Medicare Advantage

Prescott Medicare Choices: 2027 Plan Options

How many Medicare Advantage and Part D options are available in the Prescott, Arizona area for the 2027 plan year.

PRESCOTT, Ariz. — If you live in Prescott or one of the nearby communities in the region, you have plenty of company when it comes to sorting through Medicare choices this fall. Yavapai County is home to roughly 83,800 residents age 65 and older, and the fall 2026 enrollment window brings a fresh look at what's available across the area for 2027.

Because Medicare plan availability is set at the county level, the picture in Prescott is really the picture across Yavapai County — including neighbors like Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, Cottonwood, and Sedona. That matters when you're comparing what's on the shelf in your zip code versus a friend's zip code down the road.

How plan availability works across the Prescott metro

Medicare Advantage and Part D availability isn't drawn on a city map — it's drawn on a county map. So even though people talk about "Prescott plans" or "Sedona plans," the actual list of options is the same across Yavapai County. That's helpful to remember if you split time between homes in the region or if you're helping a parent who lives in a different town nearby.

For 2026, Yavapai County had 31 Medicare Advantage plans on offer, with seven carriers offering Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage (MA-PD). The 2027 lineup is spelled out in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on the Medicare.gov Plan Finder. Stand-alone Part D drug plans, which pair with Original Medicare, are also available nationwide — every county in the country has multiple stand-alone Part D options, so you'll see a range of choices when you check the Plan Finder for your zip code.

What "31 plans" actually means for you

A county-level count is a starting point, not a shopping list. The number of plans available doesn't tell you which ones include your doctors, your pharmacy, or your prescriptions. Two people living on the same street in Prescott can look at the same 31 plans and end up with very different answers about which one fits.

That's why the plan count is best treated as context. It tells you the market is active and that carriers are competing for your enrollment — but the real work is comparing specific plans against your own health needs.

Star Ratings in the area

Medicare's Star Ratings are a quality measure from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). They rate contracts on things like customer service, member complaints, and how well plans manage chronic conditions. Ratings run from 1 to 5 stars.

For 2026, no contracts serving Yavapai County carried a 4-star or higher rating. Ratings can shift year to year as CMS updates its scoring, so it's worth checking the current numbers on medicare.gov when you shop for 2027 coverage. Star Ratings are one signal among several — network, drug coverage, and total costs still matter.

Program-level changes worth knowing for 2027

A few nationwide Medicare updates apply no matter which plan or county you're in:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap of $2,400 in 2027. Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered prescriptions hits $2,400 in 2027, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year. The cap was $2,100 in 2026.
• Part D deductible up to $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027). That's the maximum a Part D plan can charge; some plans use a lower deductible.
• No more "donut hole." The old coverage gap phase is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. This optional program lets you spread your drug costs across monthly payments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter. You have to opt in.
• IRMAA income thresholds. Higher-income beneficiaries pay an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount on Part B and Part D premiums. For 2026, IRMAA begins above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Key dates to circle

• October 15 – December 7: Annual Enrollment Period. This is the main window to join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for the following year.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to a different MA plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).

Where to get personal help

Plan counts and program facts are the easy part. Matching a plan to your prescriptions, your doctors, and your budget is the harder part — and it's where free, unbiased help pays off.

• medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder lets you enter your zip code and prescriptions to see how plans compare for you personally.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — available 24/7 for questions.
• Arizona SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) — free one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers. In Yavapai County, SHIP counselors can walk you through your options with no sales pressure.