Medicare Advantage

Your Raytown Medicare checklist: what to review in your mailbox before Dec. 7

Jackson County has 65 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 11 plans are not coming back, 12 are new, and 36 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 16 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Raytown, not which plan to pick.

RAYTOWN, Mo. — The envelope that landed in your mailbox in late September has a plain name and a lot of power: the Annual Notice of Change. It tells you exactly how your Medicare plan will look on Jan. 1, 2027 — and you have until Dec. 7, 2026 to decide whether the 2027 version still fits.

The Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026. If you do nothing, your current plan renews with the changes described in that notice. If you want something different, this is the window to switch.

Here is a plain checklist for Raytown residents to work through before the deadline.

Step 1: Read the Annual Notice of Change

Your plan mails the ANOC by the end of September, and its companion, the Evidence of Coverage (EOC), is available online or by request. The ANOC is a side-by-side of 2026 versus 2027 for the plan you are already in.

When you open it, look for:

• Changes to the monthly premium, the deductible and the out-of-pocket maximum.
• Copays or coinsurance for primary care, specialists, hospital stays and imaging.
• Drug tier changes and whether any drugs you take moved tiers, added prior authorization or dropped from the formulary.
• Changes to extra benefits (dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter, fitness).
• Whether the plan is being renewed, consolidated or discontinued in your area.

If something on that list matters to you, keep reading. If nothing changed that you care about, you can stay put and skip the rest.

Step 2: Check your doctors and hospitals

Networks can shift year to year. Before Dec. 7:

• Look up each of your doctors in the plan's 2027 provider directory (most carriers post it online in October).
• Confirm your preferred hospital — Saint Luke's East, Research Medical Center, Centerpoint or the KU Health System campuses many Raytown residents use — is still in-network.
• Call the office and ask directly: "Are you contracted with this plan for 2027?" Directories can lag.

If you use a specialist regularly, check that one too. A plan that keeps your primary care doctor but drops your cardiologist may not be the plan you want.

Step 3: Check your prescriptions

This is where most surprises hide. Pull your current list of medications, including doses, and run it through the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. The tool will show, for each 2027 plan available in Jackson County:

• Whether each drug is covered.
• The tier it is on.
• Estimated yearly cost at your pharmacy.
• Any restrictions like prior authorization or step therapy.

Two 2027 numbers to keep in mind: the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026). If drug costs are a concern, ask about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs over the year in monthly bills.

Step 4: See what else Jackson County offers

Raytown sits in Jackson County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set. For 2026, the county has 64 Medicare Advantage plans from 9 carriers — Aetna (CVS Health), American Health Advantage of Missouri, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Humana, NHC Advantage, Provider Partners Health Plans and UnitedHealthcare. All 64 include drug coverage, and 28 are Special Needs Plans built for people with specific conditions, dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility or institutional care.

The table below lists every plan by carrier. The 2027 lineup will be posted on Medicare.gov in October 2026, and the mix of HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and PFFS options will look similar — but always confirm the exact plan names and details for the coming year before you enroll.

If you prefer Original Medicare with a Medigap policy and a stand-alone Part D plan, Plan Finder also lists 2027 Part D options for your ZIP code.

Step 5: Note what CMS has not published yet

A few pieces of the 2027 picture are not out yet. CMS usually announces the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, along with the IRMAA income brackets, in the fall — often in November. Don't guess at those numbers; check medicare.gov once they are posted. For reference, IRMAA surcharges in 2026 begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Step 6: Get free, unbiased help if you want it

You do not have to sort this out alone. Missouri's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), called CLAIM in Missouri, offers free one-on-one counseling. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, or use the Plan Finder at medicare.gov yourself.

Bring your Medicare card, your drug list, your doctors and your ANOC. That is the whole packet.