Medicare Advantage

Medicare in Bowling Green: Key 2026 Deadlines to Watch

Medicare in Bowling Green: AEP dates, Part B and Part D late-enrollment penalties, and how to avoid them for 2027 coverage in Warren County.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Warren County had 60 Medicare Advantage plans available in 2026, and the 2027 lineup is in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. But the biggest factor in whether you get the coverage you want isn't the size of the menu — it's the calendar. Miss an enrollment window, and your choices narrow fast.

Here's a plain-language guide to the dates that shape your Medicare year in Bowling Green, and what happens if one slips past you.

The fall window is the main event

The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is October 15 through December 7 every year. This is when almost everyone with Medicare can:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or vice versa.
• Change from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
• Join, drop, or switch a stand-alone Part D drug plan.

Anything you sign up for during AEP starts January 1, 2027. If December 7 comes and goes and you haven't acted, you generally keep whatever coverage you had — even if your plan's costs, drug list, or provider network changed for the new year. That's why reviewing the Annual Notice of Change your plan mails in September matters so much.

The January–March window is narrower than people think

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31. It sounds like a second chance at AEP, but it's more limited. During this window, you can:

• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan if needed).

You cannot use this window to jump from Original Medicare into a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time, and you only get one change. It's meant as a course-correction — useful if your new plan isn't working the way you expected in January.

Kentucky has 10 stand-alone Part D plans for 2026, sold statewide, so anyone in Bowling Green with Original Medicare can join one of them — it's still worth confirming the current lineup on Medicare.gov before you build a plan around one. Most Bowling Green shoppers who want drug coverage will be looking at Medicare Advantage plans that include Part D — and 7 carriers offered those in the county in 2026. The 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. The 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

What if you're brand new to Medicare?

Your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) is a seven-month window around your 65th birthday: the three months before, your birth month, and the three months after. This is separate from AEP, and it's the cleanest time to enroll — no late penalties, no waiting.

If you're still working past 65 and have employer coverage, you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period when that job coverage ends. These SEPs typically give you eight months to sign up for Part B and two months to add a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan without a penalty. Timing here gets technical, so it's worth a call to your local SHIP counselor before you retire.

Missing a deadline can cost you — sometimes for life

Two penalties trip people up most often:

• Part B late enrollment penalty. If you don't sign up for Part B when first eligible and don't have qualifying coverage, your premium can be 10% higher for every 12 months you were eligible but didn't enroll — for as long as you have Part B.
• Part D late enrollment penalty. If you go 63 or more days without creditable drug coverage after becoming eligible, a penalty gets added to your Part D premium going forward.

Neither penalty is automatic if you had other qualifying coverage (like from an employer). But if you simply skipped enrollment, they can follow you for years.

Program facts that matter for 2027

A few figures apply nationwide, not just in Kentucky:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 for the year in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• Part D maximum deductible in 2027: $700 (up from $615 in 2026).
• The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") is gone. Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across monthly payments rather than paying all at once at the pharmacy — you have to opt in.
• IRMAA (higher Part B and Part D premiums for higher incomes) starts above $109,000 for single filers in 2026, based on your 2024 tax return.

Star Ratings, which CMS updates each fall, are one tool you can look at on Medicare.gov to compare contract quality. Under CMS's 2026 Star Ratings, 7 of the 19 rated contracts offering plans in the local area are rated 4 stars or higher — a reminder that ratings can shift year to year and shouldn't be your only measuring stick.

Where to get personal help in Bowling Green

Kentucky's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), locally known as SHIP Kentucky, offers free one-on-one counseling. Counselors don't sell anything and aren't tied to a carrier. You can also compare every plan in Warren County at Medicare.gov/plan-compare, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24/7.