans for people with specific conditions, dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility, or institutional care needs.

Carriers offering Medicare Advantage with drug coverage in the county include Aetna (CVS Health), AgeRight Advantage, ATRIO Health Plans, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), CareOregon Advantage, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, PacificSource Medicare, Providence Medicare Advantage Plans, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan by carrier so you can see the full field.

Heading into 2027, the Multnomah County landscape is also shifting: 18 plans are not returning, 5 are new, and 7 have been renamed. If your plan is in one of those groups, the specifics will be in your ANOC. Read it — especially the sections on your drugs, your doctors, and your maximum out-of-pocket.

Where to get unbiased, local help

You do not have to figure this out alone, and you do not have to call an insurance agent to get answers.

• SHIBA (Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance) is Oregon's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). SHIBA counselors are trained volunteers who give free, one-on-one help and do not sell plans. Call 1-800-722-4134 or visit shiba.oregon.gov to find a counselor near you.
• Multnomah County Aging, Disability & Veterans Services (503-988-3646) can point you to local benefits help.
• Medicare directly: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7, or medicare.gov to compare plans in your ZIP code with your own drug list.

If you want to compare plans yourself, Medicare's Plan Finder lets you plug in your prescriptions and preferred pharmacies and see how plans stack up on your situation. That is the fairest comparison you can make.

A quick word on Star Ratings

Medicare publishes a Star Rating for each Advantage and Part D contract — a 1-to-5 score covering things like customer service, member complaints, and preventive care. For 2026 contracts in the area, CMS currently shows zero contracts rated 4 stars or higher. Ratings are one piece of information among many; they do not tell you whether a given plan covers your doctor or your medication. Use them as context, not as a verdict.