Medicare Advantage

Medicare Open Enrollment 2026: A Rochester Cost Guide

# Medicare open enrollment for 2027: a Rochester guide to the October 15 – December 7, 2026 window

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Every fall, Medicare gives you a seven-week window to look at your coverage with fresh eyes. It runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any changes you make take effect January 1, 2027. In Rochester, the question most people ask isn't just "what plans exist?" — it's "what will this actually cost me?" This guide walks through how the 2027 cost pieces fit together, so you can weigh your options with a clearer head.

Start with the four cost buckets

Medicare's price tag isn't one number — it's four moving pieces, and any plan decision you make in Rochester touches at least one of them:

1. Part A (hospital) — most people pay no premium because they or a spouse paid Medicare taxes long enough. 2. Part B (doctor and outpatient) — has a standard monthly premium set nationally by CMS each year, plus an annual deductible; CMS publishes the 2027 figures later this fall. 3. Part D (prescription drugs) — has its own premium, deductible, and copays. In 2027 the deductible is capped at $700. 4. Medigap or Medicare Advantage — either a supplemental premium (Medigap) or a plan that bundles Parts A, B, and usually D (Advantage), often with different out-of-pocket rules.

Understanding which buckets apply to you is more useful than chasing a single "low" number.

The 2027 Part D cap changes the math

For years, drug costs could keep climbing with no ceiling. That's over. In 2027, no one on Part D will pay more than $2,400 out of pocket for covered drugs in a calendar year (up from $2,100 in 2026). That's the entire year, not per drug.

A few other program-level facts worth knowing:

• The old coverage gap (the "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 yearly drug costs into monthly installments instead of paying big bills at the pharmacy counter. It's optional and free to opt into.
• The Part D deductible can't exceed $700 in 2027 (it was $615 in 2026), though individual plans may set it lower.

If prescriptions are your biggest worry, these three facts alone are worth a fresh look at your coverage this fall.

IRMAA: the surcharge higher earners should watch

Most people pay the standard Part B and Part D premiums. But if your income is above certain limits, Medicare adds a surcharge called IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount).

For 2026, IRMAA kicks in for single filers with income above $109,000, and at a higher threshold for joint filers. It's based on your tax return from two years ago — so your 2024 income determines 2026 surcharges. If you had a life change (retirement, a spouse's death), you can appeal using Social Security's Form SSA-44.

What's actually available around Rochester

Rochester is in Olmsted County, and plan availability is set at the county level. For 2026:

• 9 Medicare Advantage plans are available in the county.
• Those plans come from 3 carriers offering MA-PD (Advantage with drug coverage) locally.
• Stand-alone Part D drug plans are offered through separate national and regional carriers — you can compare those on Medicare's Plan Finder.

Star Ratings, published by CMS, measure quality and member experience on a 1-to-5 scale. They're one input among many; they don't tell you what a plan will cost you.

A simple way to compare on cost

Before December 7, try this:

1. List your prescriptions, with dosages, on paper. 2. List the doctors and hospitals you want to keep using (Mayo Clinic, for instance, has its own network rules — always verify). 3. Go to medicare.gov/plan-compare, enter your ZIP code (55901, 55902, 55904, 55906, etc.) and your drug list. 4. Look at the estimated total annual cost column — that combines premium, deductible, and expected drug and medical costs. It's more honest than premium alone. 5. Check whether your doctors are in-network for any Advantage plan you're considering.

If it feels like too much, that's normal. Free help is available — see below.

Where to get unbiased help in Rochester

• medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder and enrollment portal.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — 24/7, free.
• Minnesota SHIP (Senior LinkAge Line): 1-800-333-2433 — free, one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers with no ties to any insurance company.
• Social Security at ssa.gov for Part B enrollment, IRMAA questions, and Extra Help with drug costs.