Medicare 2026

Medicare in 2027: the Part D numbers Dallas can count on, and what's still pending

DALLAS — Fall 2026 is Medicare's loudest season, and this year Dallas residents are opening their mail with a split screen: some 2027 numbers are already locked in by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and others will not land until later this fall. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change made in that window takes effect January 1, 2027.

Here is what has been confirmed, what has not, and what to look for in the envelope from your current plan.

The 2027 Part D figures CMS has already confirmed

Three Part D numbers are locked in for next year. They apply to every Part D plan sold in the country, including the drug coverage built into Medicare Advantage plans in Dallas County.

• Out-of-pocket drug cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs reaches that cap, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the calendar year.
• Maximum Part D deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). Plans can set a lower deductible, but none can set a higher one.
• National base beneficiary premium: $41.33 for 2027. This is a formula input CMS uses behind the scenes — it is not what any particular plan charges you.

The coverage gap, often called the "donut hole," was eliminated in 2025. Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic (where you hit $0 after the cap).

What CMS has NOT announced yet

Two numbers Dallas readers ask about every fall are still pending:

• The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible.
• The 2027 IRMAA income brackets and surcharges (the higher Part B and Part D amounts paid by beneficiaries with higher incomes).

CMS typically publishes both in November. We are not going to estimate them, and we would gently push back on anyone — a mailer, a neighbor, a social post — quoting a specific 2027 Part B figure before CMS puts it out. For 2026, as a reference point, IRMAA begins above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

When CMS releases the figures, they will be posted on medicare.gov.

The letter in your mailbox: your Annual Notice of Change

If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan or a stand-alone Part D plan, your insurer was required to send you an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) by the end of September 2026. It is the single most important piece of mail you will get this season.

Your ANOC spells out, in your plan's own words, what is changing for 2027: the premium, the deductible, the drug formulary, the pharmacy network, the provider network, extra benefits, and cost-sharing for common services. Pull it out, compare it to how you actually used your plan in 2026, and decide whether it still fits.

A few things to check:

• Are the doctors and hospitals you use still in network for 2027?
• Are the prescriptions you take still on the formulary, and in the same tier?
• Are the extras you rely on (dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter, transportation) still included at the same level?

If the answer to all three is yes, you may be fine letting the plan renew. If any answer is no, this is the window to switch.

How plan availability moves in Dallas County for 2027

Plan availability is set at the county level. Dallas is in Dallas County, where the current CMS Landscape shows 93 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 carriers, with HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and PFFS plan types all represented, plus 35 Special Needs Plans for people who qualify. There are 0 stand-alone Part D plans reported in the county's MA-focused landscape data; most drug coverage locally is bundled into MA-PD plans.

For 2027, the Dallas County lineup is shifting:

• 29 plans are not returning.
• 20 new plans are being added.
• 9 plans are being renamed.

If your plan is one of the 29 not returning, your ANOC (or a separate non-renewal letter) will say so, and you will have a Special Enrollment Period to choose another plan. If your plan is being renamed, your coverage can still change — the ANOC is where the specifics live.

The table below lists every Medicare Advantage plan offered in Dallas County, grouped by carrier. Carriers in the county include Aetna (CVS Health), American Health Advantage of Texas, Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Molina Healthcare of Texas, ProCare Advantage, Provider Partners Health Plans, UnitedHealthcare and Verda Health Plan of Texas.

The dates to put on your fridge

• October 15 – December 7, 2026: Annual Enrollment Period. Join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Changes take effect January 1, 2027.
• January 1, 2027: New coverage begins.
• January 1 – March 31, 2027: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you are already in an MA plan on January 1, you get one chance to switch to a different MA plan or go back to Original Medicare (with a Part D plan).

Nothing happens to someone who does nothing. Your current plan renews, with its ANOC changes, if it is offered next year.

Where to get personal help in Dallas

Medicare decisions are personal, and the figures above are program-wide. For questions about your own situation:

• Medicare.gov — the official plan finder and the place CMS posts new figures as they are released.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Texas SHIP — the State Health Insurance Assistance Program offers free, unbiased counseling to Texans with Medicare. In Texas it operates as the Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP), reachable through the Texas Health and Human Services benefits counseling line.