Medicare Advantage

Lexington Medicare review: a step-by-step checklist to finish before Dec. 7

Fayette County has 66 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 11 plans are not coming back, 12 are new, and 23 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 9 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Lexington, not which plan to pick.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The letter in the mailbox with the words "Annual Notice of Change" on it is the single most important piece of paper a Medicare Advantage or Part D member will get this fall. It explains, in plain language, how your 2026 plan is changing on January 1, 2027 — and it is the starting point for the review you have between now and December 7, 2026.

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026. Any switch you make in that window takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews next year with the changes the ANOC describes.

Here is a Lexington-specific checklist to work through before the deadline.

What is the Annual Notice of Change, and when does it arrive in Lexington?

The Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) is a document your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan must send by September 30 each year. It lays out, side by side, what your plan covers in the current year and what it will cover next year.

Flip to the sections on monthly premium, drug deductible, primary and specialist copays, the drug tier list (the "formulary"), and any extra benefits like dental, vision, hearing or over-the-counter allowances. If you also get the Evidence of Coverage (EOC), that is the long rulebook — the ANOC is the summary you want for a review like this.

How do I check that my Lexington doctors and hospitals are still in network for 2027?

Call each provider's office directly and ask whether they will be in your plan's network for plan year 2027 — not just today. Networks for 2027 are set by the plan, and even a provider who takes your plan in 2026 may not be contracted next year.

In Lexington that usually means checking with your primary care office, any specialists you see regularly, and the hospital system you'd want to use (for many residents, UK HealthCare, Baptist Health Lexington or CHI Saint Joseph). Your plan's online provider directory and member services line will also confirm 2027 status. If a Medicare Advantage plan you're considering is an HMO, out-of-network care is generally not covered except in emergencies; PPO plans allow out-of-network care but usually at a higher cost share.

How do I check my prescriptions against next year's drug list?

Pull out your current prescription bottles and compare each drug — by name and dose — to the plan's 2027 formulary, which the plan posts on its website and includes with the ANOC packet. Watch for three things: a drug moving to a higher tier, a drug being dropped, and a new rule like prior authorization, step therapy or a quantity limit.

Also check that your Lexington pharmacy — whether that's a Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, Meijer or an independent — is listed as a preferred or standard network pharmacy for 2027. The difference between preferred and standard can change what you pay at the counter.

Two Part D numbers are already confirmed for 2027: the out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs rises to $2,400 (from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum allowable deductible rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026). The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly installments, continues to be available as an option.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Fayette County for 2027?

Lexington is in Fayette County, which for 2026 has 65 Medicare Advantage plans from 9 carriers listed in the CMS Landscape file — 12 HMOs, 17 HMO-POS plans and 36 PPOs, with 25 of them Special Needs Plans and 57 including drug coverage. CMS publishes the 2027 county lineup each fall on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder; use that tool to see the final 2027 list for ZIP codes in Fayette County.

The carriers offering Medicare Advantage in the county for 2026 are Abilis Health, Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Essence Healthcare, Humana, Passport Advantage and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan by carrier. Carriers can add, change or drop plans year to year, so confirm what's actually sold in your ZIP code for 2027 before you compare.

What should I use to compare plans — and where do I get a straight answer?

The Medicare Plan Finder at Medicare.gov is the official comparison tool. Enter your ZIP code and your drug list and it will show the 2027 plans available in Fayette County along with each plan's estimated yearly drug cost based on your prescriptions.

For questions it can't answer — eligibility, enrollment status, a disputed bill — call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), which is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not yet been announced; CMS typically publishes those figures in the fall, usually in November.

What happens if I miss the Dec. 7 deadline in Lexington?

If December 7 passes and you've done nothing, your current plan renews on January 1, 2027 with the changes described in your ANOC. You are not uninsured and nothing is cancelled automatically.

If you're on a Medicare Advantage plan, you still have the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 through March 31, 2027, during which you can switch to a different Advantage plan one time or return to Original Medicare. That window does not let someone on Original Medicare switch into an Advantage plan, and it is more limited than the fall enrollment period — so the fall review is still the one that matters most.