Medicare 2026

Leander Medicare enrollment for 2027: what you can change between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7

LEANDER, Texas — Fall 2026 brings the one stretch of the calendar when almost anyone on Medicare can rethink their coverage. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and anything a Leander resident changes during that window takes effect January 1, 2027.

If you like your current plan and it is being offered again next year, you do not have to do anything. Your coverage renews on its own. But this is the season to read the letter your plan sent you — the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) — and decide whether the 2027 version of your plan still fits.

Exactly what you can change in the window

The Annual Enrollment Period is broad. Between October 15 and December 7, 2026, a person with Medicare can:

• Join a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C) for the first time, if they have Parts A and B.
• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
• Drop Medicare Advantage and go back to Original Medicare (Parts A and B).
• Join, switch or drop a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan.

You can make more than one change during the window. Whatever you have on file when December 7 passes is what starts on January 1.

One note for Leander shoppers: Leander sits in Williamson County, where Medicare plan availability is set. Williamson County has 72 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, offered by 11 carriers, and drug coverage for most people here comes bundled inside those Medicare Advantage plans rather than through a stand-alone Part D plan.

When your new coverage starts

Every change made during AEP has the same start date: January 1, 2027. There is no "earlier if you sign up earlier." A decision made on October 20 and a decision made on December 6 both take effect the same day.

That also means the plan you have today keeps running through the end of December, even after you have chosen something new. Do not cancel anything on your own — enrolling in the new plan handles the switch.

The 2027 numbers CMS has already confirmed

A few Part D figures for 2027 are set. They apply program-wide, not to any one plan:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). Once your drug spending hits that ceiling, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). Plans can charge less; they cannot charge more.
• Part D national base beneficiary premium: $41.33 for 2027. This is a formula input CMS uses — not the premium any individual plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, along with the IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS usually publishes those in November. If a piece of mail or a website is quoting a 2027 Part B number right now, treat it with caution.

Reading your Annual Notice of Change

If you already have a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, your carrier mailed you an ANOC in late September. It is the single most useful document you will get this fall. Look at:

• The 2027 monthly premium compared with 2026.
• The deductible and copays for the doctors and services you actually use.
• Whether your prescriptions are still on the plan's drug list, and at what tier.
• Whether your primary care doctor, specialists and preferred pharmacy are still in-network for 2027.
• Any change to extra benefits (dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter, fitness).

If the 2027 version still matches how you use care, staying put is a perfectly reasonable choice.

After December 7: a second, narrower window

If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan and change your mind, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 – March 31, 2027. During those three months you can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan once, or drop Advantage and return to Original Medicare (with the option to add a stand-alone Part D plan). It is narrower than AEP — people on Original Medicare cannot use it to join an Advantage plan for the first time — but it is a real second chance.

Where to get free, local help in Leander

You do not have to sort this out alone, and you do not have to sit through a sales pitch to get answers.

• Texas HICAP (the state's SHIP program) offers free, unbiased Medicare counseling to Texans. Call 1-800-252-9240 to reach a local counselor who can walk through your options with no plan to sell you.
• Medicare.gov has the official Plan Finder tool. Enter your ZIP code and your prescriptions, and it will show every Medicare Advantage and Part D plan available to you for 2027 side by side.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is staffed 24/7 and can answer questions or start an enrollment for you.
• Public libraries and senior centers around Leander and Cedar Park often host Medicare information events in October and November; the Capital Area Council of Governments' Area Agency on Aging is a good starting point for scheduled sessions.