Medicare Advantage

How Many Medicare Plans Can Matthews Shoppers Compare?

People in Matthews can choose from 89 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 94 this year. 19 of this year’s plans are gone, 14 are new to Mecklenburg County, and 28 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 10 of them under a new name.

If you live in Matthews and you're staring down a Medicare decision, the first question isn't usually about benefits or premiums. It's simpler: how many choices are actually on the table? For 2027, the answer in and around Matthews is a sizable one — and knowing the size of the field can help you slow down and shop with a plan.

What's available in the Matthews area

Matthews sits inside Mecklenburg County, and Medicare plan availability is set at the county level. That means every Medicare-eligible resident in Matthews sees the same menu of plans as neighbors in Charlotte, Pineville, or Huntersville.

For 2027, according to CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape data, Mecklenburg County has:

• 94 Medicare Advantage plans available
• 11 carriers offering Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD)
• 0 stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans listed in the county file

That's a large field of Medicare Advantage choices — enough that most people can't reasonably compare them one by one without a tool like Medicare Plan Finder on medicare.gov.

Why the number of options matters

More plans on the shelf isn't automatically good or bad. It just means the shopping step matters more. With 94 Medicare Advantage plans in Mecklenburg County, two people on the same street can pick very different coverage and both feel they made the right call — because their doctors, prescriptions, and budgets are different.

The point of knowing the count is simple: you don't have to guess whether you looked at "enough" plans. You can see the full list on medicare.gov, filter by what matters to you, and narrow it down.

A note on stand-alone drug plans

The county-level file shows 0 stand-alone Part D plans in Mecklenburg County for 2027. Stand-alone Part D plans (PDPs) are the drug-only plans people typically pair with Original Medicare or a Medigap policy.

If that number looks unusual to you, call 1-800-MEDICARE or check Plan Finder directly for your ZIP code — CMS updates plan files, and a licensed counselor can confirm what's currently offered for your address. North Carolina's SHIP program (called SHIIP here) offers free, unbiased help.

The 2027 rules that apply everywhere

No matter which of the 79 area plans you're weighing, a few program-level rules apply across the country in 2027:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100. Once your covered drug costs hit that amount, you pay $0 for covered Part D drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615.
• The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: an optional program that lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA surcharges for higher-income enrollees begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Star Ratings in the area

CMS publishes Star Ratings each year to give consumers a sense of plan quality. Ratings can move year to year, and they're one input among many — not a substitute for checking whether your doctors and prescriptions are covered.

Dates to circle

• October 15 – December 7, 2026: Annual Enrollment Period. This is when most people compare Medicare Advantage and Part D plans and make changes for coverage starting January 1, 2027.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare.

Where to get help you can trust

With 137,905 residents age 65+ in Mecklenburg County, you're not alone in sorting through this. Free, official help is available:

• medicare.gov — use Plan Finder to see every plan available at your ZIP code.
• 1-800-MEDICARE — 24/7, in multiple languages.
• North Carolina SHIIP (the state's SHIP program) — free one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers with no ties to any insurance company.