Medicare Advantage

Medicare in Huntington: 52 Options to Sort Through for 2026

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — If you're turning 65 soon or reviewing your coverage this fall, the sheer number of Medicare choices in the Huntington area can feel like a lot. Huntington is in Cabell County, where 52 Medicare Advantage plans were available for the 2026 plan year, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plan landscape data. The 2027 lineup is detailed in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

That's a lot of ground to cover — but you don't have to figure it out alone, and you don't have to look at all 52. Here's how to think about the choices in front of you.

What "52 plans" actually means

The 52 figure counts Medicare Advantage plans (Part C) offered in Cabell County for the 2026 plan year; the 2027 plan list is on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder and in each plan's ANOC. These are private plans that bundle your Part A (hospital) and Part B (medical) coverage, and most include prescription drug coverage as well.

A few things worth knowing about that number:

• Eight carriers offer Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) coverage in the county. So while the plan count is 52, they come from a smaller set of insurance companies.
• CMS reports zero stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans listed separately in the county-level MA-PD landscape file for this area. If you want drug coverage and stay in Original Medicare, you'll want to confirm your stand-alone Part D options directly on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder, since availability is set at the regional level for Part D.
• The county is home to about 18,550 residents aged 65 and older, so this is a big decision for a lot of local families.

You don't have to compare all 52 — here's how to narrow the field

Nobody actually shops 52 plans one by one. A simple filter approach works better:

1. Start with your doctors and hospitals. If keeping your current providers matters, check which plans include them in-network before anything else. 2. List your prescriptions. Enter them into Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. Drug coverage varies plan to plan, and this step alone will eliminate a lot of options. 3. Think about how you like to get care. HMO, PPO, and Special Needs Plans (SNPs) work differently. Some require referrals; some don't. 4. Consider Original Medicare + a Medigap policy + Part D as an alternative path. It's a different structure entirely and worth weighing.

Key Part D numbers to keep in mind

Even though plan-specific costs vary, some Medicare figures are set at the federal level and apply everywhere:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your drug spending hits that limit, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D deductible maximum is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027 (plans can set it lower).
• 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 drug costs across monthly payments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter. It's optional and free to opt into.
• IRMAA — the income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D — kicks in above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Star Ratings: what they are (and aren't)

You'll see "Star Ratings" mentioned when you compare plans. CMS rates Medicare Advantage and Part D contracts from 1 to 5 stars based on quality and member experience measures. In the Cabell County landscape for 2026, no contracts serving the area were rated 4 stars or higher, based on CMS's published ratings for that cycle. The 2027 ratings cycle is posted on Medicare.gov.

Star Ratings are one data point — not a verdict. A plan's network, drug list, and cost structure matter just as much for your situation.

Dates you can't miss

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7, 2026. This is when most people join, switch, or drop Medicare Advantage and Part D plans for 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in an Advantage plan and want to switch to another one — or go back to Original Medicare — you get one chance during this window.

Missing these windows usually means waiting a full year, so mark them now.