Medicare Advantage

How many 2026 Medicare plans does Jefferson County offer?

For 2027, Hoover is looking at 70 Medicare Advantage plans: 17 new, 4 gone since 2026, and 20 continuing plans that change something in their terms, with 8 renamed. Below, how the lineup shifted in Jefferson County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Hoover, Ala. — If you are turning 65 in Hoover or already on Medicare and thinking about your 2027 coverage, one of the first questions worth answering is simple: how many choices do you actually have to sort through?

For Jefferson County, where Hoover sits, the 2027 Medicare landscape files from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) give a clear count. And knowing that count — before you look at any single plan — makes the rest of the decision less overwhelming.

What the 2027 numbers look like in Jefferson County

Hoover is in Jefferson County, where CMS lists 70 Medicare Advantage plans available for 2027. Those plans come from 8 different carriers offering Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD) in the county.

Stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans — the plans you pair with Original Medicare — are counted at the state and regional level rather than the county level, so they are not part of that county figure. Every Medicare beneficiary in Alabama has access to a set of stand-alone Part D plans through the same CMS marketplace.

With about 112,068 residents age 65 and older in Jefferson County, that is a large pool of people all working through the same menu of options.

Why the count matters more than the "best" plan

There is no single "best" Medicare plan, and no honest guide would pretend otherwise. What matters is which plan fits your doctors, your prescriptions, your budget, and how you like to get care.

But the total count matters, because it tells you two things at once:

• You have real choice. Sixty-five Advantage plans is a lot to compare.
• You need a filter. Nobody sensibly reviews 65 plans one by one.

Most people narrow the list by asking three questions first: Are my doctors in the network? Are my prescriptions on the formulary? What are the total yearly costs I could face — not just the monthly premium?

Medicare Advantage vs. Original Medicare + Part D

The 65 Advantage plans are one path. The other path is Original Medicare (Parts A and B), usually paired with a stand-alone Part D drug plan and often a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy.

Both paths are legitimate. They just work differently:

• Medicare Advantage (Part C): private plans that bundle Part A, Part B, and usually Part D. Networks and rules vary.
• Original Medicare + Part D: the federal program for hospital and medical care, plus a separate private drug plan.

The county-level count only applies to Medicare Advantage. The Original Medicare path is available to everyone with Medicare, regardless of where in Alabama you live.

Program-level rules to know for 2027

A few numbers apply nationwide in 2027, no matter which Jefferson County plan you look at:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your covered drug spending hits that amount, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap, or "donut hole," was eliminated in 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your yearly drug costs into monthly payments if you choose.
• IRMAA — the income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D — starts above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Star Ratings, briefly

CMS publishes Star Ratings each fall to help measure plan quality. The 2027 ratings for Jefferson County contracts are released by CMS during the fall.

Ratings can change year to year, and they are only one factor. They do not tell you whether your doctor is in a network or whether a plan covers your medications. Use them as one data point, not the deciding one.

Key dates to keep in mind

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026: Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. Changes take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
• Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you are already in an Advantage plan, you can switch once during this window.

If you are new to Medicare, your Initial Enrollment Period is tied to your 65th birthday, not these dates.

Where to get unbiased help

You do not have to figure this out alone, and you do not have to rely on a TV commercial to do it.

• medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder lets you enter your ZIP code and prescriptions to compare Jefferson County options.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — 24/7 help from Medicare directly.
• Alabama SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) — free, one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers who do not sell plans.