Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage Annual Enrollment: What Buffalo Can Change by Dec. 7

Erie County has 60 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 21 plans are not coming back, 11 are new, and 18 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 3 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Buffalo, not which plan to pick.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — If you have Medicare and want to review your coverage for 2027, the Annual Enrollment Period is open. It runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, giving Buffalo-area residents a window to join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for coverage that starts January 1, 2027.

This period is separate from the Medicare AEP in Buffalo, NY for 2027 Period (January 1 – March 31), and it is the main window each year for making changes. Here is what Erie County residents should know before the December 7 deadline.

What this enrollment period is for

The Medicare AEP in Buffalo, NY for 2027 Period (often shortened to MA OEP) is a cleanup window. It exists so that people who are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1 have a chance to correct their choice after seeing the plan in action — the doctor network, the drug list, the referral rules, the pharmacy costs.

You can only make one change during this period. Once you use it, that's it until the next Annual Enrollment Period in the fall.

What Buffalo residents can change between Jan. 1 and March 31

If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you can:

• Switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage).
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare (Parts A and B).
• If you return to Original Medicare, you can also join a stand-alone Medicare Part D drug plan.

What you cannot do during this window:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan.
• Join a stand-alone Part D plan if you're staying on Original Medicare without an Advantage plan.
• Switch from one stand-alone Part D plan to another (if you're not in an Advantage plan).

Those moves generally have to wait for the fall Annual Enrollment Period, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

When your change takes effect

Coverage from a change made during the Annual Enrollment Period starts January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, you keep your current plan for 2027 if it is offered next year, with any changes described in the plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC).

The local picture in Erie County

Buffalo is in Erie County, where Medicare Advantage and Part D plan availability is set at the county level by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). For 2027, Erie County residents can choose from 57 Medicare Advantage plans offered by 11 carriers, compared with 70 plans from 11 carriers in 2026. Of the 2026 plans, 46 are continuing, 21 are not returning, 3 have been renamed, and 11 are new; 15 continuing plans are changing something in their terms, and the ANOC has the details. Every Buffalo resident sees the same menu of plans on Medicare's Plan Finder, regardless of neighborhood. When you compare options, use your ZIP code and your actual prescription list — the same plan can look very different depending on the drugs you take and the pharmacies you use.

A few program figures worth knowing

Whether you switch plans or stay put, these program-level figures apply across the board:

• $2,100 in 2026, $2,400 in 2027 — the annual cap on what you pay out of pocket for covered Part D drugs.
• $615 in 2026, $700 in 2027 — the maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge.
• Three phases of Part D coverage. The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan — an optional program that spreads your drug costs into monthly payments instead of paying the full amount at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA (the income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D) begins above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Where to get unbiased help in Buffalo

Before you make a change, get a second set of eyes on your comparison. Free, unbiased help is available:

• Medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder tool.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24/7.
• New York State's SHIP program, called HIICAP (Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program). Erie County residents can reach HIICAP counselors through the Erie County Department of Senior Services for free, one-on-one guidance.