Medicare Advantage

Louisville Medicare Advantage: 58 plans, 10 carriers

Jefferson County has 67 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 13 plans are not coming back, 13 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 Louisville, not which plan to pick.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — If you are shopping for Medicare coverage in Louisville this fall, you have a lot to sort through. Jefferson County residents can choose from 58 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, offered by 10 different carriers. That is a wide field of options — and understanding how those choices are organized can make the fall shopping season a lot less stressful.

How Medicare options are counted in your area

Medicare plan availability is set at the county level, not the city level. So when you see a plan count for "Louisville," what that really means is the count for Jefferson County, where Louisville sits.

For 2026, that count is 67 Medicare Advantage plans available to people with Medicare in Jefferson County. Those plans come from 10 carriers. That gives shoppers a mix of national names and regional options to compare.

Jefferson County is home to about 134,317 people age 65 and older, so it is a large market — which is one reason carriers offer so many plan variations here.

What kinds of Medicare choices are on the table

When people talk about "Medicare options," they usually mean one of these paths:

• Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). This is the federal program itself. You can add a stand-alone Part D drug plan and, if you choose, a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy.
• Medicare Advantage (Part C). These are all-in-one plans from private insurers approved by Medicare. Most include prescription drug coverage (MA-PD). This is where the 67-plan figure for Jefferson County comes in.

One number that may surprise Louisville readers: for 2027, the Medicare Plan Finder shows 0 stand-alone Part D plans listed in the Jefferson County Medicare Advantage landscape file. Stand-alone Part D plans are still sold nationally on a region-by-region basis, so if you are staying with Original Medicare and want drug coverage, check medicare.gov directly for the drug plans available in Kentucky.

Star Ratings: what they are (and aren't)

Every year, Medicare publishes Star Ratings for Medicare Advantage and Part D contracts on a 1-to-5 scale. The ratings look at things like customer service, member complaints, and how well the plan manages care.

In the Jefferson County landscape data for 2027, 0 contracts are currently rated 4 stars or higher. Ratings can change year to year, and a single contract often covers plans in many states, so this snapshot is only part of the picture. Star Ratings are one tool to use — alongside your own doctors, pharmacies, and medications — not a shortcut to a "best" plan.

Key dates and rules for 2027

A few program-wide facts to keep in mind while you compare:

• Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026. This is when most people can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: Jan. 1 – March 31. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance in this window to switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare.
• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your covered drug spending hits that amount in a given year, you pay nothing more for covered Part D drugs the rest of that year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027 (plans can set a lower one).
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: an optional program that lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the year in monthly payments instead of paying all at once at the pharmacy.
• IRMAA: Higher-income beneficiaries pay an income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D. For 2026, IRMAA begins above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

How to narrow 67 plans down to the right one for you

With this many options in Jefferson County, a step-by-step approach helps:

1. Make a list of your doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies. Networks matter. 2. Write down every prescription you take, including dose and how often. 3. Use the official Plan Finder at medicare.gov. Enter your ZIP code and drugs to see how each plan would handle your situation. 4. Think about the total year of costs — premium, deductible, copays, and the new $2,100 Part D cap — not just one number. 5. Get free, unbiased help from Kentucky's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), known locally as the Kentucky SHIP. Counselors do not sell plans.