Medicare Advantage

Rethinking Your Medicare Advantage Plan? You Have Until March 31

People in Newport News can choose from 61 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 58 this year. Three of this year’s plans are gone, 6 are new to Newport News City, and 37 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 14 of them under a new name.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — If you signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan during fall enrollment and are now second-guessing that choice, you still have room to course-correct. From January 1 through March 31, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period gives current Advantage members one chance to switch plans or return to Original Medicare — no penalty, no questions asked.

This window is different from the fall Annual Enrollment Period, and it comes with its own set of rules. Here is what Newport News residents should know before the March 31 deadline.

Who this window is for

The January–March window is narrower than fall enrollment. It is only for people who already have a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1. If you are still on Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) as the year begins, you cannot use this period to jump into an Advantage plan.

That matters because a lot of folks confuse this window with the fall Annual Enrollment Period, which runs October 15 through December 7 and is open to everyone with Medicare. Think of the spring window as a do-over — a chance to fix a fall choice that is not working out.

What changes you can make

During Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, you can:

• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another (with or without drug coverage).
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare.
• If you return to Original Medicare, you can also join a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan.

What you cannot do in this window: switch from Original Medicare into an Advantage plan, or join a stand-alone Part D plan if you are staying on your existing Advantage plan. And unlike the fall period, you only get one change here — after it takes effect, the window closes for you until next year.

Any change you make takes effect the first day of the month after the plan receives your enrollment request.

Why people use this window

Reasons to take a second look are usually practical. A prescription you take is not on the drug list. A doctor you counted on is not in the network. A specialist you need requires a referral you did not expect. Or maybe the plan simply feels harder to use than you thought it would.

Newport News is in Newport News City, and plan networks, formularies, and service areas are set at the county level. That means two neighbors with the same ZIP code often have the same menu of choices — but the plan that works for one may not work for the other, depending on which doctors they see and which medicines they take.

A few 2027 numbers worth knowing

Even if you are happy with your Advantage plan, it is worth understanding a few program-level figures for 2027 that affect drug costs across all plans:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs hits that amount, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027 (some plans set a lower deductible).
• The coverage gap — the old "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 yearly drug costs into monthly payments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter. It is optional and free to opt into.
• Income-related monthly adjustment amounts (IRMAA) — extra premium charges for higher earners — begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

These rules apply whether your drug coverage comes through a Medicare Advantage plan with Part D or a stand-alone Part D plan.

How to decide before March 31

A few steps that tend to help:

1. Pull out your plan's Evidence of Coverage or the Annual Notice of Change your plan mailed this fall. Confirm what your plan will actually cover in 2027. 2. List your regular doctors, hospitals, and prescriptions. Check them against the plan's 2027 network and drug list — both can change year to year. 3. Use the Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare options available in Newport News City by ZIP code. 4. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048) with specific questions. 5. Contact Virginia's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), known locally as the Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program (VICAP). Counselors provide free, unbiased, one-on-one help.

Star Ratings, published by CMS each fall, are another public tool. They rate plans from 1 to 5 stars on things like member experience and customer service. They are one data point among several, not a shortcut.