Medicare Advantage

Medicare in Gillette: How Many Plan Choices Do You Have?

GILLETTE, Wyo. — If you're sorting through Medicare options in Gillette this fall, you probably want a straight answer to a simple question: how many choices do I actually have? Here's the plain picture for Campbell County heading into 2027, along with a few ways to think through the decision.

The short answer on plan counts

Gillette sits in Campbell County, where Medicare Advantage shoppers had 3 plans available for 2026, offered by 1 carrier. Wyoming has 11 stand-alone Part D plans for 2026, sold statewide, and under CMS's 2026 Star Ratings, none of the Medicare Advantage contracts offering plans in the county has a 2026 Star Rating. The 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

That's a smaller menu than what folks in bigger metro areas see — and it matters, because your real decision usually isn't between dozens of plans. It's between a few concrete paths.

The paths in front of you

Every person aging into Medicare — or reconsidering coverage during Fall Open Enrollment — is really choosing between a handful of routes:

• Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) on its own. Federal coverage, use almost any doctor who accepts Medicare, no network.
• Original Medicare plus a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy. Adds help with out-of-pocket costs. Medigap plans are sold separately by private insurers and are regulated by the state of Wyoming.
• Original Medicare plus a stand-alone Part D drug plan. Wyoming has 11 stand-alone Part D plans for 2026, sold statewide, and anyone in Campbell County with Original Medicare can join one — check Medicare.gov's Plan Finder using your ZIP code for the 2027 lineup.
• A Medicare Advantage plan (Part C), which bundles hospital, medical, and usually drug coverage from a private insurer. This is where the 3 Campbell County options fall.

Roughly 6,154 Gillette-area residents are 65 or older, so this is a decision a lot of your neighbors are working through at the same time.

What "fewer plans" really means

A shorter list isn't automatically bad news. In some ways it's simpler — less to compare, less second-guessing. But it does mean two things worth knowing:

1. Networks matter more. With only one carrier offering Medicare Advantage locally, check whether your doctors, the Campbell County Health system, and your preferred pharmacies are in-network before you enroll. 2. Original Medicare is always an option. No matter where you live, Original Medicare is available. It's not a lesser choice — for many rural residents it's the main choice.

The Part D numbers everyone should know

These figures come straight from Medicare and apply nationwide:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your covered drug costs hit that ceiling in a given year, you pay nothing more for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Maximum Part D deductible: $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The old "donut hole" is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases, not four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly bills instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. It's optional and free to opt in.
• IRMAA — the income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D — starts above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

Dates to circle

• October 15 – December 7: Medicare Annual Enrollment. Switch, join, or drop Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. Changes take effect January 1.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you're already in an MA plan, you get one chance to switch to another MA plan or drop back to Original Medicare.

How to actually decide

A useful way to work through it:

1. List your doctors and prescriptions first — before you look at any plan. 2. Run your ZIP code through the Plan Finder at Medicare.gov. It will show every option available at your address, including any drug plans. 3. Call the Wyoming SHIIP (State Health Insurance Information Program) at 1-800-856-4398 for free, unbiased counseling. They don't sell anything. 4. Compare apples to apples: total yearly cost, not just the monthly premium. Include the deductible, expected copays, and drug costs.