Medicare Advantage

Sorting Through Medicare in Derby? Here's What 2027 Looks Like

People in Derby can choose from 31 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 37 this year. Eleven of this year’s plans are gone, 5 are new to Sedgwick County, and 16 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 7 of them under a new name.

In Derby, Kansas, Medicare shoppers heading into the 2027 plan year have a lot to weigh — and the first useful thing to know isn't which plan to pick, but how many doors are actually open to you.

Derby is in Sedgwick County, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) counts 24 Medicare Advantage plans available for 2027, offered by 6 carriers. That's the local snapshot. It doesn't tell you which plan fits your doctors, your prescriptions or your budget — that's a personal decision — but it does tell you the field is still wide, and that's worth understanding before you start comparing.

What "37 plans" actually means in Derby

Medicare Advantage plan availability is set at the county level, not the city level. So a Derby resident and a Wichita resident are both looking at the same Sedgwick County list — 24 Medicare Advantage plans from 6 carriers for 2027.

That's a large menu by national standards. It's also why comparing plans by hand, one by one, is exhausting. Most shoppers narrow the field using their own filters: the doctors they want to keep, the prescriptions they take, and whether they travel.

Stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans are the ones people on Original Medicare use for drug coverage. Anyone shopping in Sedgwick County should confirm current Part D options directly on medicare.gov's Plan Finder, since the drug-plan landscape can shift year to year.

The parts of Medicare, in plain English

If the plan count feels overwhelming, it helps to step back to the basics:

• Part A covers hospital stays. Most people pay no premium because they paid Medicare taxes while working.
• Part B covers doctor visits and outpatient care. It has a monthly premium.
• Part C (Medicare Advantage) is an all-in-one alternative to Original Medicare offered by private insurers. This is the "37 plans" bucket in Sedgwick County.
• Part D covers prescription drugs, either as a stand-alone plan or built into a Medicare Advantage plan.
• Medigap (Medicare Supplement) is separate insurance that helps pay Original Medicare's out-of-pocket costs.

You generally pick either Original Medicare (often paired with a Medigap and a Part D plan) or Medicare Advantage. You don't do both.

What's new — and locked in — for 2027

A few program-wide facts you can rely on for the 2027 plan year:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 ($2,400 in 2027). Once your covered drug spending hits that limit, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D deductible: up to $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027). Plans can set a lower deductible, but not higher.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone. As of 2025, Part D has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. This optional program lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA. Higher-income beneficiaries pay surcharges on Part B and Part D. For 2026, those surcharges start above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Dates to circle

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7: Annual Enrollment Period. This is when most people compare and change plans for the coming year.
• Jan. 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance during this window to switch to a different MA plan or return to Original Medicare.

Miss those windows and you generally have to wait, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (moving, losing other coverage, and similar life events).

How to actually narrow 37 plans down

You don't have to read every plan brochure. A short checklist does most of the work:

1. List your doctors and hospitals. Check whether each plan's network includes them. 2. List your prescriptions, with dosages. Plan Finder on medicare.gov will show how each plan covers them. 3. Think about travel. Some plans work best close to home; others have broader networks. 4. Consider the total picture — premiums, deductibles, out-of-pocket max, and drug coverage — not just one number. 5. Ask for help. In Kansas, the free SHICK program (Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas) offers one-on-one counseling with trained volunteers who don't sell insurance.

What Star Ratings are (and aren't)

CMS publishes Star Ratings on a 1-to-5 scale to measure plan quality on things like customer service and preventive care. Ratings are one signal among many, and they can change year to year. They aren't a substitute for checking whether a plan covers your doctors and drugs.