Medicare 2026

Cody Medicare guidance from SHIP and licensed agencies

Cody Medicare guidance from SHIP and licensed agencies — plain-language Medicare information for Cody, Wyoming.

CODY, Wyo. — Picking a Medicare plan can feel like standing at a trailhead with no map. The good news for Park County residents: you don't have to figure it out alone, and you don't have to rely on whoever answers the phone first. Cody has free, unbiased help through Wyoming's State Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP), plus licensed local agents who can walk you through your options.

Here's how to tell the difference — and how to use both well.

Start with SHIIP — it's free and it doesn't sell anything

Wyoming SHIIP (the state's version of the federal SHIP program) is funded by a federal grant specifically to give Medicare beneficiaries neutral, one-on-one help. Counselors are trained volunteers and staff. They do not sell insurance, they don't earn commissions, and they don't push you toward any carrier.

They can help you:

• Understand how Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medigap and Part D fit together.
• Compare plans on medicare.gov using your own drug list and doctors.
• Check whether you qualify for Extra Help (the low-income Part D subsidy) or the Medicare Savings Programs.
• Sort out billing problems, denials, or appeals.

You can reach Wyoming SHIIP at 1-800-856-4398. In Cody, appointments are often available through the local senior center — call ahead to book a time rather than dropping in.

When a licensed agent makes sense

Agents and brokers have a different role. They can enroll you in a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, which SHIIP counselors cannot do. A good agent knows the local networks — which Cody-area doctors and pharmacies are in which plan — and can save you a lot of research time.

Two things to remember:

1. Agents are paid by the insurance companies they represent. That doesn't make them dishonest, but it does mean their menu is limited to the carriers they're appointed with. 2. Ask directly: "Which carriers are you contracted with?" An agent who represents most of the plans available in Park County can give you a broader comparison than one who only sells for one company.

Under CMS rules, agents must give you a Scope of Appointment form before discussing specific plans, and they cannot show up uninvited or pressure you.

What's actually available in Park County

Plan availability is set at the county level, not the city level. Cody is in Park County, where 7 Medicare Advantage plans were on offer for 2026 and 2 carriers provided Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD). For drug coverage through a stand-alone plan, Wyoming has 11 stand-alone Part D plans for 2026, sold statewide — anyone in the county on Original Medicare can join one of them, and a counselor can help you compare. The 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

Roughly 7,740 people age 65 or older live in Park County, so demand for good information is real, and appointments during fall enrollment fill up fast.

Program-level rules that matter for 2027

Whether you use SHIIP or an agent, these are the same across every plan:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once you hit it, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The coverage gap (donut hole) is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: an optional tool that lets you spread drug costs across monthly payments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA (the income-based surcharge on Part B and Part D) starts above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Two dates to circle

• October 15 – December 7: Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Changes take effect Jan. 1.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you're already in an MA plan, you get one chance to switch to another MA plan or drop back to Original Medicare.

About Star Ratings

CMS rates Medicare Advantage and Part D contracts from 1 to 5 stars based on things like customer service, member complaints, and preventive care. It's one useful data point — not the whole picture. In the Park County area, under CMS's 2026 Star Ratings, of the 3 Medicare Advantage contracts offering plans here 2 have a 2026 Star Rating and none is rated 4 stars or higher, so ratings alone won't narrow the field for you. Focus on whether your doctors are in-network, whether your drugs are on the formulary, and what your total yearly cost looks like.