Medicare Advantage

South Burlington's 2027 Medicare picture: what the county-level numbers actually show

South Burlington, VT Medicare picture for 2027: what county-level plan counts show and how local coverage decisions typically get made.

Medicare AdvantageSouth Burlington, VT

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. — If you live here and you're on Medicare, or about to be, it helps to know what the local landscape looks like on paper before you start comparing anything for 2027. The most recent county-level counts tell an unusual story for Chittenden County — and understanding those counts is the first step in figuring out your next move.

South Burlington is in Chittenden County, and Medicare plan availability is set at the county level. According to CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape data for 2026, Chittenden County showed zero Medicare Advantage plans, zero stand-alone Part D drug plans, and zero carriers offering MA-PD coverage locally. The 2027 lineup will be reflected in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder once posted.

What the county-level counts mean

The counts above come from the CMS Landscape files, which list plans approved to be sold in each county. When the 2026 files showed zero Medicare Advantage or stand-alone Part D options in Chittenden County, it meant the traditional path many Americans take — picking an Advantage plan or a stand-alone drug plan through Medicare's Plan Finder — was not the local path here. Residents can check the 2027 lineup on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder once it is posted.

That is not a crisis, and it is not new to Vermont. It does mean South Burlington residents typically build their coverage a different way: Original Medicare (Parts A and B) from the federal government, often paired with a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy sold by private insurers in Vermont, and prescription drug coverage worked out separately.

Who this affects locally

Roughly 28,714 people age 65 and older live in Chittenden County. Not all of them are on Medicare — some are still working with employer coverage, some have veterans' benefits, and some have retiree plans from a former job. But that population figure is a useful reminder that a lot of your neighbors are making the same decisions you are each fall.

Because there were no MA-PD contracts in the county for 2026, the CMS Star Ratings measure — which rates Medicare Advantage and Part D contracts on quality — did not point to any local plans. Star Ratings are a program-wide tool, not a local shopping shortcut here.

The 2027 rules that apply everywhere

Even without local Medicare Advantage or Part D options in the landscape, the national program rules still shape what you pay and when you can act:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once you hit that amount in covered drug costs, you pay nothing more for covered prescriptions the rest of the year.
• Part D deductible: up to $615 in 2026 and up to $700 in 2027, depending on the plan.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone. As of 2025, Part D uses three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: an optional way to spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA: higher-income enrollees pay Part B and Part D surcharges. For 2026, those surcharges begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Dates to circle

Two windows matter most:

• Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7. This is when most people can join, switch or drop Part D and Medicare Advantage coverage for the following year.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: Jan. 1 – March 31. This one is only for people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan.

Medigap has its own rules. In many cases, your strongest guaranteed right to buy a Medigap policy is during the six-month window that starts when you're 65 and enrolled in Part B. Vermont has additional state protections, and the state's SHIP counselors can walk you through them.

Where to get help you can trust

Because the local landscape here looks different from most of the country, this is a good year to lean on official, unbiased sources rather than mailers or ads.

• Medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder and enrollment site.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — available 24/7.
• Vermont's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), known locally as the Medicare information helpline through Vermont's Area Agencies on Aging, provides free one-on-one counseling.