Medicare Advantage

Medicare in Downers Grove: 72 Plan Choices for 2026

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — If you're sorting through Medicare choices this fall, here's the short version: you have a lot of them. Downers Grove is in DuPage County, where 72 Medicare Advantage plans are available for 2026, according to the CMS Medicare Plan Finder and Landscape files. That's before you even get to Original Medicare paired with a Medigap policy.

More options can mean a better fit — but it also means more reading. This guide walks through what those numbers look like locally, and what's worth knowing before the Annual Enrollment Period closes on December 7.

What's on the table in DuPage County

Here's the current 2026 count for the county Downers Grove sits in:

• 72 Medicare Advantage plans available
• 12 carriers offering Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD)
• 0 stand-alone Part D drug plans listed at the county level in the current Landscape file
• 161,240 residents age 65 and older across DuPage County

A quick note on the stand-alone Part D figure: stand-alone drug plans are actually sold at the regional level, so Illinois residents do have Part D options through medicare.gov even though the county-specific Landscape count reads zero. If you're staying on Original Medicare and need drug coverage, use Plan Finder to see the plans available to your ZIP code.

Why 72 plans doesn't mean 72 good fits for you

A big plan count is only useful if you can narrow it down. Most people filter by three things:

1. Your doctors and hospitals. Medicare Advantage plans use networks. Confirm your providers are in-network before you enroll. 2. Your prescriptions. Each plan has its own formulary (drug list). The same medication can be treated very differently from one plan to another. 3. How you like to get care. Some folks want an HMO with a primary care quarterback; others want the flexibility of a PPO or want to stick with Original Medicare plus a Medigap plan.

Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you enter your drugs and pharmacy and see personalized cost estimates — that's the honest way to compare 72 options without losing a weekend.

The 2026 program changes that apply everywhere

No matter which route you choose in DuPage County, a few federal rules kick in for 2026:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100. Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs hits that ceiling, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D deductible: up to $615 (plans can charge less).
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. You can ask your Part D plan to spread your yearly drug costs into level monthly payments. It doesn't lower the total — it just smooths it out.
• IRMAA (the higher-income surcharge on Parts B and D) starts above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

About Star Ratings

You'll see 1-to-5 Star Ratings next to plans on Medicare's site. They're a Medicare quality measure covering things like customer service, member complaints, and preventive care. In the current data for DuPage County, no contracts are rated 4 stars or higher — but ratings are one input among many, and they change year to year. Use them as context, not as the whole answer.

Key dates for Downers Grove residents

• October 15 – December 7: Annual Enrollment Period. Anyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Changes take effect January 1.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you're already in an MA plan, you get one chance to switch to a different MA plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).

Miss those windows and you're generally locked in until next fall unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (a move, loss of other coverage, and so on).