Medicare 2026

Seattle Medicare enrollment: what you can change between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7

SEATTLE — From Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, 2026, people with Medicare in Seattle can make changes to their drug and Medicare Advantage coverage for 2027. Anything you choose during that window takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews — assuming it is offered next year — with whatever changes are spelled out in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mailed you in September.

That ANOC matters this fall. In King County, where Seattle is located, 27 Medicare Advantage plans are not returning for 2027, 18 are new, and 10 are being renamed. The specifics will be in your plan's notice.

What you can actually change between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7

The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is the one window every fall when anyone with Medicare can make these moves:

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

Whichever change you make, the new coverage begins Jan. 1, 2027. You do not need to cancel the old plan separately — enrolling in a new one usually does that for you.

One note for Seattle readers: in King County, every Medicare Advantage plan available for 2026 includes drug coverage, and CMS lists no stand-alone Part D plans in the area for the current year. If you have Original Medicare and want drug coverage for 2027, you can still shop stand-alone Part D plans on Medicare's Plan Finder once the 2027 lineup is posted.

What's on the shelf in King County

For context, King County currently has 68 Medicare Advantage plans from 10 carriers for 2026: Aetna (CVS Health), AgeRight Advantage, Centene (WellCare), Community Health Plan of WA Medicare Advantage, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Kaiser Permanente, Molina Healthcare of Washington, Regence BlueShield, and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan.

The lineup includes HMO, HMO-POS, and PPO options, plus 31 Special Needs Plans designed for people who qualify by income, chronic condition, or where they live. The 2027 lineup will be slightly different — again, 27 plans are leaving, 18 are new, and 10 are renamed. Your ANOC is the first place to look.

Dates that matter this season

• Sept. 30, 2026: Deadline for your current plan to have mailed your ANOC and Evidence of Coverage for 2027.
• Oct. 1, 2026: Carriers may begin marketing 2027 plans.
• Oct. 15, 2026: AEP opens. You can start enrolling for Jan. 1, 2027.
• Dec. 7, 2026: AEP closes.
• Jan. 1, 2027: New coverage begins.
• Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment — a second window if you're already on an Advantage plan and want to switch once or return to Original Medicare.

2027 numbers CMS has confirmed

A few 2027 figures are already set, and they're worth knowing as you compare plans:

• 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, not what any specific plan charges).

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been released yet. CMS typically announces those in the fall, usually November. Watch medicare.gov for the official numbers rather than any projection.

Also still in place: the coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone — Part D now has three phases — and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly amounts if that helps your budget.

How to decide — a short checklist

You don't have to switch. But if you want to review:

1. Read your ANOC. Look at next year's premium, deductible, copays, drug list (formulary), and provider network. 2. List your doctors and your prescriptions. Make sure both are covered in 2027 under any plan you consider. 3. Use Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. Enter your drugs and preferred pharmacies — it ranks total estimated cost, not just premium. 4. Think about how you use care. HMOs usually require in-network care and a referral; PPOs let you go out of network at a higher cost; Original Medicare plus a Medigap plan works differently again. 5. Ask for help if it's confusing. It usually is.

Where to get free, unbiased help in Seattle

Washington's SHIP is called SHIBA — Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors — run through the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Volunteer counselors do not sell plans and do not earn commissions.

• SHIBA Helpline: 1-800-562-6900
• Online: insurance.wa.gov/shiba
• Medicare directly: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day
• Compare plans: medicare.gov/plan-compare

King County also runs Community Living Connections (1-844-348-5464), which can route you to local SHIBA volunteers and senior centers that host Medicare counseling sessions each fall.