Medicare Advantage

Medicare in Mankato: 19 Advantage Plans on the Menu for 2026

MANKATO, Minn. — If you're turning 65 in Mankato this year, or just rethinking your Medicare coverage for 2026, here's the short version: you have more choices than you might expect.

Mankato has more Medicare choices than many people realize

Mankato sits in Blue Earth County, where 19 Medicare Advantage plans are available for the 2026 plan year, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Landscape files. Four different carriers offer Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage (MA-PD) in the county.

That's a lot of options for a community of about 10,656 residents age 65 and older. The goal of this article isn't to point you to any single plan — it's to help you understand how big the menu is and how to sort through it.

What "19 plans" actually means

The number 19 refers to Medicare Advantage plans — the private plans (sometimes called Part C) that bundle your Part A hospital coverage and Part B doctor coverage, and usually add prescription drug coverage.

A few things worth knowing about that count:

• Medicare plan availability is set at the county level, not the city level. So every Mankato resident sees the same Blue Earth County menu.
• Not every plan will fit every person. Networks, drug lists, and service areas vary.
• The 19 figure does not include Original Medicare (Parts A and B), which is available to everyone who qualifies, everywhere in the country.

What about stand-alone drug plans?

If you stay on Original Medicare and want prescription drug coverage, you'd normally add a stand-alone Part D plan. Those plans are counted separately from Medicare Advantage.

The Blue Earth County figure for stand-alone Part D plans in the CMS landscape file we're working from shows 0 in the local Advantage-linked count — but stand-alone Part D plans are sold on a regional basis in Minnesota, not county by county. Every Mankato resident on Original Medicare has access to the full slate of Part D plans offered in Minnesota's Part D region. You can see the current list on medicare.gov/plan-compare.

Program-wide changes to know for 2026

Even before you compare plans, a few 2026 Medicare rules apply no matter which option you choose:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100. Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs hits that number, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615. Plans can set a lower deductible, but not higher.
• No more donut hole. As of 2025, Part D has three phases instead of four — the old coverage gap is gone.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. You can opt in to spread your yearly drug costs across monthly payments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA. Higher-income enrollees pay an extra amount for Part B and Part D. For single filers in 2026, IRMAA kicks in above $109,000 in income.

Star Ratings in the Mankato area

CMS rates Medicare Advantage and Part D contracts on a 1-to-5 star scale based on things like customer service, member complaints, and preventive care.

In the Blue Earth County landscape data for 2026, no contracts serving the area currently carry a 4-star or higher overall rating. That doesn't mean local plans are "bad" — ratings shift year to year, some newer contracts aren't rated yet, and a star rating is just one signal among many. Look at the plan's network, drug list, and total costs alongside its rating.

Key dates to circle

• October 15 – December 7: Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. This is when most people compare and switch plans for the next year.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to a different Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.

If you miss AEP, you may still qualify for a Special Enrollment Period — for example, if you move, lose other coverage, or qualify for Extra Help.