Medicare Advantage

Worcester-Area Medicare Plan Choices for 2026: What's Nearby

For 2027, Worcester is looking at 46 Medicare Advantage plans: 9 new, 17 gone since 2026, and 20 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 4 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Worcester County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

In Worcester and the surrounding towns, 2027 is shaping up to be another year with plenty of Medicare choices — but the exact number of plans you can pick from depends on which county line you fall on. Because Medicare Advantage and Part D availability is set county by county, a quick look across the metro helps neighbors understand what's on the table close to home.

A snapshot of what's available near Worcester

Worcester sits inside Worcester County, and that's the geography Medicare uses when it decides which plans you can enroll in. For 2027, Worcester County has 46 Medicare Advantage plans on offer, provided by 11 different carriers that include prescription drug coverage.

If you live in Worcester itself or in one of the surrounding towns inside the county — places like Auburn, Shrewsbury, Leicester, Millbury, or Holden — you're looking at the same countywide menu. Cross into a neighboring county, though, and the count can shift. That's why two family members who live 20 minutes apart may see different plan lists when they open Medicare's Plan Finder.

Why the count differs from town to town

Medicare Advantage and Part D plans are approved by CMS at the county level. Insurers decide which counties they want to serve, and they file separately for each one. So a carrier that's active in Worcester County may not be active — or may offer a different lineup — in Middlesex, Hampden, or Norfolk County next door.

That's not a quirk; it's how the program is built. It also means "how many plans are near me" is really a question about where your mailing address sits on a county map.

About stand-alone Part D in the area

For 2027, Massachusetts has 10 stand-alone Part D plans, sold statewide, and Worcester County residents can choose from that same list. Many people in Worcester County who want drug coverage get it bundled inside a Medicare Advantage plan (an MA-PD). If you stay with Original Medicare and want drug coverage, you'll still want to check medicare.gov's Plan Finder for the current stand-alone Part D options serving your ZIP code, since the national landscape has been shifting.

Program-level rules to keep in mind for 2027

No matter which county you live in, some 2027 rules apply everywhere:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: Once your drug spending hits $2,100 in 2026 ($2,400 in 2027) for the year, you pay $0 for covered Part D drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D deductible: Plans cannot charge more than $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027) as the annual drug deductible.
• No more donut hole: As of 2025, the old coverage gap is gone. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: You can ask your Part D plan to spread your drug costs into level monthly payments across the year.
• IRMAA: Higher-income enrollees pay an income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D. For a single filer in 2026, IRMAA kicks in above $109,000 in income.

What Star Ratings mean (and don't mean)

CMS rates Medicare Advantage and Part D contracts on a 1-to-5 scale based on things like customer service, member complaints, and how well plans manage chronic conditions. Ratings can change year to year, and a rating covers a whole contract, not necessarily every plan or every experience. Use ratings as one input, not the only one.

Key dates for enrollment

• Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026. This is when most people compare and switch plans for 2027 coverage.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: Jan. 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance during this window to switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare.