Medicare Advantage

How Medicare plan choices in Arlington Heights compare with the wider Chicago metro

For 2027, Arlington Heights is looking at 67 Medicare Advantage plans: 6 new, 17 gone since 2026, and 30 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 9 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Cook County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

If you live in Arlington Heights and you're weighing your Medicare choices, it helps to know how the local landscape looks compared with the counties right next door. Plan availability in Medicare isn't set by ZIP code or town — it's set at the county level. So an Arlington Heights resident and a Schaumburg resident, both in Cook County, are shopping from the same countywide menu, while a friend a short drive away in Lake or DuPage County may see a different set of options.

This snapshot walks through what "plan availability" really means around here, and how to think about the numbers before you start comparing specific plans on Medicare's official tools.

Why county lines matter more than city limits

Medicare Advantage and Part D plans are approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to serve specific service areas, and those service areas are drawn by county. Arlington Heights straddles the northwest corner of Cook County, with Lake County just to the north. If you move across that county line — even by a few blocks — the list of plans you can join can change.

That's why, when we talk about how many plans are "available in Arlington Heights," we're really talking about how many are available in Cook County.

What the Cook County numbers look like

According to CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape data for the area:

• Cook County has 58 Medicare Advantage plans available for 2027.
• 12 carriers offer Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage (MA-PD) in the area.
• The population age 65 and older in Cook County is about 827,156, which is one of the larger senior populations of any U.S. county.

A large plan count is not automatically good or bad. It means more to compare — different networks, different drug formularies, different extra benefits — and more reason to slow down and match a plan to your own doctors, prescriptions, and travel patterns.

How nearby counties can differ

Even inside the same metro, neighboring counties can have their own plan lineups. A resident of Arlington Heights whose adult child lives in DuPage or Lake County may notice the two of them are looking at different menus, even though they see some of the same insurance company names.

When you compare "nearby areas" around Arlington Heights, the useful comparison is county to county:

• Cook County (where Arlington Heights sits)
• Lake County (to the north)
• DuPage County (to the west)
• McHenry and Kane Counties (further out)

The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov will show you the exact plan counts for any ZIP code you enter, and it updates each fall for the coming plan year. For 2027 in Cook County, 6 plans are new, 17 are not returning, and 9 have been renamed. For 2027 in Cook County, 6 plans are new, 17 are not returning, and 9 have been renamed.

How to decide, not just count

Plan counts are a starting point, not a finish line. A few practical steps:

1. Start with your drugs. Enter your prescriptions into the Plan Finder so it can price them under each plan's formulary. The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027, and the Part D deductible is capped at $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. 2. Check your doctors and hospitals. Medicare Advantage plans use networks. Confirm your primary care doctor, specialists, and preferred hospital are in-network before you enroll. 3. Think about how you use care. If you travel often or split time between states, an Advantage HMO's local network may feel tight. Original Medicare with a Medigap policy works differently and is worth understanding. 4. Know the calendar. The Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 – Dec. 7 each year. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you also get a second window, Jan. 1 – March 31, to make one change. 5. Ask about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. This optional program lets you spread your Part D out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments rather than paying all at once at the pharmacy.

A note on Star Ratings and stand-alone Part D

CMS publishes Star Ratings each year to help beneficiaries compare plan quality. Ratings can shift year to year, and they're one input among many — not a substitute for checking whether your doctors and drugs are covered.

You may also see references to "stand-alone" Part D plans (PDPs). Those are drug-only plans that pair with Original Medicare. If you're leaning toward a Medicare Advantage plan that already includes drug coverage (an MA-PD), you generally wouldn't add a separate PDP on top.