Medicare Advantage

Dubuque Medicare Advantage Options on the 2027 Menu

In Dubuque, older adults sizing up their 2027 Medicare coverage have a real menu to work through — and knowing how many options are on the table is the first step to a confident choice.

Dubuque is in Dubuque County, where 18 Medicare Advantage plans were available for 2026, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plan landscape data. Those plans came from 5 carriers offering Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD). Stand-alone Part D drug plans are counted separately, and the 2026 local landscape file showed 0 stand-alone Part D plans tied to this county row — a reminder to double-check on Medicare's Plan Finder, since stand-alone drug plans are sold on a broader regional footprint. The 2027 lineup is detailed in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

With roughly 19,152 residents age 65 and older in the county, that's a meaningful number of neighbors weighing the same decision this fall.

What the numbers actually mean

The "18 plans" figure counted every Medicare Advantage option a Dubuque County resident could enroll in for 2026. Some are HMOs, some are PPOs, and some are special needs plans built for people with certain conditions or dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility. The point isn't that you have to sort every plan by hand — it's that you have room to find one that fits your doctors, your prescriptions, and your budget. Check Medicare.gov's Plan Finder for the 2027 count.

Having 5 carriers in the mix matters too. More carriers generally means more variety in provider networks and drug formularies, which is where day-to-day coverage differences actually show up.

How to narrow the list

The fastest way to shrink 18 options down to a short list is to start with what you already use:

• Your doctors and hospitals. Check whether they're in-network for each plan you're considering.
• Your prescriptions. Enter them into Medicare's Plan Finder to see how each plan's formulary handles them.
• Your travel patterns. If you spend time out of state, network rules matter more.
• Extra benefits you'd actually use. Dental, vision, hearing, and fitness benefits vary widely — value them based on what you'd truly use, not what sounds nice.

You don't need to score plans against each other on a spreadsheet. You need to find two or three that clearly fit your life, then compare those closely.

The 2027 rules worth knowing

A few program-wide changes shape every choice you'll make for 2027 coverage:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your drug spending hits that ceiling, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D deductible: Plans can't charge more than $615 in 2026 or $700 in 2027.
• No more donut hole: As of 2025, Part D has three phases instead of four. The old coverage gap is gone.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: You can opt in to spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA: Higher-income beneficiaries pay surcharges on Part B and Part D. For 2026, those surcharges begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

About Star Ratings

CMS publishes Star Ratings each year to measure plan quality on things like customer service, member complaints, and preventive care. In the Dubuque County landscape data for 2026, no contracts serving this area carried a rating of 4 stars or higher at the contract level. Ratings can shift year to year, and they're one input among several — network, drug coverage, and total cost usually matter more to your day-to-day experience. Look at ratings as context, not as a verdict.

Key dates for 2027 coverage

• October 15 – December 7: Annual Enrollment Period. Join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Coverage starts January 1.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).

Missing the fall window usually means waiting a full year, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period — for example, after a move or a change in Medicaid status.

Where to get unbiased help

You don't have to figure this out alone, and you don't have to rely on a TV ad:

• medicare.gov/plan-compare — the official Plan Finder, updated for 2027.
• 1-800-MEDICARE — 24/7, free.
• Iowa SHIIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) — free, one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers who don't sell insurance. You can reach them through the Iowa Insurance Division.