Medicare Advantage

A Count of Gastonia Medicare Options This Year

A count of Medicare plan options in Gastonia, North Carolina for 2027 — plain-language, educational information.

GASTONIA, N.C. — If you live in the Gastonia area and are getting ready to choose 2027 Medicare coverage, one of the first things worth knowing is how plan availability looks across the counties near you. The number of plans offered isn't the same everywhere in the Charlotte metro — it shifts as you cross county lines. That matters because Medicare Advantage and Part D options are set county by county, so where you live determines what shows up on your Medicare Plan Finder screen.

Here's a plain-language look at what's around Gastonia for 2026, and how to think through your choices.

Gastonia sits in Gaston County — start there

Gastonia is in Gaston County, which is where your Medicare plan availability is officially set. For 2026, Gaston County had 80 Medicare Advantage plans available, offered by 10 carriers that provide Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD). The 2027 counts are in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

North Carolina has 12 stand-alone Part D plans for 2026, sold statewide, so Gastonia-area residents can choose from that same list; many people in the area also get drug coverage bundled into a Medicare Advantage plan. If you stick with Original Medicare and want drug coverage, you can browse those stand-alone Part D options through Medicare's Plan Finder.

Gaston County is home to roughly 38,767 people age 65 and older, so the market is sizable and carriers compete for it.

Plan counts change as you look across the metro

One thing that surprises many readers: crossing a county line can change your plan menu. A neighbor in Mecklenburg, Lincoln, Cleveland, or York County (S.C.) may see a different list than you do — even if you shop at the same grocery store. That's how CMS structures the program.

If you're moving within the metro, helping a parent in another county, or splitting time between two homes, always check availability using the ZIP code of the person's primary residence. Don't assume "Charlotte area" means one shared menu of plans.

What the "80 plans" number really means for you

Eighty plans sounds like a lot — and it is. But you don't need to compare all 80. A good approach:

• Start with your doctors and hospitals. Filter for plans that include your providers in-network.
• Add your prescriptions. Plan Finder will show your estimated yearly drug cost based on the specific medications you take.
• Think about how you use care. If you travel often or want more flexibility, that narrows the list quickly.

The goal isn't to look at every plan. It's to find the handful that actually fit your life.

A quick note on Star Ratings

You'll see Medicare assigns Star Ratings to plans each year, from 1 to 5 stars. Ratings reflect things like customer service, member complaints, and how well plans manage chronic conditions. For 2026, the local contract ratings in the Gaston County area came in below the 4-star threshold in the Landscape data. That doesn't mean plans are bad — it means ratings are one data point among many. Use them as context, not as a scoreboard.

Key Medicare numbers to know for 2027

Regardless of which plan you pick, these program-wide rules apply in 2026:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 ($2,400 in 2027). Once your covered drug spending hits that, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027) (plans can set theirs lower).
• No more donut hole. As of 2025, Part D has three phases, not four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: an optional way to spread your drug costs into level monthly payments across the year.
• IRMAA: Higher-income surcharges on Part B and Part D start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

Dates to circle

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7, 2026. This is when most people compare and switch plans for 2027 coverage that starts January 1.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan and want to change, you get one more window.