Medicare Advantage

Iowa City, IA Medicare Advantage: 2027 tally

IOWA CITY, Iowa — If you are turning 65 in Iowa City, or helping a parent sort through mail from Medicare for 2027, the first question is almost always the same: what is this actually going to cost? For 2026, Johnson County residents had 31 Medicare Advantage plans to choose from, offered by 8 carriers; the 2027 lineup is in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. The number of options matters less than understanding how Medicare's cost pieces fit together before you pick one.

Here is a plain-English walk through the cost structure for 2027, plus where to go for personal answers.

Start with the parts, because each has its own price tag

Medicare is not one bill. It is four pieces that each carry their own cost:

• Part A (hospital) is premium-free for most people who worked and paid Medicare taxes long enough.
• Part B (doctor visits, outpatient care) has a standard monthly premium set by CMS each year, plus an annual deductible.
• Part C (Medicare Advantage) bundles A and B — and usually drug coverage — through a private plan. You still owe your Part B premium.
• Part D (prescription drugs) is sold by private insurers, either stand-alone or built into an Advantage plan.

In Johnson County, the 2026 lineup includes 31 Medicare Advantage options from 8 different carriers, and drug coverage is generally built into those plans. The 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. Stand-alone Part D plan availability in this area has been limited, which is why the drug coverage inside an Advantage plan is worth a careful look.

The Part D cost cap is the biggest recent change

For years, the scariest words in Medicare were "donut hole" — the coverage gap where drug costs jumped. That gap was eliminated in 2025. Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.

Two numbers to know for 2027:

• $700 — the most any Part D plan can charge as an annual deductible in 2027 (it was $615 in 2026). Many plans charge less, but none can charge more.
• $2,400 — the annual out-of-pocket cap on what you pay for covered Part D drugs in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026. Once you hit it, you pay nothing more for covered drugs the rest of the calendar year.

If cash flow is a concern, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread that out-of-pocket spending across the year in monthly installments instead of paying it at the pharmacy counter. It does not lower the total — it just smooths it.

What "premium" really means when you compare plans

When you look at a Medicare Advantage plan, you may see several premium figures at once:

1. Your Part B premium, which you still owe Medicare directly. 2. The plan's premium, which some plans set at zero and others do not. 3. A separate drug premium if it is broken out.

None of those is the full cost. The real cost picture also includes the plan's deductible, its copays or coinsurance for the care you actually use, and its annual out-of-pocket maximum for medical services. Two plans with identical premiums can behave very differently once you get sick.

Because 31 plans is a lot to sort through, most people find it easier to start with the drugs they take and the doctors they want to keep, then narrow from there.

IRMAA: the surcharge higher earners should know about

If your income is above certain thresholds, Medicare adds a surcharge called IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount) to your Part B and Part D premiums. For 2026, IRMAA kicks in above $109,000 in income for a single filer (higher for joint filers). It is based on your tax return from two years ago, so a recent retirement or a one-time income event can trigger it — and you can appeal if your situation has changed.

Star Ratings, briefly

CMS rates Medicare plan contracts on a 1-to-5 star scale for quality and member experience. Star Ratings are one input among many, not a verdict — use them alongside your own list of doctors, drugs and how a plan handles the care you use most.

Dates that actually matter

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7: Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Changes take effect Jan. 1.
• Jan. 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you are already in an Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another or return to Original Medicare.
• Around your 65th birthday: Your Initial Enrollment Period — a seven-month window to sign up without late penalties.

Missing an enrollment window can mean lifetime late-enrollment penalties on Part B and Part D, so put the dates on the calendar.