Medicare Supplement

Medicare Help in Los Angeles: Where to Turn in 2026

LOS ANGELES — With about 1,487,700 residents age 65 or older, Los Angeles is home to one of the largest Medicare populations in the country. It's also a market with a lot of moving parts. Los Angeles is in Los Angeles County, where 121 Medicare Advantage plans are offered by 19 different carriers, according to CMS Medicare Plan Finder data for the area.

Los Angeles Has Plenty of Medicare Choices — and Plenty of Questions

That's a lot to sort through. The good news? You don't have to figure it out alone, and you don't have to pay anyone to help you.

Start With SHIP: Free, Unbiased Local Help

California's State Health Insurance Assistance Program is called HICAP — the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program. HICAP counselors are trained, state-certified volunteers who do not sell insurance and do not earn commissions. Their only job is to answer your Medicare questions.

In Los Angeles, HICAP can help you:

• Understand what Parts A, B, C, and D actually cover
• Compare plan options side by side on Medicare.gov
• Review a plan's drug list to see if your prescriptions are included
• Look into Medicare Savings Programs or Extra Help if money is tight
• Sort out a billing problem or a denied claim

You can reach California HICAP at 1-800-434-0222, or find your nearest office at aging.ca.gov.

When a Licensed Agent or Broker Makes Sense

Licensed agents are another option, and many people in Los Angeles use them. An agent can walk you through specific plans, handle the paperwork, and stay in touch year after year.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Agents are paid by the insurance companies whose plans they sell.
• Some agents only represent a handful of carriers, so they can only show you those plans.
• An independent broker who works with multiple carriers may give you a wider view — but it's still worth asking which carriers they're contracted with.

Neither option is "better." SHIP/HICAP gives you neutral education. A licensed agent handles enrollment. Some people talk to both.

Know the Deadlines That Matter

Mark these on your calendar:

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7. This is when anyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for the coming year.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare.

Missing these windows usually means waiting a full year, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

What's Changing for 2026

A few program-level facts worth knowing before you shop:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026. Once your drug spending hits that ceiling, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D deductible: the maximum a plan can charge is $615.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: you can ask to spread your yearly drug costs into predictable monthly payments instead of paying large amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA: higher-income beneficiaries pay an extra amount for Parts B and D. For a single filer in 2026, the surcharge starts above $109,000 in income.

One local note: California has 12 stand-alone Part D plans for 2026, sold statewide, so anyone in Los Angeles County with Original Medicare can join one of them. If you're staying on Original Medicare and want drug coverage, this is a good question to bring to HICAP or a licensed agent.

A Quick Word on Star Ratings

CMS gives Medicare Advantage and Part D contracts a rating from 1 to 5 stars each year. Stars measure things like customer service, member complaints, and how well the plan manages chronic conditions. In Los Angeles County, under CMS's 2026 Star Ratings, 11 of the Medicare Advantage contracts offering plans there are rated 4 stars or higher. Ratings can change year to year, so treat them as one data point — not the whole story.