Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage plan count for Leander, Williamson County

Around Leander, shoppers comparing Medicare coverage for 2027 will find the number of Medicare Advantage options depends less on their street address and more on the county line. Leander sits in Williamson County, and that is the boundary Medicare uses to decide which plans an area resident can join.

Because Leander borders parts of the Austin metro, it helps to zoom out and see how availability looks across the surrounding counties. Below is a straightforward, county-level snapshot based on the 2026 CMS landscape data — no plan names, no rankings, just what is on the shelf. The 2027 lineup is in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

Why the county line matters

Medicare Advantage and Part D plans are approved to serve specific service areas, and those areas are drawn along county lines. If you live in Leander, your choices are the ones Medicare has approved for Williamson County — not for the ZIP code, the school district, or the metro area as a whole.

That is why two neighbors who live a few miles apart can end up with different plan menus if a county line runs between them. A move across town usually does not change your options. A move across a county border often does.

The Leander area snapshot from the 2026 landscape

Here is what the 2026 CMS landscape data shows for Williamson County, which includes Leander. The 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder:

• Medicare Advantage plans available: 72
• Stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans available in this dataset: 0
• Carriers offering Medicare Advantage with drug coverage (MA-PD): 11
• Population age 65 and older in the county: about 86,908

These are simple counts. They do not tell you which plan fits your doctors, medications, or budget — only that a range of choices exists.

How nearby counties compare

Because the Austin metro spreads across several counties, a reader in Leander might have family or friends in Travis, Hays, Bastrop, or Burnet County. Each of those counties has its own approved list of Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, and the totals can differ from Williamson County's. If you are helping a parent or in-law shop in another county, run their ZIP code through the official Plan Finder at medicare.gov to see the counts and plan details for their exact address.

What is changing for Part D in 2027

Even if you stick with Original Medicare or you already have drug coverage, a few program-level changes are worth knowing for 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your covered drug spending reaches that limit, you pay nothing for covered Part D drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. Individual plans can set a lower deductible, but not a higher one.
• The old coverage gap, or “donut hole,” has been gone since 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your Part D costs across the year in monthly amounts instead of paying big bills at the pharmacy counter. It is optional and free to opt into.

Star Ratings and what they mean

CMS publishes Star Ratings each fall to measure plan quality on things like customer service, member complaints, and care outcomes. Ratings for the 2027 plan year are released in the fall and can be viewed on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

Ratings are one input, not a verdict. A plan’s star score does not tell you whether your specific doctors are in network or whether your medications are on the formulary. Use ratings alongside the details that matter to your household.

Key dates to circle

• October 15 – December 7: Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).

If your income is above $109,000 as a single filer, be aware that IRMAA surcharges may apply to your Part B and Part D premiums in 2026. Social Security notifies you if you owe them.