Medicare Advantage

Kapolei Medicare checklist for 2027: what your ANOC should tell you before Dec. 7

For 2027, Kapolei is looking at 29 Medicare Advantage plans: 5 new, 4 gone since 2026, and 13 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 3 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Honolulu County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Kapolei, Hawaii — It is fall 2026, and the envelope that matters most has probably already landed in your mailbox. Every Medicare Advantage and Part D plan sends an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) each September, spelling out what will be different about your coverage on January 1, 2027. If you live in Kapolei and you plan to stay put with your current plan, the ANOC is still the document you should read before the Annual Enrollment Period closes on December 7, 2026.

Start with the ANOC — and read it next to what you have now

The ANOC is short on purpose. It compares this year's plan to next year's, line by line. Open it next to your current Evidence of Coverage or your member ID card and look for:

• The monthly premium for 2027 and any change to the plan deductible.
• Copays or coinsurance for primary care, specialists, urgent care and hospital stays.
• The drug deductible, the tier your medications sit on, and any prior authorization notes.
• Extra benefits (dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter, fitness) — these are the items that change most often year to year.

If a change surprises you, that is your cue to compare other options during the window, not a reason to panic.

Check your doctors and hospitals for 2027

Networks are set by plan and can shift between years. Before December 7, confirm that:

• Your primary care doctor is listed in the 2027 provider directory for your plan.
• Any specialists you see regularly are still in-network.
• The hospital you would want to use — for many Kapolei residents that includes facilities on the west side of Oʻahu and in the Honolulu area — is contracted for 2027.

Call the plan's member services number on the back of your card and ask them to confirm in writing, or check the plan's online provider search with the 2027 filter selected.

Check every prescription against next year's formulary

The federal Part D benefit itself is changing again. For 2027, CMS has confirmed the Part D out-of-pocket cap will be $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), the Part D maximum deductible will be $700 (up from $615 in 2026), and the national base beneficiary premium used in the Part D formula will be $41.33. Individual plans set their own premiums and formularies within those rules.

For each medication you take, look up:

• Whether the drug is still on the 2027 formulary at all.
• What tier it is on, and whether the tier's cost-sharing changed.
• Whether prior authorization, step therapy or quantity limits were added.
• Whether your pharmacy is still a preferred pharmacy for the plan.

If your drug costs are uneven month to month, ask about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, an optional program that spreads Part D out-of-pocket costs across the year.

Know what's on the shelf in Honolulu County

Plan availability is set at the county level, not the city level. Kapolei is in Honolulu County, where CMS lists 28 Medicare Advantage plans from 8 carriers for 2026: AlohaCare, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, HMSA Akamai Advantage, HMSA Akamai Advantage Dual Care, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare. Of those 28 plans, 9 are HMOs, 1 is an HMO-POS, and 18 are PPOs; 8 are Special Needs Plans, and all 28 include drug coverage. The table below lists every plan by carrier so you can see the full 2026 lineup at a glance. The 2027 lineup will be published on Medicare.gov in October 2026.

Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are worth flagging: D-SNPs are for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, and C-SNPs are for people with specific chronic conditions. If you qualify, ask about them specifically.

Mark the calendar and use official help

The deadline is December 7, 2026. A change made in the window takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews under the 2027 terms described in your ANOC — assuming the plan is still offered next year. If your plan is not being offered, the plan is required to tell you in writing, and you will have a Special Enrollment Period.

Two 2027 figures have not been announced yet: the standard Part B premium and deductible, and the IRMAA income brackets. CMS typically publishes these in the fall, usually in November. Watch Medicare.gov for the update.

For personalized help, three sources are free and unbiased:

• Medicare.gov's Plan Finder lets you enter your drugs and pharmacies and compare 2027 plans.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is staffed 24/7.
• Hawaii SHIP (the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, called Sage PLUS in Hawaii) offers free one-on-one counseling.