Medicare Advantage

Monroe Medicare 2027: counting the choices on the table in Ouachita Parish

Monroe, La. — If you live in Monroe and you've started thinking about Medicare for 2027, the first useful question isn't "which plan?" It's "how many choices am I actually looking at?" Knowing the size of the field makes the rest of the decision — comparing, narrowing, enrolling — a lot less overwhelming.

Medicare AdvantageMonroe, LA

Here's a straightforward count of what was on the table in Ouachita Parish for 2026, based on the Medicare Plan Finder and the CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape files. The 2027 counts will appear in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered here

In Ouachita Parish, 43 Medicare Advantage plans were available for 2026, offered by 6 different carriers. For the 2027 lineup, check each plan's ANOC and Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

Why does the count matter? Because Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level, not the city level. Two neighbors in Monroe see the same menu of plans, but someone an hour away in a different parish may see a very different list. When you use Medicare.gov's Plan Finder, you'll enter your ZIP code and it will pull up the plans tied to your county.

A field of 43 is a lot to sort through. The good news is that filtering by things that matter to you — your doctors, your prescriptions, whether a plan includes drug coverage — usually narrows that list quickly.

What about stand-alone Part D drug plans?

This part is worth paying attention to. According to the 2026 Landscape data, 0 stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans were listed as available in Ouachita Parish for that plan year. The 2027 lineup is on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

Stand-alone Part D plans are the drug-only plans people on Original Medicare (Parts A and B) typically pair with their coverage. If that number looks unusual to you, it's worth double-checking directly on Medicare.gov with your ZIP code before you make any decisions, and calling 1-800-MEDICARE or your local SHIP counselor to talk through your options. Most Medicare Advantage plans in the area already include drug coverage built in (those are called MA-PD plans), which is one reason the stand-alone market can look different from place to place.

Carriers and star ratings in the area

Six carriers offered Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans in Ouachita Parish for 2026. CMS also publishes a Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) for each contract, measuring things like customer service and care quality. For 2026, 0 contracts serving the area carried a rating of 4 stars or higher based on that CMS release. The 2027 carrier lineup is on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

Star Ratings are one input, not the whole story. They're a useful signal, but they don't tell you whether your doctor is in network or whether your medications are covered — those are the things that will shape your experience day to day.

The numbers every Monroe reader should know for 2027

A few program-level figures apply no matter which plan you end up with:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 for 2026 and $2,400 for 2027. Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs hits that amount, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 for 2026 and $700 for 2027.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone. Starting in 2025, Part D moved to three phases — deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic — with no donut hole.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: an optional program that lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA: higher-income surcharges on Part B and Part D start above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Key dates to put on the calendar

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7: Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Changes take effect Jan. 1.
• Jan. 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another MA plan or go back to Original Medicare.

Where to get help that's actually about you

Counts are a starting point. The right plan depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, your budget, and how you like to get care. For personalized answers:

• Medicare.gov — use the Plan Finder with your ZIP code and a list of your medications.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — available 24/7.
• Louisiana SHIIP — the state's free Senior Health Insurance Information Program offers one-on-one counseling. You can reach it through the Louisiana Department of Insurance.