Medicare Advantage

Sizing up Medicare in Cicero: how many 2027 choices Cook County residents actually have

Cook County has 67 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 17 plans are not coming back, 6 are new, and 30 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 9 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Cicero, not which plan to pick.

If you live in Cicero and you're sorting through Medicare for 2027, the first useful thing to know is simple: you have a lot of options on the table. Cicero is in Cook County, where CMS lists 58 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, offered by 11 different carriers.

The Cicero snapshot for 2027

That's a big menu for a big group of people. Cook County is home to more than 827,000 residents age 65 and older — one of the largest Medicare-eligible populations in the country. This article walks through what those numbers mean, and what they don't.

What "78 plans" actually counts

When CMS says 78 Medicare Advantage plans are available in Cook County, it's counting each distinct plan offering — not each insurance company. One carrier may sell several different plans in the same county (for example, an HMO and a PPO, or plans aimed at different needs).

That's why the carrier count matters too. Twelve carriers offering MA-PD plans in Cook County means you have a dozen different companies competing for your business, each with its own network of doctors and hospitals.

The number 78 is a county-level figure. Cicero itself isn't measured separately — Medicare Advantage plan availability is set at the county level across the country.

Stand-alone Part D drug plans

Here's a number that might surprise you: Cook County shows 0 stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans on the 2027 landscape file for this area's data pull. In practice, most people in Cicero who want drug coverage get it built into a Medicare Advantage plan (called an MA-PD).

If you have Original Medicare and want drug coverage, it's worth calling 1-800-MEDICARE or checking medicare.gov directly to confirm what stand-alone Part D options are available to you, since the Plan Finder pulls the most current list by ZIP code.

Star Ratings in the area

Medicare rates plan contracts on a 1-to-5 star scale, based on things like customer service, member complaints, and how well plans manage care. For the Cook County data pull, 0 contracts are rated 4 stars or higher in this file.

Star Ratings can be a useful piece of information, but they aren't the whole story. A plan's network, drug list, and how it fits your specific doctors and medications usually matter more day to day.

Program-level numbers to know for 2027

Some Medicare figures apply to everyone, no matter where you live:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027. Once your covered drug spending hits that ceiling, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615.
• The donut hole is gone. As of 2025, Part D has three phases instead of four. No more coverage gap.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. This optional program lets you spread your drug costs over monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA surcharges for higher-income beneficiaries start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

Key dates for Cicero residents

Two enrollment windows drive most Medicare decisions:

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7, 2026. This is when you can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare.

Outside of those windows, you generally need a Special Enrollment Period — for example, if you move or lose other coverage.

How to narrow 78 plans down to one

A menu of 78 plans is only helpful if you can whittle it down. A few practical filters:

• Your doctors and hospitals. Check which plans include them in-network.
• Your prescriptions. Enter your drug list on medicare.gov's Plan Finder to see how each plan covers them.
• How you like to get care. HMO plans usually require you to stay in-network and get referrals. PPO plans give more flexibility, often at a higher cost.
• Extras that matter to you. Some plans include dental, vision, hearing, or transportation benefits — the details vary widely.

For free, unbiased help, Illinois residents can reach the state's SHIP (Senior Health Insurance Program), which offers one-on-one Medicare counseling at no cost.