Medicare Advantage

Minneapolis Medicare 2027: Change by Dec 7

People in Minneapolis can choose from 25 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 32 this year. 13 of this year’s plans are gone, 6 are new to Hennepin County, and 9 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 3 of them under a new name.

The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period: what Minneapolis residents can change for 2027 coverage before December 7.

MINNEAPOLIS — If you signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan during the fall and now wonder if it's the right fit, you still have time to make a change. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs from January 1 through March 31, and it gives Minneapolis residents a second look at the coverage available in their area.

What the Open Enrollment Period actually lets you do

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (often shortened to MA OEP) is different from the fall Annual Enrollment Period. It's narrower in scope. During January 1 through March 31, if you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can:

• Switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage), or
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare, and add a stand-alone Part D drug plan if one is available to you.

You can only make one change during this window, and it takes effect the first day of the following month.

What you cannot do in this window

The MA OEP is not a free-for-all. If you're already on Original Medicare, you cannot use this period to join a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time. You also can't use it to switch from one stand-alone Part D plan to another. Those moves generally had to happen during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) or require a Special Enrollment Period.

How many options Minneapolis residents have

Minneapolis is in Hennepin County, and plan availability in Medicare is set at the county level. According to CMS Landscape data for 2027, Hennepin County has 22 Medicare Advantage plans available, offered by 6 carriers. Compared with 2026, 16 plans are continuing, 6 are new, 13 are not returning, and 3 have been renamed; 6 continuing plans change something in their terms, and the details are in each plan's ANOC.

Hennepin County is home to about 198,051 residents age 65 or older, so a large share of the Minneapolis area is weighing these choices at once. The number of plans on the shelf can look overwhelming — that's exactly why the winter window exists, so you can course-correct without waiting a whole year.

What's new for 2027 that may affect your decision

A few program-level facts are worth knowing as you compare options:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your covered drug spending reaches that amount, you pay nothing for covered Part D drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027 (plans can charge less).
• The old coverage gap, or "donut hole," was eliminated in 2025. Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs into monthly payments instead of paying all at once at the pharmacy. It's optional.
• IRMAA surcharges (extra Part B and Part D premiums for higher-income beneficiaries) begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

A word about Star Ratings

CMS publishes Star Ratings each fall to give consumers a general sense of plan quality. Ratings can shift year to year and don't tell you whether a specific plan fits your doctors, medications, or budget — they're one piece of information among many.

How to make a change

The most reliable way to compare plans available at your address is the Plan Finder tool at medicare.gov. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For free, unbiased, one-on-one counseling in Minnesota, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), known here as the Senior LinkAge Line, at 1-800-333-2433. Their counselors don't sell plans and don't work on commission.