Medicare Advantage

How Salt Lake City Enrollees Can Switch Medicare Advantage

For 2027, Salt Lake City is looking at 46 Medicare Advantage plans: 4 new, 6 gone since 2026, and 22 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 9 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Salt Lake County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

SALT LAKE CITY — If you enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan last fall and are having second thoughts, the calendar is on your side. From January 1 through March 31, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period gives you a second look — a chance to change your mind once, without waiting until next fall.

This window matters because it's the only broad opportunity most people get between the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) and next year. If your new plan's network, drug list, or referral rules aren't what you expected, you don't have to wait it out.

What the Jan. 1 – March 31 window actually allows

This period is only for people who are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1. During these three months, you can:

• 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 go back to Original Medicare, add a standalone Part D drug plan.

You get one change during this window, and it takes effect the first day of the following month. So a switch made in February takes effect March 1.

What this window does NOT allow

It's just as important to know the limits. During the Jan. 1 – March 31 period, you cannot:

• Switch from Original Medicare into a Medicare Advantage plan for the first time.
• Change from one standalone Part D drug plan to another if you're staying on Original Medicare.
• Join a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy with guaranteed acceptance in most cases — medical underwriting may apply, depending on state rules.

If you're in Original Medicare on January 1 and want to move into Advantage, you generally have to wait until the next Annual Enrollment Period in the fall, unless a Special Enrollment Period applies.

How to decide if you should make a change

A few honest questions can help you sort this out:

1. Are your doctors and hospitals still in-network for 2027? Networks can shift year to year. Call the providers you actually use. 2. Are your prescriptions still covered — and in the same tier? Drug formularies change every January. Log in to your plan's member portal or check your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letter. 3. Have your health needs changed? New diagnoses, upcoming surgeries, or new specialists can shift which plan structure fits. 4. Do you feel comfortable with the plan's rules? HMO referrals, prior authorization, and out-of-network costs can all catch people off guard in January.

If everything still fits, doing nothing is a perfectly reasonable choice.

Part D facts worth knowing before you switch

Even if you're only comparing Medicare Advantage plans (most of which include drug coverage), the Part D rules changed meaningfully:

• Annual out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.
• Maximum Part D deductible: $615.
• The coverage gap (the "donut hole") is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments, rather than paying large amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA (the higher-income surcharge on Part B and Part D) starts above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

These are program-wide figures set by CMS, not plan-specific.

Salt Lake City: what "availability" looks like

Salt Lake City sits in Salt Lake County, and Medicare Advantage plan availability is set at the county level. That means every Salt Lake City resident chooses from the same menu of plans that any other Salt Lake County resident sees. If you move — even across a county line into Utah, Tooele, or Davis County — your options can change, and moving is itself a Special Enrollment trigger.

When comparing what's offered locally, the plan finder at medicare.gov will show you the current lineup for your ZIP code.

Where to get unbiased help

You don't have to figure this out alone, and you don't have to talk to a salesperson to get answers:

• medicare.gov — the official plan finder and rulebook.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7.
• Utah SHIP — Utah's State Health Insurance Assistance Program offers free, one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers who don't sell plans. In Salt Lake County, SHIP counselors work through the Salt Lake County Aging & Adult Services office.