Medicare Advantage

Merced-Area Medicare Choices for 2027

How Medicare plan choices vary across the Merced area heading into 2027 — county-level availability and key dates.

MERCED, Calif. — If you live in Merced and you've ever wondered whether folks a county over have different Medicare options than you do, the short answer is: sometimes, yes. Medicare Advantage and Part D availability is set county by county, which means the plan lineup on your side of a county line can look different from the one just down Highway 99.

For 2026, Merced is in Merced County, where 17 Medicare Advantage plans were available and 6 carriers offered Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage (MA-PD). That's the 2026 local snapshot — for 2027, check each plan's Annual Notice of Change and Medicare.gov's Plan Finder before comparing with neighboring Central Valley areas.

Why plan counts differ from county to county

Medicare uses "service areas" to decide where a plan can be sold. A carrier might offer a plan in Merced County but not in a neighboring county — or the other way around. That's why two neighbors who live 20 miles apart can see different plan lists on Medicare.gov.

If you're helping a parent in another county compare options, don't assume their choices match yours. Enter their ZIP code separately on the Medicare Plan Finder.

What the Merced County numbers show

Here's the county-level picture for 2026:

• 17 Medicare Advantage plans available in Merced County
• 6 carriers offering Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage
• 0 stand-alone Part D plans listed in the area data for the county
• 34,001 residents age 65 and older

The stand-alone Part D count is worth a second look. If you want drug coverage and you're not choosing a Medicare Advantage plan that includes it, talk to your local SHIP counselor or call 1-800-MEDICARE to confirm what's available for your ZIP code before you decide.

Star Ratings, and what they do (and don't) tell you

You may see "Star Ratings" listed next to plans on Medicare.gov. Stars are a quality measure from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). They look at things like customer service, member complaints, and how well plans handle preventive care.

Stars can be a useful piece of the puzzle, but they're one factor among many. A plan's provider network, drug list, and how it fits your health needs matter just as much. For 2026, the area data showed no contracts rated 4 stars or higher in Merced County, so ratings alone aren't likely to be your deciding factor here — the fit with your doctors and prescriptions probably will be.

Program-level rules that apply everywhere

No matter which county you land in, some rules are the same across the country:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once you hit that ceiling on covered drugs, you pay nothing more for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027).
• Coverage gap ("donut hole"): eliminated as of 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: an optional program that lets you spread your yearly drug costs into monthly payments.
• IRMAA: higher-income surcharges start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

Key dates to circle

• Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026. This is when most people compare and switch Medicare Advantage or Part D plans for 2027 coverage.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: Jan. 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you have a one-time chance during this window to switch to another Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.