Medicare Advantage

Before December 7: how to compare Irving's 2027 plans

Dallas County has 84 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 29 plans are not coming back, 20 are new, and 31 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 9 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Irving, not which plan to pick.

Fall 2026 — If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in Irving, the Annual Enrollment Period is open now and runs through December 7, 2026. Any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews next year — if it is still offered — with whatever changes are spelled out in its Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). That makes the next few weeks a good time to slow down and compare, especially because the Dallas County lineup looks different in 2027 than it did in 2026.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Irving for 2027?

Irving is in Dallas County, where 84 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 carriers are offered for 2027, according to the CMS Landscape Source File. That is down from 93 plans in 2026. By plan type, Dallas County has 37 HMO plans, 21 HMO-POS plans, 25 PPO plans and 1 PFFS plan for 2027. Seventy-five of the 84 plans include drug coverage.

Plan availability is set at the county level, so every Irving address draws from the same Dallas County menu. The table below lists every 2027 plan by carrier.

Which carriers sell Medicare Advantage plans in Dallas County in 2027?

Twelve carriers offer Medicare Advantage in Dallas County for 2027. In alphabetical order, they are Aetna (CVS Health) with 10 plans; Baylor Scott & White Health Plan with 3; Centene (WellCare) with 5; Elevance Health (Anthem) with 9; HealthSpring with 6; Humana with 27; Molina Healthcare of Texas, Inc. with 1; ProCare Advantage with 3; Provider Partners Health Plans with 1; Texas Independence Health Plan with 2; UnitedHealthcare with 15; and Verda Health Plan of Texas with 2.

One carrier, Texas Independence Health Plan, is new to the county's roster compared with the 2026 lineup. Mix of plan types varies by carrier — some sell only HMOs, others only PPOs, and a few offer both or HMO-POS variants.

What Special Needs Plans are available in Irving for 2027?

Dallas County has 42 Special Needs Plans in the 2027 lineup: 20 Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, 15 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) for people with qualifying conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions or chronic kidney disease, and 7 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) for people living in nursing facilities.

SNPs have eligibility rules a regular Medicare Advantage plan does not. If you think you qualify, confirm with the plan before enrolling.

What is new or changing in Irving's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup?

For 2027, 20 Medicare Advantage plans are new in Dallas County and 29 plans from 2026 are not returning. If your plan is one of the 29 being discontinued, the carrier is required to send you a non-renewal notice explaining your options and the Special Enrollment Period that comes with a plan termination.

Returning plans will send an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) by late September. The ANOC lists any changes to premium, deductible, copays, drug tier placement, provider network and extra benefits for 2027. Read it alongside your current Evidence of Coverage before you decide to stay or switch.

At the program level, CMS has confirmed the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 (up from $615). The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet; CMS typically publishes them in the fall.

How do I compare Medicare Advantage plans in Irving step by step?

Here is a straightforward way to work through it before December 7, 2026.

1. Start with your ANOC. Pull the Annual Notice of Change your current plan mailed you. Note any 2027 changes to premium, deductible, maximum out-of-pocket, drug costs and extra benefits. If your plan is not returning, you will have received a separate non-renewal letter.

2. List what you actually use. Write down your doctors and specialists, your preferred hospitals (for many Irving residents that includes Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Irving, Texas Health Las Colinas, and nearby Dallas and Fort Worth systems), every prescription with dose and frequency, and the pharmacies you use.

3. Open the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. Enter your ZIP code and your drug list. The Plan Finder shows every Medicare Advantage plan available at your address, with 2027 premiums, deductibles, estimated yearly drug costs, star ratings and formulary details — plan by plan, in one place.

4. Check the provider network. The Plan Finder does not fully confirm networks. Call your doctor's office and your hospital, or search the plan's own online directory, to make sure they are in-network for 2027. Networks can change on January 1.

5. Check the pharmacy network and drug tiers. The same drug can sit on different tiers in different plans. Make sure your pharmacy is a preferred (not just standard) pharmacy if that matters for your costs.

6. Compare plan type and travel needs. HMOs usually require in-network care except for emergencies; HMO-POS plans allow some out-of-network care at a higher cost; PPOs give the most flexibility; PFFS plans work with any provider who accepts the plan's terms. If you travel or split time out of Dallas County, this matters.

7. Decide, then enroll by December 7, 2026. You can enroll online at medicare.gov, by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), or by calling the plan directly. If you stay with your current plan, you do not need to do anything.

If you change your mind after January 1, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31, 2027) lets you switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare one time.