Medicare Advantage

Does Your 2027 Plan Still Fit? A Reno AEP Guide

People in Reno can choose from 42 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 47 this year. Twelve of this year’s plans are gone, 7 are new to Washoe County, and 23 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 11 of them under a new name.

Reno, Nev. — It is fall 2026, and the envelope that lands in Washoe County mailboxes every September is the single most useful piece of paper a Medicare household will touch this season. It is called the Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC, and it spells out what your current Medicare Advantage or Part D plan will look like on January 1, 2027. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change made in that window takes effect at the start of next year.

Here is a plain-English checklist for Reno residents working through their ANOC and comparing it against what else is offered in Washoe County for 2027.

What is the ANOC and when does it arrive in Reno?

The Annual Notice of Change is the booklet your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan is required to send you by the end of September. It compares what you have in 2026 with what the same plan will offer in 2027 — premium, deductible, copays, drug tier changes, provider network updates and extra benefits.

The ANOC is not junk mail. If you keep only one Medicare document each fall, keep this one. Read it next to the Evidence of Coverage (EOC), which is the longer rulebook for how the plan actually works.

What should Reno residents check line by line in the ANOC?

Work through the ANOC with four questions in mind, and jot down anything that changed.

• Premium, deductible and out-of-pocket maximum: Are the 2027 numbers higher, lower, or the same as 2026?
• Doctor and hospital network: Are your Reno-area providers — Renown, Northern Nevada Medical Center, Saint Mary's, your primary care doctor, your specialists — still listed as in-network for 2027? Networks can change on January 1, so confirm with the plan's online directory and with the office itself.
• Prescription drugs: Pull up the 2027 formulary and check each medication you take. Note the tier, whether prior authorization or step therapy applies, and which pharmacies are "preferred."
• Extra benefits: Dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter allowances, transportation and fitness benefits are the items most likely to be trimmed or expanded year to year.

If a change in the ANOC does not sit right with you, that is the signal to compare other plans before December 7.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Washoe County for 2027?

Reno is in Washoe County, where for 2026 CMS lists 47 Medicare Advantage plans from 10 carriers: Aetna (CVS Health), Alignment Health Plan, Centene (WellCare), Champion Health Plan, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Kaiser Permanente, Molina Healthcare of Nevada, Prominence Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare. Of those, 43 include drug coverage and 22 are Special Needs Plans (SNPs) built for people with Medicaid, a chronic condition or an institutional level of care.

The 2027 county lineup will be posted on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder when the Annual Enrollment Period opens on October 15. The table below lists every 2026 plan by carrier for reference as you compare.

What are the 2027 Part D numbers Reno residents should know?

Two Part D figures are already confirmed by CMS for 2027.

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap will be $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026. Once your covered drug spending hits that cap, you pay $0 for the rest of the calendar year.
• The Part D maximum deductible will be $700 in 2027, up from $615 in 2026. Individual plans may set a lower deductible or none at all.

The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan — the option that lets you spread drug costs across the year in level monthly bills instead of paying at the pharmacy counter — continues into 2027. You opt in through your Part D or Medicare Advantage drug plan.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not yet been announced. CMS publishes those figures later in the fall, usually in November.

How do I compare plans in Washoe County before December 7, 2026?

Use Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. Log in with your Medicare account so your drug list and pharmacy carry over, enter your Reno ZIP code, and the tool will show every Medicare Advantage and standalone Part D plan available in Washoe County for 2027 alongside your current plan.

Three things to confirm for each plan on your short list:

• Your doctors and hospitals are in the 2027 network (call the office; directories can lag).
• Every prescription you take is on the 2027 formulary at a tier you can afford.
• Your preferred Reno pharmacy is in the plan's preferred network.

For personalized help, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you do nothing before December 7, your current plan renews on January 1, 2027 with the changes described in your ANOC. That is a valid choice — just make sure it is a choice, not a surprise.