Medicare Advantage

Clark County Medicare Advantage Count, Springfield 2027

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — If you are shopping for Medicare coverage this fall, you have plenty to sort through. Springfield sits inside Clark County, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) listed 99 Medicare Advantage plans for 2026; the 2027 lineup is described in each plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. Clark County has roughly 27,405 residents age 65 and older — which is why taking the choices one step at a time matters.

What the 2026 numbers looked like in Clark County

Medicare plan availability is set at the county level, not the city level. So when we talk about "Springfield options," we are really describing what CMS approved for Clark County. For 2026, that included:

• 99 Medicare Advantage plans offered in the county.
• 15 carriers offering Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD).
• 0 stand-alone Part D plans listed in the county-level landscape file.

Ninety-nine is a lot of plans to compare. That does not mean you need to look at all of them — most people can narrow the field quickly once they know which doctors, hospitals, and medications they want covered.

Why there are so many Medicare Advantage plans

Each carrier can offer several plans in the same county — for example, an HMO, a PPO, and a plan built for people who also qualify for Medicaid. Multiply that by 15 carriers, and the number climbs fast. It looks overwhelming on paper, but the sorting tools on Medicare.gov let you filter by the things that actually matter to you.

What about stand-alone drug plans?

Stand-alone Part D plans (PDPs) are sold across broader regions, not county by county the way Medicare Advantage is. If you stay with Original Medicare and want drug coverage, you can still shop PDPs on Medicare.gov by entering your ZIP code — the site will show the plans available to you. The "0" figure above reflects the county-specific MA landscape file, not a shortage of drug coverage options for Ohio residents overall.

Program-level facts to know for 2027

A few Medicare rules apply everywhere, no matter which plan you pick:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your covered drug spending hits that amount, you pay nothing more for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027).
• Coverage gap ("donut hole"): Eliminated starting in 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 monthly payments instead of paying all at once at the pharmacy.
• IRMAA surcharges: Higher Part B and Part D premiums begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Key dates to circle

• October 15 – December 7: Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Changes take effect January 1.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to a different MA plan or return to Original Medicare.

About Star Ratings

CMS rates Medicare contracts on a 1-to-5 star scale each year, based on things like customer service and preventive care. In Clark County's 2026 landscape, 0 contracts were rated 4 stars or higher; 2027 star ratings are posted on Medicare.gov. Stars are one signal among many — they measure the contract, not your personal experience — so use them as background, not as the whole story.

How to narrow 99 plans down to one

• Make a list of your prescriptions, preferred pharmacy, and the doctors and hospitals you want to keep.
• Use the Plan Finder at Medicare.gov to enter your ZIP code and drug list. It will filter the county's plans automatically.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24/7, for help walking through your options.
• Get free, unbiased local help from OSHIIP, the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (Ohio's SHIP), at 1-800-686-1578.