Medicare Advantage

Scottsdale Medicare 2027: Key Dates, 79 Plans, Cap

For 2027, Scottsdale 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.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — If you live in Scottsdale and you're sorting through Medicare choices for 2027, the calendar matters just as much as the plan count. Maricopa County has 79 Medicare Advantage plans available for 2027, according to CMS Plan Finder data. But whether you can actually pick, drop, or switch a plan on any given day depends on which enrollment window you're standing in — and missing one can lock you in for months.

This guide walks through the timing: when the windows open, when they close, and what to do if a deadline slips by.

The calendar that shapes your choices

Medicare doesn't let you change plans whenever you feel like it. Instead, it uses a handful of enrollment windows. For most Scottsdale residents already on Medicare, three of them matter most this fall:

• Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): Oct. 15 – Dec. 7. This is the big one. You can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan, and you can join, switch, or drop a Part D drug plan. Whatever you pick starts Jan. 1.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA-OEP): Jan. 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1, you get one chance during this window to switch to a different Advantage plan or drop back to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan). You cannot use this window to join an Advantage plan for the first time if you started the year on Original Medicare.
• Initial Enrollment Period (IEP). If you're turning 65, this is your personal seven-month window — the three months before your birthday month, your birthday month, and the three months after.

There are also Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs) triggered by life events like moving, losing job-based coverage, or qualifying for Extra Help. Those don't follow the calendar; they follow what happens in your life.

How the windows interact

Here's where people trip up. The AEP and the MA-OEP can look like the same thing, but they're not.

During AEP (this fall), you have the widest set of moves available: Original Medicare to Advantage, Advantage to Original Medicare, Advantage to Advantage, Part D to Part D. During MA-OEP (early 2027), your options narrow. You must already be in an Advantage plan, and you get one switch.

That means if you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan on Dec. 5, watch it take effect Jan. 1, and realize by February that the network or drug list doesn't fit, you still have until March 31 to change course once. After March 31, you generally wait until the next AEP unless a Special Enrollment Period applies.

What happens if you miss a deadline

Missing AEP is the most common concern. If Dec. 7 passes and you didn't make a change, your current coverage generally rolls into 2027 as-is — assuming the plan is still offered. If your plan is discontinued or significantly changed, your carrier is required to send you a notice (the Annual Notice of Change) by late September. Read it.

If you miss your Initial Enrollment Period around age 65 and don't have other creditable coverage, you can face lifetime late-enrollment penalties for Part B and Part D. Those penalties get added to your monthly premium for as long as you have Medicare — a real reason not to procrastinate.

If you miss the MA-OEP window on March 31, you're generally locked into your Advantage plan for the rest of the year unless a Special Enrollment Period opens up.

Timing and the 2027 drug cost changes

The dates matter because Part D rules keep shifting. For 2027:

• Out-of-pocket spending on covered Part D drugs is capped at $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). Once you hit it, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• The old coverage gap (the "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments rather than paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter. You have to opt in — it isn't automatic.

Because these features reset every Jan. 1, the plan you're enrolled in on that date is the plan those rules apply to. Choosing during AEP — not waiting — is what determines your 2027 experience.

Sorting through 88 plans without losing your weekend

Maricopa County has 79 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers for 2027 — 62 are continuing from this year, 17 are new, 13 are not returning, and 13 have been renamed. About 20 continuing plans are changing something in their terms, which the ANOC spells out. Arizona has 9 stand-alone Part D plans for 2027, sold statewide, so if you stay with Original Medicare you can pair it with any of those plans, or you can get drug coverage bundled into an Advantage plan.

A few practical suggestions:

1. Start early in AEP, not the last week. Phone lines, SHIP counselors and licensed agents get slammed in early December. 2. Use the official Plan Finder at medicare.gov. You can enter your specific medications and preferred pharmacies to filter results. 3. Check whether your doctors are in-network for any Advantage plan you're weighing. Networks change year to year. 4. Note the IRMAA threshold. For 2026, income-related surcharges on Part B and Part D begin above $109,000 for a single filer (based on your 2024 tax return). If your income has dropped due to a life event like retirement, you can request a reconsideration.

Where to get unbiased help

You don't have to figure this out alone, and you don't have to talk to a salesperson to get answers.

• medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder and enrollment tool.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — 24/7 help from Medicare itself.
• Arizona SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) — free, one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers who don't sell plans. In Arizona, SHIP is run through the Department of Economic Security's Division of Aging and Adult Services.