Medicare Advantage

Sorting Through Medicare in Buckeye: What 2027 Offers

For 2027, Buckeye is looking at 92 Medicare Advantage plans: 17 new, 13 gone since 2026, and 33 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 13 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Maricopa County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Maricopa County Medicare Advantage plan counts for 2027, key Part D figures, and enrollment dates for Buckeye, Arizona residents.

BUCKEYE, Ariz. — If you live in Buckeye and you're trying to figure out what your Medicare choices look like for 2027, the short answer is: you have a lot to sift through, but the categories themselves are simpler than the plan count suggests.

Buckeye sits inside Maricopa County, and Medicare plan availability is set at the county level. According to CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape data for 2027, Maricopa County has 79 Medicare Advantage plans available, offered by 16 different carriers. With more than 742,000 residents age 65 and older, Maricopa is one of the largest Medicare markets in the country — which is a big reason the option list is so long.

Here's how to think about what's actually on the menu, without getting lost in the numbers.

What "Medicare options" really means in Buckeye

When people say "Medicare options," they usually mean one of two paths:

1. Original Medicare (Parts A and B), often paired with a stand-alone Part D drug plan and sometimes a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy. 2. A Medicare Advantage plan (Part C), which is offered by a private insurer and bundles Part A, Part B, and usually Part D into one plan.

Both paths are available to people in Buckeye. The 79 figure above refers specifically to Medicare Advantage plans in Maricopa County for 2027. Medigap policies and their availability are regulated separately by the state and are not part of that count.

The 79 number, in context

Seventy-nine Medicare Advantage plans is a lot to look at — but you don't compare them one by one. Most people narrow the field quickly using a few personal filters:

• Your doctors and hospitals. Advantage plans use networks, so which providers are in-network matters.
• Your prescriptions. Each plan has its own drug formulary.
• The county you live in. All 79 are offered in Maricopa County, but individual plans set their own service areas within the state.

Medicare.gov's Plan Finder lets you enter your ZIP code and medications and see only the plans that fit — which is usually a much shorter list than 79.

Stand-alone drug plans and Star Ratings

Stand-alone Part D drug plans (PDPs) are sold on a regional basis in Arizona rather than county by county, so you'll see those options when you search on Medicare.gov by entering your ZIP code. They're the route most people on Original Medicare use to get prescription coverage.

CMS also publishes Star Ratings, which score contracts on quality and member experience on a 1-to-5 scale. Ratings are one input among many — they can be useful context, but they aren't a substitute for checking whether a specific plan covers your doctors and drugs.

The 2027 rules that apply to everyone

Some things don't depend on which plan you pick. For 2027:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs hits that amount, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027 (plans may set a lower one).
• Coverage gap ("donut hole"): Gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: An optional program that lets you spread your Part D out-of-pocket costs across the calendar year in monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA: Higher-income beneficiaries pay income-related surcharges on Part B and Part D. For 2026, IRMAA begins above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Key dates for Buckeye residents

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7: Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch, or drop Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. Changes take effect Jan. 1.
• Jan. 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (and pick up a Part D plan).

Outside those windows, you generally need a Special Enrollment Period — for example, if you move or lose other coverage.