Medicare Advantage

Allen County Has 58 Medicare Plans: How to Compare

For 2027, Fort Wayne is looking at 64 Medicare Advantage plans: 16 new, 10 gone since 2026, and 18 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 6 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Allen County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The window to change your Medicare coverage for 2027 is open now and closes Dec. 7, 2026. Anything you decide during these weeks takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan simply rolls into next year — with whatever changes your insurer has already announced in the mail.

That is why this fall is a good time to sit down with the paperwork and work through a short checklist, step by step.

What is the Dec. 7 deadline for Fort Wayne Medicare enrollees?

In Fort Wayne, as everywhere in the country, Dec. 7, 2026 is the last day of the Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage. Between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7 you can switch Medicare Advantage plans, move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, or join, drop or change a Part D drug plan.

Nothing bad happens if you make no change. Your current plan renews on Jan. 1, 2027, with the adjustments the insurer has already disclosed. The deadline matters only if you want something different for next year.

What should I look for in my Annual Notice of Change?

The Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) is the booklet your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan mails each September. It compares what the plan looked like in 2026 to what it will look like in 2027.

Open it with a highlighter and check:

• The monthly plan premium for 2027.
• The medical and drug deductibles.
• Copays or coinsurance for primary care, specialists, hospital stays, labs and imaging.
• The maximum out-of-pocket limit.
• Any extra benefits (dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter, transportation) that are being added, trimmed or removed.
• Whether your plan is being renewed, consolidated, or discontinued.

If you want more detail, the longer Evidence of Coverage (EOC) on your plan's website is the full rulebook.

How do I check my doctors, hospitals and prescriptions for 2027?

Before Dec. 7, confirm three things against next year's plan documents, not this year's:

1. Doctors and hospitals. Pull up your plan's 2027 provider directory online, or call the plan directly, and look up each doctor you see regularly. In Fort Wayne that often means checking large systems such as Parkview Health and Lutheran Health Network, plus your primary care clinic and any specialists. Networks can change on Jan. 1. 2. Prescriptions. Use the plan's 2027 drug list (formulary) to look up every prescription you take. Check the tier, any prior-authorization or step-therapy rules, and whether your usual pharmacy is still "preferred." 3. Pharmacy. A plan can keep your drug on the formulary but move your pharmacy out of its preferred network, which changes what you pay at the counter.

The Medicare Plan Finder at Medicare.gov lets you enter your drugs and pharmacies and see how 2027 plans compare side by side. 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) is available 24/7 if you would rather talk to someone.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Allen County for 2027?

Fort Wayne is in Allen County, where the latest CMS Landscape file lists 58 Medicare Advantage plans from 7 carriers for the 2026 plan year. (CMS publishes the full 2027 county file as the enrollment period opens.) Of those 58 plans, 50 include drug coverage and 20 are Special Needs Plans designed for people with specific conditions or dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility.

The carriers offering Medicare Advantage in Allen County, in alphabetical order, are Aetna (CVS Health), American Health Advantage of Indiana, Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Provider Partners Health Plans, and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan by carrier and plan type.

That is a lot of choices on paper, but most people narrow it down quickly once they filter by the doctors, drugs and pharmacies they actually use.

What is changing with Part D drug coverage in 2027?

Two Part D numbers go up on Jan. 1, 2027:

• The annual out-of-pocket cap rises from $2,100 in 2026 to $2,400 in 2027. Once your drug spending hits that cap, you pay $0 for covered Part D drugs for the rest of the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible rises from $615 in 2026 to $700 in 2027. Individual plans can set a lower deductible, but none can set it higher.

The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.

The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread your drug costs out in monthly installments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter, continues into 2027. You can opt in through your Part D plan.

What about Part B premiums and IRMAA for 2027?

The 2027 standard Part B premium and deductible have not yet been announced. CMS typically releases those numbers in the fall, usually November, along with the 2027 IRMAA income brackets that apply to higher-income beneficiaries. (For reference, IRMAA surcharges in 2026 begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer.) Watch Medicare.gov for the official 2027 figures.

Your Fort Wayne pre-Dec. 7 checklist

• [ ] Read the 2027 ANOC from your current plan, cover to cover.
• [ ] List every doctor, hospital and specialist you want to keep.
• [ ] List every prescription, dose and preferred pharmacy.
• [ ] Run that list through Plan Finder at Medicare.gov.
• [ ] Compare the plan you have against two or three alternatives in Allen County.
• [ ] If something is unclear, call the plan — or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
• [ ] Decide by Dec. 7, 2026. If you are keeping what you have, no action is required.

Remember: if you choose a Medicare Advantage plan and change your mind, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (Jan. 1 – Mar. 31, 2027) gives you one more chance to switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare.