Medicare Advantage

Portland Medicare Advantage for 2027: a plain-English way to compare before Dec. 7

People in Portland can choose from 45 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 58 this year. 18 of this year’s plans are gone, 5 are new to Multnomah County, and 29 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 7 of them under a new name.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Fall 2026 is review season for Medicare, and the lineup people see at the kitchen table is about to change. Portland is in Multnomah County, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) says 45 Medicare Advantage plans from 10 carriers will be offered for 2027, down from 58 plans and 13 carriers this year. Five plans are new for 2027, and 18 plans available in 2026 are not returning. The window to switch, drop or join a plan for Jan. 1 coverage runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026.

If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews — if it is being offered next year — with whatever changes are listed in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mails in September. The guide below walks through how to compare the 2027 options in a careful, calm way.

What Portland's 2027 lineup looks like

In Multnomah County, the 2027 Medicare Advantage menu breaks down this way, according to CMS Landscape data:

• 45 plans total, from 10 carriers
• By plan type: 15 HMO, 9 HMO-POS, 21 PPO
• Special Needs Plans (SNPs): 2 D-SNP (for people with both Medicare and Medicaid), 7 C-SNP (chronic condition), 4 I-SNP (institutional)
• All 45 plans include Part D drug coverage

The carriers offering plans in the county for 2027 are Aetna (CVS Health), AgeRight Advantage, ATRIO Health Plans, CareOregon Advantage, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every 2027 plan by carrier.

A smaller menu than last year is not automatically bad or good — it means more of the comparison work is about matching a plan to your doctors, your prescriptions and the way you like to get care.

What is new this year

Three things to know as you start:

1. Fewer plans and carriers. The county had 58 plans from 13 carriers in 2026; it will have 45 plans from 10 carriers in 2027. 2. Movement inside the lineup. CMS data shows 5 plans are new for 2027 and 18 are not returning. Some plans have also been renamed; the ANOC your plan mails will say so. 3. Part D changes you will feel. For 2027, the Part D out-of-pocket cap moves to $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026) and the Part D maximum deductible moves to $700 (up from $615 in 2026). CMS will publish the 2027 Part B standard premium, deductible and IRMAA income brackets later this fall.

A step-by-step way to compare plans

You do not need to read all 45 plan brochures. A short, repeatable checklist does the job.

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). Your current plan was required to send it by late September. It lists next year's premium, deductible, copays, drug tier changes, and any pharmacy or network changes. If your plan is one of the 18 not returning in Multnomah County, the ANOC/non-renewal notice will tell you.

2. List what matters to you. Write down your doctors and clinics, the hospital you prefer, every prescription you take (name, dose, how often), and the pharmacies you use — including mail order if that applies.

3. Check doctors and hospitals. On each plan you are considering, look up providers in the plan's online directory, or call the plan. For HMO and most HMO-POS plans, out-of-network care is generally not covered except for emergencies. PPOs usually allow out-of-network care at a higher cost.

4. Price your prescriptions, not just the premium. Enter your drugs into the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. The tool estimates your yearly drug cost under each plan, by pharmacy. The same drug can sit on different tiers in different plans.

5. Check your pharmacy. Plans have "preferred" and "standard" pharmacies, and the Plan Finder lets you set your pharmacy so the comparison reflects what you would actually pay there.

6. Confirm the plan type fits your life. HMOs and HMO-POS plans tend to center care around an in-network primary doctor and referrals. PPOs offer wider out-of-network flexibility. If you have both Medicare and Medicaid, a chronic condition, or live in a nursing facility, a D-SNP, C-SNP or I-SNP may be worth a closer look.

7. Look at Star Ratings as one signal among several. CMS rates plans from 1 to 5 stars on quality and member experience. They are useful context, not a verdict.

How to use the Medicare Plan Finder

The Plan Finder at medicare.gov is the only place that pulls together every 2027 plan available at your ZIP code with your drugs and pharmacies loaded in. A few tips:

• Create or sign in to your medicare.gov account so your drug list and pharmacies save for next time.
• Enter all your medications exactly as prescribed — the dosage changes the cost estimate.
• Sort by "lowest drug + premium cost," then look at the plan details, not just the total.
• Open two plans side-by-side to compare networks, deductibles and extra benefits.
• If you prefer to talk to a person, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24/7.

What happens if you do nothing

Nothing dramatic. If your 2026 plan is offered again in 2027, you stay in it, with the changes in your ANOC. If your plan is not returning, Medicare will send a letter and you'll have a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new plan. You can also use the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027) to switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare once.