Medicare 2026

Medicare in South Dakota for 2027: 10 Advantage Plans Leaving, 11 New

SIOUX FALLS — People with Medicare in South Dakota will see a reshuffled Medicare Advantage menu for 2027, a smaller stand-alone Part D field, and new national figures for Part D out-of-pocket costs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) landscape files show 28 Medicare Advantage plans offered across the state for 2027, up from 27 in 2026, with 10 plans leaving entirely, 11 new plans arriving, and 11 existing plans changing something a member would notice — the premium, drug deductible, plan type or plan name.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in South Dakota for 2027?

South Dakota will have 28 Medicare Advantage plans available across its 66 counties in 2027, compared with 27 in 2026, according to the CMS landscape file. Within that total, 10 plans are not returning anywhere in the state, 11 are brand new, and 11 are continuing but changing a feature such as the premium, drug deductible, plan type or plan name. Wellmark Advantage Health Plan is listed as having no Medicare Advantage plan offered in South Dakota for 2027.

A statewide count is not the same as what shows up on your doorstep. Medicare Advantage is sold county by county, so the plans available in Minnehaha County may differ from those in Pennington or Brown. The Medicare Plan Finder at Medicare.gov is the authoritative tool for your ZIP code.

What happens if my Medicare Advantage plan is leaving South Dakota in 2027?

If your plan is not returning for 2027, your insurer must send a non-renewal letter in early fall 2026, and you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period that runs from December 8, 2026 through the end of February 2027 to choose a new Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan. You will not be left without Part A and Part B — those stay in place — but your drug coverage and any extra benefits tied to the plan end December 31, 2026 unless you enroll in something else.

Every current member should also look for the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which arrives by late September 2026 and spells out what is different for 2027. Even if your plan is one of the 11 continuing with changes, the ANOC is where the premium, deductible, plan type or name change will be disclosed.

Which South Dakota counties have the most Medicare Advantage change for 2027?

Five counties stand out in the CMS file for the volume of plan turnover in 2027. Douglas County and Miner County each have 11 plans leaving and 5 changing. Lincoln County, McCook County, and Minnehaha County each have 6 plans leaving and 10 changing. If you live in one of these counties, there is a higher chance your current plan is affected, which makes reading the ANOC and the non-renewal letter especially important before December 7, 2026.

How many stand-alone Part D drug plans are offered in South Dakota for 2027?

South Dakota will have 9 stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans available in 2027, from 5 insurers, down from 11 plans in 2026, according to the CMS landscape file. Stand-alone Part D is the drug coverage people typically pair with Original Medicare or with a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy. If your 2026 stand-alone Part D plan is one of the two no longer being offered, you will receive a non-renewal notice and qualify for the same Special Enrollment Period through February 2027.

How many Medigap insurers are available in South Dakota for 2027?

Medicare.gov lists 27 Medicare Supplement (Medigap) insurers for a South Dakota ZIP code heading into 2027. Medigap is separate from Medicare Advantage: it works alongside Original Medicare to help pay cost-sharing like coinsurance and deductibles, and it is standardized by federal letter plans (Plan G, Plan N and so on). Medigap enrollment rules, including when a carrier can ask health questions, are set by federal law and South Dakota state law; the specifics are explained at Medicare.gov.

What are the national Medicare numbers for 2027?

Four national figures are confirmed for 2027. The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400, down from $2,100 in 2026. The maximum any Part D plan may charge as a deductible is $700. The Part D base beneficiary premium, used to calculate the late-enrollment penalty, is $41.33 (actual plan premiums are set plan by plan). And the Social Security Administration announced on October 14, 2026 a 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for benefits payable beginning January 2027.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income-related surcharges, have not yet been announced. CMS typically releases those figures in the fall, usually November. Watch Medicare.gov for the official numbers rather than relying on estimates.

What should South Dakota Medicare members do before December 7, 2026?

A short checklist for Medicare Open Enrollment 2027:

• Open the ANOC from your current Medicare Advantage or Part D plan and note any change to premium, deductible, plan type or plan name.
• If you got a non-renewal letter, mark the Special Enrollment Period that runs through February 2027.
• Make a current list of your prescriptions, doctors and preferred pharmacies before you compare plans.
• Use the Medicare Plan Finder at Medicare.gov to see 2027 plans in your ZIP code, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• If you have Original Medicare and want to look at Medigap, request outlines of coverage directly from insurers listed on Medicare.gov.

Where can South Dakotans get free Medicare help?

Free, unbiased help is available directly from Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and at Medicare.gov, which hosts the Plan Finder, the Medigap tool and plain-language explanations of enrollment periods. These government resources do not sell plans and do not favor one insurer over another.