Medicare Part D

Bellevue Medicare 2027: 49 Plans in King County, WA

BELLEVUE, Wash. — If you're turning 65 soon or already on Medicare, this fall is a good time to look at what's available where you live. In Bellevue and the rest of King County, there are 49 Medicare Advantage plans offered for 2027, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Landscape files.

Bellevue Seniors Have Dozens of Medicare Choices for 2027

That's a lot of paperwork to sift through — but it also means most local residents have real choices. Bellevue is home to a growing 65-plus population, part of the roughly 320,899 older adults across King County.

How Medicare Coverage Works Here

Medicare plan availability is set at the county level, not the city. So while we're talking about Bellevue, the numbers you'll see apply across all of King County — from Seattle to Kent to Snoqualmie.

Here's the 2027 snapshot for the county:

• 49 Medicare Advantage plans available
• 11 carriers offering Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD)
• 10 stand-alone Part D drug plans offered statewide in Washington for 2026
• 6 contracts rated 4 stars or higher under CMS's 2026 Star Ratings

Star Ratings, by the way, are CMS's quality scores on a 1-to-5 scale. They're a tool for comparing plans — not a recommendation of any single one.

What's New in Medicare for 2027

Even if your plan stays the same, the rules around Medicare keep evolving. A few program-wide facts worth knowing as you look at 2027 coverage:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (it is $2,100 in 2026). Once you spend that much on covered prescriptions in the year, you're done paying out of pocket for the rest of that year.
• Part D deductible: up to $615 for 2026 and up to $700 for 2027. Plans can charge less, but not more.
• The old "donut hole" is gone. As of 2025, Part D moved to a simpler three-phase design.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. This optional program lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments instead of paying big bills at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA surcharges — the higher premiums for higher earners — kick in above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Key Dates to Circle

Two enrollment windows matter most:

• Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7. This is when anyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Changes made here start Jan. 1.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: Jan. 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one more chance to switch to a different one or return to Original Medicare.

Missing these windows usually means waiting a full year, so mark your calendar.

How to Sort Through 49 Options Without Losing Your Mind

Forty-nine plans still sounds like a lot, and honestly, it can be. A few tips:

1. Start with your doctors and your prescriptions. Any plan comparison should begin with whether your providers are in-network and your drugs are on the formulary. 2. Use the official Plan Finder at medicare.gov. It lets you enter your ZIP code and medications and see side-by-side comparisons. 3. Talk to a real person. Washington's State Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) — our version of the federal SHIP program — offers free, unbiased Medicare counseling. 4. Don't assume last year's plan is still your best fit. Plans change their formularies, networks, and costs every year. Read the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your carrier mailed you in September.