Medicare Advantage

Miami Medicare in 2027: Your Deadline-by-Deadline Guide

For 2027, Miami is looking at 101 Medicare Advantage plans: 16 new, 30 gone since 2026, and 61 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 20 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Miami-Dade County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Miami Medicare in 2027: Your Deadline-by-Deadline Guide — plain-language Medicare information for Miami, Florida.

MIAMI — If you're weighing Original Medicare with a Medigap plan against a Medicare Advantage plan this fall, the decision is real — but so is the calendar. Miami is in Miami-Dade County, where, according to CMS Plan Finder data, 81 Medicare Advantage plans are offered for 2027 through 16 carriers. That's a lot to sort through, and the enrollment windows decide when you can actually make a move. Miss one, and your next chance may be months away.

This guide walks through the dates that matter, what happens if you let one slip, and how the windows fit together.

Why the dates matter more than the brochure

The choice between Original Medicare plus a Medigap policy and a Medicare Advantage plan isn't only about benefits. It's about when you can enter, switch, or leave each one. The two paths use different calendars, and the Medigap calendar in particular has a door that can quietly close.

Miami-Dade offers plenty of Medicare Advantage choice — 81 plans across 16 carriers for 2027 — but every one of those plans still has to be picked inside an official enrollment window.

The Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7

This is the big one. During AEP, you can:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or the other way.
• Change from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
• Join, switch, or drop a Part D drug plan.

Any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027. If you don't act, your current coverage generally rolls over — but plan details change every year, so a "no decision" is still a decision.

One statewide note: Florida has 11 stand-alone Part D plans for 2027, sold statewide, per CMS's Part D Landscape files. It's still worth checking directly on medicare.gov for your ZIP code so you can compare the stand-alone Part D options alongside drug coverage bundled into an Advantage plan.

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: Jan. 1 – March 31

If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you get a second window. During MA-OEP you can:

• Switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan.
• Drop your Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).

What you can't do here: move from Original Medicare into an Advantage plan for the first time, or join a stand-alone Part D plan if you're staying with Original Medicare. This window is a safety net for people already in Advantage — not a general do-over.

The Medigap window most people don't know they're on

Medigap (Medicare Supplement) runs on a different clock entirely.

Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period is a one-time, six-month window that begins the month you're 65 and enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurers in Florida must sell you any Medigap policy they offer at their standard rate, regardless of your health.

Miss it, and outside of a few limited "guaranteed issue" situations, insurers in Florida can use medical underwriting. That means they can charge more, or turn you down, based on your health history. This is the single most important date for anyone who thinks they might want Medigap now or later.

If you're picking Medicare Advantage today but wondering if you can switch to Medigap in a few years, ask about underwriting before you assume the door stays open.

What happens if you miss a window

• Miss AEP: You generally wait until the next AEP (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2027) to make most changes, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period — for example, moving out of your plan's service area, losing other coverage, or qualifying for Extra Help.
• Miss MA-OEP: You wait for the next AEP.
• Miss your Medigap Open Enrollment: You can still apply anytime, but insurers may underwrite.
• Miss your initial Part B enrollment: You may face a lifelong late-enrollment penalty, plus a wait for coverage to start.

Program-level 2027 numbers to keep in mind

These apply nationwide, not to any one plan:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 for 2026.
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 for 2027.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is eliminated as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs over the year in monthly amounts instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA income surcharges on Part B and Part D begin above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

How to think it through in Miami

Start with the calendar, then look at the plans. If you're aging into Medicare, protect your Medigap Open Enrollment window first — you may not need Medigap, but understand what you'd be giving up. If you're already on Medicare, mark October 15 and December 7 on the fridge and use AEP to compare on medicare.gov using your own ZIP code, doctors, and prescriptions.

With 81 Advantage plans in Miami-Dade for 2027, comparison shopping is not a five-minute job. Give yourself time before the December 7 deadline.