Medicare Advantage

DeKalb Medicare Advantage for 2027: a carrier-by-carrier look at what's returning and what's not

DeKalb, Ill. — Fall 2026 is the stretch when Medicare's plan year for 2027 comes into view. Between now and Dec. 7, 2026, people on Medicare in DeKalb can compare next year's Medicare Advantage lineup, keep the plan they have, or switch to something different for coverage that starts Jan. 1, 2027. DeKalb sits in DeKalb County, and Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level — so the 2027 roster in town is really the 2027 roster for DeKalb County, carrier by carrier.

How to read a "2027 lineup" for DeKalb

Medicare Advantage plans are approved by CMS county by county. So when you see a list of plans "available in DeKalb," what you're really seeing is the set of plans a carrier has filed to sell in DeKalb County for the coming year. Two things change each fall:

• Carriers add new plans, retire old ones, or adjust which counties a plan is sold in.
• Existing plans update their benefits, provider networks, drug lists and cost-sharing for the new year. Those changes arrive in your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which plans mail by the end of September.

That is why the same plan name can look different from one year to the next, and why the same carrier can have more plans (or fewer) in DeKalb County than it did in 2026.

The plan types you'll see

Even without naming specific plans, it helps to know the shapes Medicare Advantage plans come in, because DeKalb County's lineup is a mix of them:

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization): usually uses in-network doctors and often requires a referral for specialists.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization): lets you go out of network, usually at a higher cost.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service): an HMO with a limited option to see certain out-of-network providers.
• SNP (Special Needs Plan): built for people with a specific condition, people who have both Medicare and Medicaid, or people in certain institutions.

Most Medicare Advantage plans also include Part D drug coverage. A smaller number do not — those are usually paired with a separate stand‑alone Part D plan.

What's new, and what's not returning

Each fall, the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files show, county by county, which plans are being offered for the new year and which have exited. For DeKalb County, the 2027 file is what to check for the final "new for 2027" and "not returning" list once CMS posts it — and the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov will show the same lineup in shopper-friendly form starting Oct. 1.

If your current plan is not on the 2027 list, two things matter:

1. You'll get a non-renewal notice from your plan by early October 2026 telling you coverage ends Dec. 31, 2026. 2. You qualify for a Special Enrollment Period that runs from Dec. 8, 2026 through the end of February 2027 to pick another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (with a stand-alone Part D plan, if you want drug coverage). You do not have to wait for the Annual Enrollment Period to act, and you are not left without options.

If your plan is returning, read the ANOC. The premium, deductible, drug tiers, provider network and extra benefits can all shift year to year, even if the plan name is the same.

The 2027 numbers that apply everywhere

Some 2027 figures are set at the national level and apply in DeKalb just like anywhere else:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). Once your covered drug spending hits that cap, you pay $0 for covered Part D drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). Plans can set a lower deductible; this is the ceiling.
• Part D national base beneficiary premium: $41.33 for 2027. This is a formula input CMS uses — not the premium any particular plan charges.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is still available in 2027. It lets you spread out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly amounts instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") remains eliminated; Part D has three phases now — deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.

CMS has not yet published the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets and surcharges. Those usually come out in November; watch medicare.gov for the announcement.

How to compare the DeKalb lineup without getting overwhelmed

A short checklist that works whether you have five plans on your short list or fifteen:

• Start with your doctors and hospitals. Confirm they're in-network for the 2027 version of each plan you're weighing.
• Add your prescriptions. Run them through each plan's 2027 drug list on the Plan Finder — tiers and preferred pharmacies change.
• Look at total cost, not just premium. Deductibles, copays and the Part D cap all feed into what you'd actually pay.
• Note the plan type. An HMO and a PPO from the same carrier can behave very differently at the point of care.
• Read the ANOC if you already have a plan. It's the shortest, clearest description of what your 2026 plan is doing in 2027.