Medicare Advantage

San Antonio's Jan. 1–March 31 Medicare Advantage Do-Over

Bexar County has 98 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 28 plans are not coming back, 26 are new, and 36 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 11 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for San Antonio, not which plan to pick.

SAN ANTONIO — If you signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan during fall open enrollment and now have second thoughts, you get one more chance to fix it. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31, 2027, and it gives people already in an Advantage plan a limited window to switch course.

This period is easy to confuse with the fall Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7). They are not the same, and they do not allow the same moves. Here is what San Antonio readers can actually do between January and March.

Who this window is for

This period is for people who are already in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1. If that is you, you have until March 31 to make one change. If you are in Original Medicare (Parts A and B) with or without a stand-alone Part D drug plan, this window does not apply to you — you would generally wait until the next fall Annual Enrollment Period unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

What you can change

During January 1 – March 31, you can:

• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another Medicare Advantage plan.
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare. If you do that, you can also join a stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.

What you cannot do in this window:

• Join a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time if you are currently in Original Medicare.
• Join a stand-alone Part D plan if you are staying in Original Medicare and did not just leave an Advantage plan.
• Make more than one change. Only your first change counts.

Why San Antonio residents might use it

San Antonio sits in Bexar County, and Bexar County has a wide range of Medicare Advantage plans and carriers available. That's helpful if you enrolled in the fall and then discovered a problem after January 1 — for example, a doctor you use is not in the plan's network, a medication you take is handled differently than you expected, or the plan's rules for referrals or prior authorization do not fit how you get care. Rather than being stuck for a full year, you have a three-month window to correct the fit.

Things worth checking before you switch

Before you make a change, it helps to look at a few specifics for any plan you're considering:

• Is your primary care doctor and any specialist you see in the plan's network?
• Are the prescriptions you take covered, and under what tier?
• Does the plan cover the hospitals and pharmacies you actually use in the San Antonio area?
• If you have other coverage (from a former employer, the VA, or TRICARE), how does a change affect it?

You can compare plans available in Bexar County using the Plan Finder at medicare.gov, or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Program-level numbers to keep in mind for 2027

A few 2027 figures apply to everyone with Medicare drug coverage, whether through an Advantage plan with drugs or a stand-alone Part D plan:

• The out-of-pocket cap for Part D prescriptions is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.
• The maximum Part D deductible any plan can charge is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The old coverage gap (the "donut hole") is gone. Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly amounts instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. It's optional and you have to opt in.
• Income-related monthly adjustment amounts (IRMAA) for higher-income enrollees start above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Free local help in San Antonio

You don't have to figure this out alone. Texas has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) called the Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP). Counselors are trained to answer Medicare questions and do not sell insurance. San Antonio residents can also contact the Alamo Area Agency on Aging or the Bexar Area Agency on Aging for referrals to a local counselor.