Medicare Advantage

How Grove City's Medicare choices compare to nearby counties

Franklin County has 79 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 27 plans are not coming back, 14 are new, and 28 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 5 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Grove City, not which plan to pick.

In Grove City, Ohio, Medicare shoppers heading into the 2027 plan year have a wide field to look at — not just here in Franklin County, but across the ring of counties that make up the greater Columbus metro. Understanding how availability differs from one county to the next can save you a phone call, a headache, or a switch you didn't need to make.

Why the county line matters

Medicare Advantage and Part D plans are approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) county by county. That means when you type a ZIP code into Medicare's Plan Finder, the list you see is really the list for the county that ZIP code belongs to.

Grove City is in Franklin County, so the Medicare Advantage options available to a Grove City resident are the Franklin County options. Cross the line into Pickaway, Madison, Fairfield, Delaware, Licking, or Union County, and the count of available plans and participating carriers can shift.

The Franklin County snapshot for 2027

Here is what CMS's 2027 Landscape data shows for Franklin County, where Grove City sits:

• 92 Medicare Advantage plans available.
• 12 carriers offering Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD).
• About 173,679 residents age 65 and older.

One number that may surprise Grove City readers: the Landscape file shows 0 stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans listed for the area for 2027. If that number looks off when you shop, it's worth confirming on medicare.gov, because stand-alone Part D plans are usually offered on a broader regional footprint. The takeaway either way: check the current Plan Finder before you assume what's available.

How nearby counties may look different

Counties in the Columbus metro don't always mirror each other. A carrier that serves Franklin County may or may not file plans in Delaware or Licking. A rural county with a smaller 65+ population often sees fewer plans overall than a dense urban county like Franklin.

That's why two retired friends — one in Grove City, one in Lancaster or Marysville — can compare notes and find they're looking at very different menus. Neither one is wrong. They're just in different CMS service areas.

If you split time between two homes, or you're helping a parent in another county, run the search for each address separately.

Star Ratings and what they mean here

CMS also publishes Star Ratings each year, on a 1-to-5 scale, to measure plan quality across things like customer service, member complaints, and care outcomes. In the Franklin County area, the 2027 Landscape data shows 0 contracts rated 4 stars or higher.

Star Ratings are one input among many. They don't tell you whether your doctor is in network, whether your prescriptions are covered, or how a plan handles prior authorization — all things worth checking on your own.

Key 2027 rules to keep in mind

No matter which county you're shopping in, some rules are the same everywhere:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once you hit it, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap, or "donut hole," was eliminated in 2025. Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly installments, if that helps your budget.
• IRMAA surcharges — higher premiums for higher incomes — start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

When you can make changes

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7. Any change you make takes effect January 1.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31. If you're already on a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare.

Certain life events — moving, losing other coverage, qualifying for Extra Help — can open a Special Enrollment Period outside those windows.