Medicare Advantage

Bainbridge Island Medicare: 2027 plan tally

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. — If you're turning 65 soon or already on Medicare, one of the first questions is simple: how many choices do I actually have? Bainbridge Island sits in Kitsap County, where 61 Medicare Advantage plans were available for the 2026 plan year, according to the federal Medicare Plan Finder. The 2027 lineup is in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

That's a lot to sort through — but knowing the counts is the first step to feeling less overwhelmed.

What "61 plans" really means

Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level, not the city level. So while we say "Medicare in Bainbridge Island," the plan list you'll see on Medicare.gov is really the Kitsap County list. Every ZIP code on the island draws from the same countywide menu.

Here's the local snapshot for 2026:

• 61 Medicare Advantage plans available in Kitsap County
• 9 carriers offering Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD)
• 0 stand-alone Part D drug plans listed at the county level in the current data
• 54,611 residents age 65 or older across Kitsap County

The number of plans doesn't tell you which one fits your doctors, prescriptions, or budget. But it does tell you that shopping around — even if you already have coverage — is worth the time.

Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage

Every person eligible for Medicare has the same basic decision to make:

• Stay with Original Medicare (Parts A and B), usually paired with a stand-alone Part D drug plan and often a Medigap (supplement) policy.
• Choose a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C), which is offered by a private insurer approved by Medicare and usually bundles hospital, medical, and drug coverage into one plan.

Both paths are valid. Which one makes sense depends on your health, your prescriptions, whether you travel, and how you feel about provider networks. No single answer is right for everyone.

Why the Part D drug count looks unusual

You may have noticed the "0 stand-alone Part D plans" figure above. Nationally, stand-alone Part D plans still exist, and Washington residents can enroll in them. The county-level data feed for Kitsap simply shows the drug coverage most people here access through Medicare Advantage plans that include prescriptions (MA-PD). If you want a stand-alone Part D plan to pair with Original Medicare, use the Plan Finder at Medicare.gov to see the full list available to your ZIP code.

New rules worth knowing

Some Medicare changes apply nationwide, not just locally. A few Part D figures to know:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once you hit it, you pay nothing more for covered drugs for the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027 (plans can charge less).
• The "donut hole" coverage gap is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs into monthly installments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. It's optional and free to join.
• IRMAA surcharges — the higher premiums for higher-income beneficiaries — begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

About Star Ratings

Medicare rates plan contracts on a 1-to-5 scale, and those ratings can be a useful piece of information when comparing options. In the current data for the Kitsap County area, no contracts are rated 4 stars or higher. Ratings shift year to year and don't tell the whole story — a plan's network, drug formulary, and total costs may matter more to you than a single score.

Key dates to circle

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7, 2026. This is when most people can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance during this window to switch to a different MA plan or return to Original Medicare.

Missing these windows can lock you into a plan for the year, so mark your calendar.