Medicare Advantage

How West Palm Beach's Medicare Choices Compare Next Door

# How West Palm Beach's Medicare Choices Compare Next…

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — If you live in or near West Palm Beach, you don't have to guess about how many Medicare choices sit in your backyard versus just up or down the coast. The federal government publishes those counts every fall, and they can shift quite a bit from one county line to the next. Here's a plain look at what's on the map around the metro this year, and what those numbers do — and don't — tell you.

The local picture, by the numbers

West Palm Beach is in Palm Beach County, where 121 Medicare Advantage plans were on offer for 2026, according to CMS Medicare Plan Finder data. Sixteen carriers offered Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD) in the area that year. The 2027 lineup is spelled out in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. The county is home to roughly 380,989 residents age 65 and older, one of the larger senior populations in Florida.

Stand-alone Part D drug plan counts are reported separately from Medicare Advantage, and the county-level figure for stand-alone PDPs shows 0 in this data pull. If you use Original Medicare and need drug coverage, medicare.gov's Plan Finder will show the current list of stand-alone Part D plans that serve your ZIP code.

Why nearby counties can look different

Medicare Advantage and Part D availability is drawn on county lines, not city lines. That's why a retiree in West Palm Beach and a friend in a neighboring county — say Martin, St. Lucie, or Broward — may see a different set of plans even though they live a short drive apart. Carriers decide which counties to enter, and CMS approves service areas one county at a time.

So if you're comparing notes with a sibling or neighbor, the differences you see aren't a mistake. Availability is genuinely local.

What a "count" does and doesn't tell you

A big number of plans in the area means more choices to sort through — not that any one of them is right for you. What matters for your decision is usually:

• Whether your doctors and hospitals are in the plan's network
• Whether your prescriptions are on the plan's formulary
• How the plan handles the services you actually use

Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you filter by your drugs and providers, which narrows a long list quickly.

Star Ratings, in plain English

CMS publishes Star Ratings each year to measure quality and member experience on a 1-to-5 scale. In the Palm Beach County data pull, 0 contracts serving the area are currently rated 4 stars or higher. Star Ratings can change year to year and are one input among many — not a substitute for checking whether a plan fits your care and prescriptions.

Dates and dollars to keep in mind for 2027

A few program-level facts apply no matter which county you're in:

• Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7. This is when most people compare and switch.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: Jan. 1 – March 31, for those already in a Medicare Advantage plan.
• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 for 2026 and $2,400 for 2027. Once you hit that, covered drugs cost you nothing more for the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 for 2026 and $700 for 2027.
• Coverage gap: The old "donut hole" is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: An optional way to spread your yearly drug costs into monthly payments — you can opt in through your Part D or MA-PD plan.
• IRMAA: Higher-income surcharges on Part B and Part D premiums begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Where to get personal help

Counts are a starting point, not an answer. For help that fits your situation:

• medicare.gov — Plan Finder, enrollment, and official plan details.
• 1-800-MEDICARE — 24/7 phone help.
• Florida SHINE — Florida's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) offers free, unbiased counseling for people with Medicare. Call 1-800-963-5337.