Medicare Advantage

The One Medicare Advantage Change Austin Residents Can Make

People in Austin can choose from 56 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 60 this year. 15 of this year’s plans are gone, 11 are new to Travis County, and 21 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 8 of them under a new name.

AUSTIN — If you sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan during this fall's enrollment and it isn't fitting the way you hoped, you're not stuck with it. From January 1 through March 31, 2027, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period gives people already in an Advantage plan a second chance to make one change.

Austin retirees have a second chance to adjust Medicare Advantage — until March 31

For Austin-area beneficiaries who picked in a rush last fall — or who tried the plan in January and hit a snag with a doctor, a pharmacy, or a prescription — this three-month window is the built-in do-over.

What you can (and can't) do in this window

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period is narrower than the fall Annual Enrollment Period. Here's what's on the table between January 1 and March 31:

• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another Medicare Advantage plan.
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare (Parts A and B). If you do that, you can also join a stand-alone Part D drug plan.

What you cannot do in this window:

• You can't use it to join a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time if you're currently on Original Medicare.
• You can't switch from one stand-alone Part D drug plan to another (that had to happen during the fall Annual Enrollment Period, Oct. 15 – Dec. 7).
• You only get one change during this period. Once it takes effect, the window closes for you.

Your new coverage generally begins the first day of the month after the plan gets your request.

Why this matters more in 2027

Two program-level changes make it worth taking a closer look this winter, even if your plan seems fine on paper:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your covered prescription costs hit that ceiling, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D deductible maximum is $615 for 2026 and $700 for 2027, and the old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone — replaced by a simpler three-phase structure that started in 2025.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter. It's optional and free to sign up.

If your current plan's drug list, pharmacy network, or specialist network doesn't line up with how you actually use care, this is the window to correct course.

The Austin picture

Austin sits mostly in Travis County, where the Medicare Advantage market is competitive — several national and regional carriers offer plans, and Travis County residents typically have a wide range of Advantage and Part D options to choose from. Plan availability is set at the county level by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), so neighbors in Williamson, Hays, or Bastrop counties may see a somewhat different mix.

You can see the exact plans available at your address by using the Plan Finder at medicare.gov.

How to make a smart change (without guesswork)

Before you switch, pull together:

1. Your prescription list — names, doses, and how often you take them. 2. Your doctors and preferred hospitals — including any specialists you see regularly. 3. Your pharmacy — some plans have preferred pharmacies that treat drugs differently. 4. Any upcoming procedures — check how a new plan would handle prior authorization.

Then run those details through Plan Finder at medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), which is open 24/7. For unbiased, one-on-one help in Texas, contact the Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP), the state's SHIP, at 1-800-252-9240. Counselors don't sell plans and don't earn commissions.

A note on higher-income enrollees

If your 2024 income was above $109,000 as a single filer (or $218,000 for a married couple filing jointly), you may pay an IRMAA surcharge on top of your standard Part B and Part D premiums in 2026. That surcharge follows you whether you're on Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage — switching plans during this window doesn't change it. Social Security will notify you directly if it applies.