Medicare Advantage

Your Buffalo Medicare review before Dec. 7: a step-by-step checklist for 2027

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. — It's fall 2026, and the mail from Medicare plans is already landing in Erie County mailboxes. Between now and Dec. 7, 2026, people on Medicare can change their coverage for 2027 — but you don't have to wait for a problem to review what you have. A short, orderly check now can save phone calls in January.

This guide walks you through what to pull out of the envelope, what to compare, and where to look locally in Buffalo.

What is the Annual Notice of Change and why does it matter in Buffalo?

The Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC, is the booklet your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan mails every fall telling you what will change on Jan. 1. If you do nothing, your current plan renews for 2027 with those changes baked in.

Compare the 2026 column to the 2027 column line by line: monthly premium, yearly deductible, primary care and specialist copays, hospital stays, the drug tier list (the formulary), and the pharmacy network. If anything you use often moved to a higher tier or a different cost, that is your signal to look closer.

How do I check that my Buffalo doctors and hospitals are still in network for 2027?

Pull up your plan's 2027 provider directory on the carrier's website, or call the member services number on your card and ask whether each of your doctors and your preferred hospital — Buffalo General, Mercy, Millard Fillmore Suburban, Roswell Park, ECMC or wherever you go — is in network for 2027. Networks are set for the plan year, so a provider who is in now may not be in January.

Two tips: ask the plan and the doctor's office. Billing offices sometimes know about a contract change before the online directory is updated. If you see a specialist regularly, confirm that referral and prior authorization rules are not changing.

How do I check my prescriptions against the 2027 plan?

Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare. Type in your ZIP code and your drug list, and the tool will show every Part D and Medicare Advantage drug plan available in Erie County for 2027 with your specific medications priced in.

Also note the 2027 Part D numbers CMS has confirmed: the out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs is $2,400, and the maximum deductible a plan can charge is $700. If your drug costs are high, ask your plan about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, an optional program that spreads what you owe over the calendar year in monthly amounts.

How many Medicare Advantage plans and carriers does Erie County have for 2027?

Buffalo is in Erie County, where the 2026 CMS Landscape file lists 70 Medicare Advantage plans from 11 carriers: Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Excellus Health Plan Community Care LLC, Excellus Health Plan Inc., Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield or Highmark Blue Shield, Humana, Independent Health, MVP Health Care, Nascentia Health Plus, UnitedHealthcare, and VNS Health Medicare. By type, that's 27 HMO plans, 18 HMO-POS, 21 PPO and 4 PFFS, with 24 Special Needs Plans and 58 that include drug coverage. The 2027 lineup is published on Medicare.gov in October — the table below lists every plan currently on file.

A Special Needs Plan (SNP) is only for people who qualify — for example, people with both Medicare and Medicaid, people in a nursing home, or people with certain chronic conditions. If none of that applies to you, you can set the SNPs aside.

What is the Dec. 7 deadline and what happens if I do nothing?

Dec. 7, 2026 is the last day to join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for 2027 coverage. Changes you make during the window start Jan. 1, 2027.

If you do nothing, your current plan renews — with every change listed in your ANOC. That's the right choice for many people. It's the wrong choice if your plan dropped a doctor, moved a drug up a tier, or changed a benefit you rely on. There is also the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027, when people already in a Medicare Advantage plan get one chance to switch to another Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.

What about Part B and IRMAA numbers for 2027?

CMS announces the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, later in the fall (usually November). Those figures are not out yet. Don't let a sales call tell you otherwise — wait for the official announcement from Medicare before you factor Part B into your 2027 math.

For 2026, the IRMAA surcharges begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

A quick Buffalo checklist before Dec. 7, 2026

• Find your ANOC (mailed in September) and read the 2026-to-2027 comparison.
• List your doctors, your hospital, and every prescription. Check each against the 2027 plan.
• Run your drug list through medicare.gov/plan-compare for Erie County.
• If you take expensive drugs, ask whether the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan fits.
• Decide by Dec. 7, 2026 — or confirm that staying put is the right call.