Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: What Austin Can Change by March 31

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, Texas — With 2027 plans set to take effect January 1, Austin-area Medicare beneficiaries have a second chance to fine-tune their coverage. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP) runs January 1 through March 31, and it gives people already in a Medicare Advantage plan one more window to make a switch if their plan isn't fitting how they thought it would.

This is not the same as the fall Annual Enrollment Period. The rules are narrower, but for the right person, they matter.

What this window is — and who it's for

The MA OEP is only for people who are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan as of January 1. If you're in that group, you can use this period one time to:

• Switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage), or
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare (Parts A and B), and add a stand-alone Part D drug plan if you want one.

If you're already on Original Medicare, this window is not for you. You'd need to wait for the next Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7) or qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

What you can't do between January and March

A few changes are off the table during the MA OEP:

• You can't move from Original Medicare into a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time.
• You can't join a stand-alone Part D plan if you're staying on a Medicare Advantage plan that doesn't include drug coverage (with limited exceptions).
• You can't make more than one change. Pick carefully — the first switch you make locks in.

Medigap (Medicare Supplement) rules are separate and governed by Texas state law. Leaving Medicare Advantage doesn't automatically guarantee you a Medigap policy at the best rate unless you have specific guaranteed-issue rights, so it's worth a phone call before you jump.

Why Austin residents may take a second look next year

A few things are changing for 2027 that may have people rethinking the plan they choose this fall:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once you hit that amount in covered drug spending, you pay nothing for covered prescriptions the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is still available — it lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter. You have to opt in.
• IRMAA (the income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D) starts above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

If your January pharmacy bill or first doctor visit didn't match what you expected, those numbers are part of why — and the MA OEP gives you room to react.

Austin is in Travis County — that's where availability is set

Medicare plan choices are set at the county level, not the city level. Austin is in Travis County, so when you compare plans on Medicare's Plan Finder, what you see is what's available to Travis County residents. If you live in Pflugerville, Cedar Park, or out toward Lakeway, double-check your county — parts of the metro stretch into Williamson, Hays, and Bastrop, and the plan lineups can be different.

The Medicare.gov Plan Finder will show you exact counts for your ZIP code, including Medicare Advantage plans, stand-alone Part D plans, and which carriers serve your area.

How to decide if a change makes sense

Before you switch, gather:

1. Your current plan's 2027 "Annual Notice of Change" (ANOC). It was mailed in September and lists every change for next year. 2. A list of your prescriptions, dosages, and pharmacies. Formularies change every January. 3. Your doctors and specialists. Networks shift. A provider who was in-network in 2026 may not be in 2027. 4. Any upcoming procedures or referrals. Prior authorization rules vary plan to plan.

Star Ratings — the 1-to-5-star scores CMS publishes — can give you a sense of how members rate a plan's customer service, drug pricing accuracy, and care quality. They're a data point, not a verdict.