Medicare Advantage

Turning 65 in Des Moines? Here's your 2026 plan menu

For 2027, Des Moines is looking at 38 Medicare Advantage plans: 17 new, 11 gone since 2026, and 8 continuing plans with a change in their terms, 6 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Polk County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Medicare AdvantageDes Moines, IA

Des Moines is in Polk County, and Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level. For the 2027 plan year, CMS's Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File shows 38 Medicare Advantage plans available in Polk County from 10 carriers. Every one of those plans includes Part D prescription drug coverage.

What is on offer in Des Moines for 2027

There are no stand-alone Part D drug plans listed on this Polk County roster; stand-alone Part D is a separate landscape file, so if you want drug coverage alongside Original Medicare, look at that file on medicare.gov.

Roughly 70,275 people age 65 and older live in Polk County, which helps explain why so many national and regional carriers compete here.

The nine carriers, at a glance

The 10 carriers serving Polk County in 2027, in alphabetical order, are:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 8 plans (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO; 1 Special Needs Plan)
• Centene (WellCare) — 4 plans (HMO-POS; 3 Special Needs Plans)
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 2 plans (HMO-POS; 2 Special Needs Plans)
• Humana — 8 plans (HMO, PPO; 3 Special Needs Plans)
• Iowa Health Advantage — 2 plans (HMO; 2 Special Needs Plans)
• MediGold — 5 plans (HMO, PPO)
• Passport Advantage — 1 plan (HMO; 1 Special Needs Plan)
• UnitedHealthcare — 6 plans (HMO-POS, PPO; 2 Special Needs Plans)
• Wellmark Advantage Health Plan — 2 plans (PPO)

The full plan-by-plan list appears in the table below.

HMO, HMO-POS or PPO: what the plan type means

The plan type tells you how the network works, and it is one of the first things to check.

• HMO plans generally ask you to use in-network providers and pick a primary care doctor. Out-of-network care is usually not covered except in emergencies.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service) plans are HMOs that allow some out-of-network care, often at a higher cost share.
• PPO plans let you see in-network and out-of-network providers, though your share of the cost is typically lower in-network.

In Polk County's 2027 lineup, 21 plans continue from 2026, 17 are new, 11 are not returning and 6 have been renamed; 8 continuing plans change something in their terms, and the details are in each plan's Annual Notice of Change. Which plan type fits you depends on your doctors, your travel habits and how much freedom you want, not on which is "better."

Special Needs Plans in the mix

Of the 38 plans, 14 are Special Needs Plans (SNPs). SNPs are built for people who fit specific categories:

• D-SNP — for people with both Medicare and Medicaid ("dual eligibles").
• C-SNP — for people with certain chronic conditions.
• I-SNP — for people who live in an institution such as a nursing home, or need that level of care at home.

You can only join a SNP if you meet its eligibility rules. If you do, these plans are designed around that situation and often coordinate benefits between Medicare and Medicaid.

What to keep in mind about drug coverage in 2027

Every Medicare Advantage plan on the Polk County list for 2027 includes Part D drug coverage. A few program-level facts worth knowing when you compare drug coverage:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026. Once you hit it, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615. Plans can charge less, but not more.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly bills instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. It is optional and free to opt into.

Higher-income beneficiaries also pay IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D. For 2026, IRMAA begins above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Dates to circle

• October 15 – December 7: Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage plan or Part D plan. Changes take effect January 1.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan) one time during this window.

How to compare the plans on this list

The roster above is county-level availability from CMS. It tells you what is sold in Polk County, not what any plan will cost you or how it is rated. For those details:

• Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov to see premiums, deductibles, drug coverage for your prescriptions, provider networks and current star ratings.
• Read the plan's own Summary of Benefits and Evidence of Coverage.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24/7.
• Contact Iowa SHIIP (Senior Health Insurance Information Program), Iowa's SHIP, for free one-on-one counseling.