Medicare Part D

Part D in 2027: Attleboro, MA Guide

By the MyMedicarePlans.org news desk — Attleboro, Massachusetts

If you take prescription drugs and you're on Medicare, 2027 brings a change worth understanding before you fill your next prescription. Medicare Part D — the part of Medicare that helps pay for prescription drugs — now works in three simple phases, and there's a firm ceiling on what you can be asked to pay out of pocket for covered drugs during the year.

Here's a plain-English walk through how Part D works in 2027, what the $2,400 cap really means, and where to go for help.

Phase 1: The deductible

The first phase is the deductible — the amount you pay yourself before your plan starts sharing the cost of your covered drugs.

No Part D plan can set a deductible higher than $615 in 2026 or $700 in 2027. Some plans set a lower deductible, and some drug tiers may not be subject to the deductible at all. The exact amount depends on the plan you're enrolled in.

Once you've paid the deductible (if your plan has one), you move into the next phase.

Phase 2: Initial coverage

In the initial coverage phase, you and your plan share the cost of your covered drugs. You usually pay a copay (a flat dollar amount) or coinsurance (a percentage) for each prescription, and your plan pays the rest.

What you pay in this phase counts toward your out-of-pocket total for the year. The manufacturer discount on certain brand-name drugs also counts, thanks to changes Congress made through the Inflation Reduction Act.

This phase continues until your out-of-pocket spending reaches the annual cap.

Phase 3: Catastrophic coverage — and the Part D cap

Here is the biggest change compared to a few years ago. In 2027, once your out-of-pocket spending on covered Part D drugs reaches $2,400 for the year, you enter the catastrophic phase — and you pay $0 for the rest of the calendar year for covered drugs.

That's it. No more coverage gap, no more surprise jump in cost mid-year. The old "donut hole" was eliminated in 2025, so the three-phase structure continues in 2027.

This cap is set by Medicare and applies to every Part D plan, whether it's a standalone drug plan or the drug coverage built into a Medicare Advantage plan.

Spreading payments across the year

If a $600 or $700 pharmacy bill in January would be hard on your budget, you can ask your Part D plan to enroll you in the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. This is a free program that lets you pay your drug costs in monthly amounts spread across the year, instead of all at once at the pharmacy counter.

It doesn't lower what you owe overall — it just smooths the timing. You can sign up before the plan year begins or during the year. Call your plan to start.

What this means locally

Attleboro is in Bristol County, where residents choose from a range of standalone Part D plans and Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage. Every one of those plans has to follow the same federal rules: the three-phase structure, a maximum deductible of $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027, and an out-of-pocket cap of $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. The 2027 plan lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

Plans still differ in premiums, drug lists (formularies), pharmacy networks, and how they tier drugs. Two people in the same neighborhood can pay very different amounts depending on which drugs they take and which plan they choose. That's why comparing plans on the specific medications you take matters more than picking by name.

When you can make changes

Two enrollment windows to remember:

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7. Anyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Part D plan or a Medicare Advantage plan for the following year.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another one or return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).

A note on higher incomes: if your income is above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026 (based on your 2024 tax return), you'll pay an extra amount called IRMAA on top of your Part D premium. Social Security notifies you if this applies.