Medicare Advantage

Nashua Medicare 2027: Key Dates & Options

Medicare in Nashua: AEP runs Oct. 15–Dec. 7, 2026 for 2027 coverage. Key dates, Part D changes, and local options for Hillsborough County.

NASHUA, N.H. — If you live in Nashua and you're sorting through Medicare choices for 2027, the biggest thing standing between you and a good decision often isn't the plans themselves — it's the calendar. Nashua sits in Hillsborough County, where 19 Medicare Advantage plans were available for 2026 from 4 carriers offering MA-PD coverage; the 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. The enrollment windows decide when you can actually act on what you learn.

This piece focuses on the timing: which windows apply to you, what happens if you miss one, and how the dates fit together.

The window most Nashua readers are asking about: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7

This is the Annual Enrollment Period, often just called AEP or "fall open enrollment." During these dates you can:

• Join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan.
• Join, switch, or drop a Part D prescription drug plan.
• Move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage in either direction.

Whatever you choose during AEP takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current coverage generally renews — but the details of that coverage may have changed. That's why the Annual Notice of Change letter your plan mailed in September matters: it spells out what's different for next year.

The second window: Jan. 1 – March 31 (Medicare Advantage only)

If you're enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you get one more chance to change your mind. During the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period you can:

• Switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan, or
• Drop your Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare (and pick up a stand-alone Part D plan if one is available to you).

You cannot use this window to move from Original Medicare into an Advantage plan for the first time, and you can only use it once. It's a safety net, not a do-over for every kind of change.

What if you're brand-new to Medicare?

Turning 65 in Nashua? Your Initial Enrollment Period is your own personal 7-month window — the 3 months before your 65th birthday month, your birthday month, and the 3 months after. This timing is separate from the fall AEP, so don't wait for October if your Initial Enrollment Period is happening now. Missing it can mean late-enrollment penalties for Part B and Part D that stick with you for as long as you have coverage.

If you're delaying Medicare because you're still working and covered by a large employer plan, look up the Special Enrollment Period rules before your job coverage ends — they give you a limited window to enroll without penalties.

How Part D timing fits in for 2027

A few program-level facts to keep in mind as you're comparing drug coverage:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once you hit it, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the calendar year.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") was eliminated in 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly bills instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter. You have to opt in — it's not automatic.

New Hampshire has 9 stand-alone Part D plans for 2026, sold statewide, so Nashua residents on Original Medicare can pair one with their medical coverage, or get drug coverage bundled inside an MA-PD plan; the 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. That makes the AEP dates especially important, because the choice about drug coverage and the choice about medical coverage often go together.

What happens if you miss a deadline?

Missing AEP usually means waiting until the next one — with two exceptions worth knowing:

• If you already have a Medicare Advantage plan, the Jan. 1 – March 31 window gives you one more move.
• If you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period — for example, you move out of your plan's service area, lose other creditable coverage, or become eligible for Extra Help — you may be able to make a change outside the standard windows.

For most other situations, the calendar is firm. That's the honest reason to start comparing in October rather than late November.

A quick note on Star Ratings

You'll see Medicare's Star Ratings when you compare plans on medicare.gov. They're a quality signal published by CMS — not a recommendation. Under CMS's 2026 Star Ratings, of the 11 Medicare Advantage contracts offering plans in Hillsborough County, 10 have a 2026 Star Rating and 5 of those are rated 4 stars or higher, so ratings can help narrow the list but won't do it alone. Use them as one input among several, along with whether your doctors and medications are covered.

Where to get unbiased help

• medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder shows every plan available in your ZIP code.
• 1-800-MEDICARE — 24/7, free.
• ServiceLink (New Hampshire's SHIP) — free one-on-one counseling for Nashua-area residents. Trained counselors don't sell plans.

Give yourself an afternoon before Dec. 7. That's usually enough to compare, confirm your prescriptions and providers, and enroll with confidence.