Medicare 2026

Austin Medicare 2027: what you can change between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7

AUSTIN, Texas — The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage opens October 15, 2026, and closes December 7, 2026. Whatever you pick in that window takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews — assuming it is offered next year — with any changes spelled out in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mailed you in September.

That is the whole deal, and it is the same window every fall. But 2027 has a few moving parts worth knowing about before you log into Medicare.gov or call a licensed agent.

What you can actually change during AEP

The October 15 – December 7 window is the one time of year nearly every person with Medicare can make these moves:

• Join a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C) for the first time.
• Switch from one Medicare 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 Part D plans, or drop Part D.

If you move back to Original Medicare and want a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy, that is a separate application handled by the insurer, and in Texas it generally involves medical underwriting outside of your initial enrollment or a guaranteed-issue situation. Price that out before you drop a Medicare Advantage plan you like.

One quick note for Austin readers: CMS lists zero stand-alone Part D plans available in Travis County in the 2026 data we have on hand. If you want drug coverage, you will almost certainly be looking at a Medicare Advantage plan that includes it (an MA-PD). Every one of the 60 Advantage plans in Travis County includes drug coverage.

When your new coverage starts

Any valid election made between October 15 and December 7, 2026, takes effect January 1, 2027. There is no benefit to signing up on day one versus day 50 — the start date is the same.

If you miss December 7 and change your mind in January, there is still the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 to March 31, 2027. During that stretch, people already in a Medicare Advantage plan can switch to a different Advantage plan once, or drop it and return to Original Medicare (with a Part D plan if available). That window does not let someone on Original Medicare jump into Advantage for the first time.

What is confirmed for 2027 — and what is not

CMS has already published a few 2027 Part D numbers you can rely on:

• 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 used across the program — it is not what any single plan charges.

The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") remains gone; Part D has three phases now, and the $2,400 cap in 2027 is a hard ceiling on what you pay out of pocket for covered drugs. If spreading drug costs across the year would help, ask your plan about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which smooths those costs into monthly installments at no extra charge.

Still to come: the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets for higher earners. CMS typically announces these in the fall, usually in November. We will update our coverage as soon as those numbers are published — do not trust projections you see floating around in the meantime.

The Austin lineup for 2027

Austin is in Travis County, where CMS data shows 60 Medicare Advantage plans from 8 carriers for the 2026 plan year — Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Texas Independence Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare. By plan type, that works out to 23 HMOs, 12 HMO-POS plans, and 25 PPOs, with 28 Special Needs Plans in the mix. The table below lists every plan.

For 2027, CMS data indicates 15 plans are not returning in the area, 11 are new, and 8 have been renamed. That does not mean 15 plans are "gone" — carriers often consolidate, rename, or shift which counties a plan serves. What it does mean: this is a fall when it is worth opening the ANOC your plan sent you, instead of assuming next year looks like this year.

If your plan is one of the 15 not returning, your carrier is required to tell you in writing. You will have a Special Enrollment Period to pick something new, but it is simpler to make the choice during AEP so coverage starts cleanly on January 1.

Local, unbiased help in Austin

You do not have to figure this out alone, and you do not have to call an insurance agent to get answers. In Texas, free one-on-one Medicare counseling is available through the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), known locally as the HICAP — Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program — run through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and local Area Agencies on Aging. In the Austin area, the Capital Area Agency on Aging coordinates HICAP counselors who can sit with you (in person or by phone) and go through your options without a sales pitch.

Other no-cost resources:

• Medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder lets you enter your prescriptions and pharmacies to compare plans side by side.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — available 24/7.
• Your plan's ANOC — the document that spells out exactly what is changing on your current coverage for 2027.