Medicare 2026

Milwaukee Medicare 2027: your window to switch runs Oct. 15 to Dec. 7

Milwaukee — The yearly window to change a Medicare plan for 2027 opens October 15, 2026 and closes December 7, 2026. Any choice made in that window takes effect January 1, 2027. For Milwaukee residents who like their current coverage, nothing has to be done — a plan that is offered again next year renews on its own, with any updates spelled out in its Annual Notice of Change (ANOC).

The season still matters, though. Plans change what they cover and what they cost from one year to the next. Reading the ANOC that arrives by late September — and comparing it to what else is available in Milwaukee County — is the only way to know whether the plan a person has today is still the right fit for 2027.

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

The Annual Enrollment Period, often called AEP, is the one time every fall when any person on 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 a Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare (Parts A and B).
• Join, switch or drop a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan.

All of those changes, if made by December 7, 2026, start on January 1, 2027. If more than one change is submitted during the window, the last one on file is the one that takes effect.

A separate window, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, runs January 1 – March 31, 2027. During that period a person already in a Medicare Advantage plan can switch to a different one or return to Original Medicare — but it is not open to people on Original Medicare who want to start an Advantage plan.

What is actually new for 2027

A few program-level numbers are already set by CMS for 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs rises to $2,400 in 2027 (it is $2,100 in 2026).
• The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (it is $615 in 2026).
• The Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 for 2027. That number is a formula input Medicare uses — it is not the premium any specific plan charges.

Two other figures Milwaukee readers often ask about — the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets — have not been announced yet. CMS normally publishes them later in the fall, typically in November. We will update coverage when those come out; please do not rely on any projection in the meantime.

The Milwaukee lineup, in plain terms

Medicare plan choices are set by county. Milwaukee is in Milwaukee County, where 52 Medicare Advantage plans from 7 carriers are offered for 2026. All of them include drug coverage. By plan type, the county has HMO, HMO-POS, PPO, PFFS and MSA plans, and 18 of the 52 are Special Needs Plans (SNPs) built for people with specific situations such as dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility or certain chronic conditions.

For 2027 in Milwaukee County, CMS Landscape data shows 6 plans not returning, 6 new plans, and 12 renamed plans. "Renamed" does not necessarily mean the benefits changed — but it is a good reminder to read the ANOC rather than assume this year's plan is identical to last year's.

The seven carriers offering Medicare Advantage in the county for 2026 are Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin, Network Health Medicare Advantage Plans, and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan by carrier and type so you can see the full field at a glance.

One Milwaukee-specific note: Milwaukee County shows 0 stand-alone Part D plans in the current Landscape file. People on Original Medicare who want drug coverage should talk with a SHIP counselor or use the Plan Finder at medicare.gov to confirm what's available in ZIP 532.

How to compare without getting overwhelmed

A short, boring routine works better than a weekend of research:

1. Read your ANOC. It arrives by late September and lists exactly what is changing on your current plan for 2027 — premium, drug tiers, copays, network and extras. 2. Make a short list of what you actually use. Your doctors, your pharmacy, and every prescription (name, dose, how often). 3. Run those details through the Plan Finder at medicare.gov, or ask a SHIP counselor to run it with you. 4. Decide by December 7, 2026. If you do nothing, your current plan renews as described in the ANOC.

Original Medicare paired with a stand-alone Part D plan and, often, a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy is one path. A Medicare Advantage plan is another. Neither is "better" in the abstract — it depends on your doctors, your drugs, your budget and how you like to use health care.

Where to get free, local help in Milwaukee

You do not have to figure this out alone, and you do not have to pay anyone. In Wisconsin, free one-on-one Medicare counseling is available through:

• The Wisconsin SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) and the Medigap Helpline: 1-800-242-1060. Counselors are trained volunteers and staff who do not sell plans.
• The Milwaukee County Department on Aging, which can connect you with a local benefits specialist.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• medicare.gov, which has the official Plan Finder.

What SHIP counselors cannot do is pick your plan for you — but they will walk through the comparison with your actual drug list and doctors and explain the trade-offs in plain English.