Medicare Advantage

Prairie Village Medicare Advantage changes from Jan 1–Mar 31

Johnson County has 43 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 16 plans are not coming back, 6 are new, and 30 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 14 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Prairie Village, not which plan to pick.

Prairie Village, Kan. — If you signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan during fall enrollment and are having second thoughts, you still have time to make a change. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs from January 1 through March 31, and it gives millions of people a second look at the coverage they picked.

Here's what this window is, what it isn't, and how to use it wisely.

What the January–March window actually is

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (often called MA-OEP) is a yearly do-over for people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1. During these three months, you can make one change to your coverage. The change takes effect the first day of the month after your new plan gets your request.

This is different from the fall Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7), when anyone with Medicare can shop, compare, and switch. MA-OEP is narrower — it's really designed as a course-correction, not a full open shopping season.

What you can change — and what you can't

During MA-OEP, you can:

• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another Medicare Advantage plan.
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare (Parts A and B).
• If you return to Original Medicare, join a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan.

What you cannot do in this window:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan.
• Join a stand-alone Part D drug plan if you're staying on a Medicare Advantage plan.
• Make more than one change. Once your switch is processed, this window closes for you.

If you're still in your first three months of Medicare Advantage after aging into Medicare, you may have separate trial rights. That's worth asking about — call 1-800-MEDICARE or your local SHIP counselor.

Why some Prairie Village readers may want to look again

Prairie Village is in Johnson County, where a wide range of Medicare Advantage plans are offered by several carriers. Plans update their benefits, provider networks, and drug formularies every year, so the plan you had in 2025 may not work the same in 2026.

Common reasons people use the MA-OEP window:

• A doctor or hospital you rely on is no longer in the network.
• A prescription you take is now covered differently — different tier, new prior authorization, or dropped from the formulary.
• The plan's extra benefits (dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter) changed in ways you didn't expect.
• You realized you'd rather be on Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan.

None of these are unusual. Plan documents can be dense, and the real test often comes in January when you actually use the coverage.

Key 2027 numbers worth knowing before you switch

Whatever you decide, a few program-level figures shape drug costs across the board in 2027:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). Once your covered drug spending hits that amount, you pay nothing for covered prescriptions the rest of the year.
• Maximum Part D deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). Individual plans may set a lower deductible, but not higher.
• No more "donut hole." As of 2025, Part D has three phases, not four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. This is an optional program that lets you spread your drug costs across monthly payments instead of paying a big bill at the pharmacy counter. You can opt in at any time.
• IRMAA. Higher-income enrollees pay an income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D premiums. For 2026, IRMAA starts above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

These figures come from CMS and apply nationwide.

How to make a smart switch, not a rushed one

A few steps that tend to save headaches:

1. List your must-haves. Your doctors, your pharmacy, and every prescription you take (name, dose, frequency). 2. Use the Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare plans in your ZIP code side by side. 3. Check the network directly with the plan and with your doctor's billing office — networks change midyear too. 4. Ask about Star Ratings. CMS publishes quality ratings for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans; they're one useful data point among several. 5. Get free, unbiased help. Kansas SHICK (the state's SHIP program) offers one-on-one Medicare counseling at no cost.