Medicare Advantage

Fargo Medicare 2027: Local Options Guide

FARGO, N.D. — If you're turning 65 in Fargo or already on Medicare, the 2027 plan year brings a familiar set of choices and some meaningful updates to how costs are structured. Fargo is in Cass County, where 25 Medicare Advantage plans were available for 2026, offered by 5 carriers. The 2027 lineup is spelled out in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder — but the smarter question isn't "how many plans?" It's "how do the costs fit together?"

This guide walks through the program-level cost pieces you'll see across Medicare in 2027, so you can compare local options in Cass County with a clear head.

Start with the four cost buckets

Every Medicare choice you make in Fargo comes down to four buckets of cost:

1. Premiums — what you pay each month to be in a plan (Part B always, plus any Part D or Advantage plan premium). 2. Deductibles — what you pay before the plan starts sharing costs. 3. Cost-sharing — copays and coinsurance for visits, tests, and drugs. 4. Out-of-pocket limits — the ceiling on what you'll spend in a year.

Original Medicare (Parts A and B) has no annual out-of-pocket limit on medical costs by itself, which is why many people add either a Medigap policy plus a stand-alone Part D drug plan, or choose a Medicare Advantage plan that bundles everything with a built-in limit.

One local wrinkle worth knowing: 0 stand-alone Part D plans were listed as available in Cass County for 2026 in the CMS landscape data. The 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. If you stay with Original Medicare and want drug coverage, that's a conversation to have with 1-800-MEDICARE or your local SHIP counselor before Dec. 7.

What changes for Part D in 2027

The prescription drug side of Medicare has been reshaped over the past two years, and 2027 raises some of the key thresholds:

• $2,400 out-of-pocket cap in 2027. Once your covered drug spending hits $2,400 in 2027, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year. In 2026 that cap is $2,100.
• maximum ($615 in 2026, $700 in 2027) deductible. A plan's Part D deductible can be lower, but it cannot exceed $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027).
• No more donut hole. Since 2025, Part D has three phases instead of four: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic. The confusing coverage gap is gone.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. This is optional. It lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly bills instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter. It doesn't lower your total — it smooths it out.

These rules apply whether your drug coverage comes through a Medicare Advantage plan with drugs (MA-PD) or, in areas where they're offered, a stand-alone Part D plan.

Premiums and IRMAA: the income piece

Most people pay the standard Part B premium. Higher-income beneficiaries pay more through an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA). For 2026, IRMAA surcharges kick in above $109,000 in income for a single filer (higher thresholds for joint filers). The surcharge applies to both Part B and Part D premiums.

If your income has recently dropped — say, because you retired or a spouse passed away — you can ask Social Security to reconsider your IRMAA based on your current situation.

Comparing the 25 Advantage options in Cass County

With 25 Medicare Advantage plans from 5 carriers on the table locally, comparing them purely on premium is a mistake. A low or zero premium plan can still leave you with meaningful cost-sharing if you use a lot of care. When you sit down with Plan Finder or a counselor, line up:

• The plan's monthly premium (on top of Part B).
• The medical deductible and the drug deductible, if any.
• The maximum out-of-pocket for in-network medical costs.
• Whether your doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies in the Fargo–Moorhead area are in network.
• Whether your specific medications are on the plan's formulary and in which tier.

On star ratings: Medicare rates plans on a 1-to-5 scale for quality and service. For 2026, no contracts serving the Cass County area carried a rating of 4 stars or higher, according to the CMS landscape data. The 2027 ratings are published on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. Ratings are one data point among several — not a stand-alone reason to pick or drop a plan.

Key dates to circle

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026: Annual Enrollment Period. Choose or switch Medicare Advantage and Part D plans for 2027.
• Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you're already in an Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to a different Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).

Miss those windows and, outside of a Special Enrollment Period, you're generally locked into your current coverage for the year.

Where to get unbiased help

• Medicare.gov Plan Finder lets you enter your ZIP code and drug list to compare every plan available in Cass County side by side.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is staffed 24/7.
• North Dakota SHIP (the State Health Insurance Counseling program) offers free, one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers who don't sell insurance.