Medicare Advantage

Medicare Plan Choices Near Bear, Del., for 2027

BEAR, Del. — If you live in Bear and you're sorting through Medicare options for 2027, it helps to know what's available not just here, but across the wider metro. Bear sits in New Castle County, and Medicare plan availability is always set at the county level. That means your choices depend on which county you live in — and the counts can shift as you move across the state line into Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Maryland.

Bear, Del. — How the Medicare landscape looks close to home for 2027

This snapshot sticks to area-level counts. It won't tell you which plan to pick, but it can help you understand the size of the field before you sit down with the details.

What's available in New Castle County

Bear is in New Castle County, where 36 Medicare Advantage plans were offered for 2026, according to CMS Medicare Plan Finder data. Eight carriers offered Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plans in the area. The 2027 counts are in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

For stand-alone Part D drug plans — the kind you pair with Original Medicare — the county-level Advantage picture above doesn't include those. Part D availability is set at the regional level, and every Medicare beneficiary in Delaware has stand-alone Part D options to choose from through Medicare.gov, even in years when the Advantage-side counts look different.

CMS also publishes Star Ratings, which score plans on quality and service. Under CMS's 2026 Star Ratings, 15 Medicare Advantage contracts offer plans in New Castle County, 11 of them have a 2026 Star Rating, and 7 of those are rated 4 stars or higher. Star Ratings are one signal among many — they aren't a recommendation, and they can change year to year.

About 98,558 people age 65 and older live in New Castle County, so this is a large and closely watched market.

How nearby areas compare

Plan counts can look very different a short drive away. If you have family in Kent or Sussex counties in Delaware, or across the border in Cecil County, Md., or Chester or Delaware counties in Pa., the number of Medicare Advantage plans, the carriers offering them, and the Star Ratings mix will not match what's in New Castle County.

That matters for two reasons:

• You can only enroll in plans offered in your own county of residence. A plan a neighbor in another county likes may not be available to you at all.
• Snowbirds and part-time residents should check the rules for their plan's service area before splitting time between homes.

The easiest way to compare county by county is the plan finder at Medicare.gov, which asks for your ZIP code first.

Program changes that affect everyone in 2027

No matter which county you're in, several Medicare rules are the same across the country in 2026:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 ($2,400 in 2027). Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs hits that amount, you pay $0 for covered prescriptions the rest of the year.
• Part D deductible: up to $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027). Plans can charge less, but not more.
• No more "donut hole." The old coverage gap was eliminated in 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 the calendar year in monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. You have to opt in.
• IRMAA. Higher-income beneficiaries pay an income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D. For 2026, it kicks in above $109,000 in income for a single filer (higher thresholds apply for joint filers).

Key dates to circle

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026: Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. This is when you can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for 2027.
• Jan. 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you're already in an Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (and pick up a Part D plan).

If you miss AEP and don't qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, you may be stuck with your current coverage for the year.