Medicare Advantage

How Many Medicare Choices Does Torrington Actually Have?

If you live in Torrington and open Medicare's Plan Finder this fall, be ready for a long scroll. Litchfield County had 45 Medicare Advantage plans available for 2026, offered by 8 different carriers — a lineup that can feel more overwhelming than helpful if you don't know how to narrow it down. The 2027 lineup is detailed in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

Torrington is in Litchfield County, and Medicare plan availability is set at the county level. That means every Torrington resident sees the same menu of Advantage plans as their neighbors in Winsted, Litchfield, or Kent. Here's what that menu looked like for 2026; the 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

What the 45-plan number really means

Forty-five plans sounds like a lot, and it is. But that count includes different versions from the same carrier — think HMO versus PPO, or plans with different drug coverage tiers. With 8 carriers offering MA-PD (Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage) in the county, the practical number of companies you're choosing between is smaller than the plan count suggests.

That's actually helpful. Instead of trying to compare 45 plans one by one, most people start by deciding which carriers include their doctors and pharmacies, then compare the handful of plans left.

Stand-alone drug plans in the area

The Litchfield County data shows 0 stand-alone Part D plans in the Medicare Advantage landscape file. Stand-alone Part D plans (PDPs) are typically paired with Original Medicare or a Medigap policy. If that's the route you want, check medicare.gov's Plan Finder directly using your ZIP code — it pulls PDPs from the separate Part D region list, which is where Connecticut residents will find their options.

If you go the Medicare Advantage route instead, drug coverage is usually built into the plan itself (that's the "MA-PD" part).

Star Ratings, briefly

Medicare rates plan contracts on a 1-to-5 star scale, based on things like customer service, member complaints, and how well the plan manages chronic conditions. In the Litchfield County area, 0 contracts are currently rated 4 stars or higher in the data set used for this snapshot. Ratings shift year to year, so check the current star rating for any plan you're seriously considering on medicare.gov before you enroll.

Star Ratings are one input, not the whole story. A plan's network and drug formulary usually matter more to your day-to-day experience.

Rules that apply in 2027 no matter which plan you pick

A few things are the same across every Part D and MA-PD plan in 2026:

• $2,100 out-of-pocket cap on Part D drug costs. Once you hit it, covered drugs cost you $0 for the rest of the year.
• $615 maximum Part D deductible. Plans can charge less, but not more.
• No more "donut hole." As of 2025, Part D has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. You can ask to spread your drug costs across the year in monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D premiums kick in above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Key dates for Torrington residents

The Annual Enrollment Period is October 15 through December 7, 2026. That's when you can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for coverage starting January 1, 2027. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan and want to change your mind, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31, 2027 and lets you switch to a different Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare once.