Best Medicare Plans and Companies for 2027

Source: CMS 2027 landscape data as reported by Becker’s, October 1, 2026, and company announcements. Wellmark, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi are also exiting Medicare Advantage for 2027.

Wellmark, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi are also exiting Medicare Advantage. Kaiser Permanente is in 9 states plus D.C., leaving 2 Nevada and 3 Washington counties and dropping its last 3 PPOs.

Medigap benefits are standardized by plan letter. Prices vary by insurer, age, ZIP code and tobacco use.

Because Medigap benefits are standardized, the “best” Medigap company is usually the one with a competitive price, a reasonable rate history and good service in your state.

The best Part D plan is the one with the lowest total yearly cost for your exact drugs and pharmacy, which only Medicare Plan Finder can tell you.

Medicare rates every Medicare Advantage and Part D plan from 1 to 5 stars each fall, based on things like preventive care, how well the plan manages chronic conditions, member complaints, customer service and drug pricing accuracy. The ratings are shown in Medicare Plan Finder.

If your plan will not be offered in your county for 2027, you should have received a non-renewal notice in early October. Your coverage does not stop right away: it continues through December 31, 2026, so you have time to choose.

Plans must send the Annual Notice of Change by September 30. It is the single most useful document you get each fall, because it tells you exactly how your plan changes on January 1.

Outside the fall and early-year windows, you generally need a Special Enrollment Period to change plans. Common reasons include:

Each Special Enrollment Period has its own time limit, so act as soon as the event happens.

Most Medicare Advantage plans require prior authorization for some services, such as certain surgeries, advanced imaging, skilled nursing stays and some drugs. Your doctor usually requests it, but ask whether a planned service needs approval so a denial does not surprise you.

If a request is denied, you or your doctor can appeal. Medicare rules set deadlines for plans to decide, with faster deadlines when waiting could seriously harm your health.

Every Medicare Advantage plan covers emergency care and urgent care anywhere in the U.S., in or out of network, and you do not need prior approval for an emergency. Routine care away from home is a different story: HMOs generally do not cover it, while PPOs cover out-of-network care at a higher cost.

If you spend months away from home each year, ask each plan how it handles care in your second location. It is one of the most common reasons people switch plans mid-year.

If your plan denies a service, a drug or payment for care, you have the right to appeal. The plan’s denial notice explains how. There are several levels of appeal, starting with the plan and moving to independent reviewers.

For problems that are not about coverage, such as customer service or wait times, you can file a grievance with the plan. You can also contact 1-800-MEDICARE or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program for help.

The Part B premium is the one big number not released with the plans. CMS normally announces it in November. The 2026 Medicare Trustees Report projects a 2027 standard premium of about $209.50 a month and a deductible of about $292, up from $202.90 and $283 in 2026. You keep paying it with Medicare Advantage.

If you miss the Annual Enrollment deadline, your current plan renews automatically for 2027, with the changes in your Annual Notice of Change. If you are in Medicare Advantage, you get one more chance from January 1 to March 31, 2027, to switch Medicare Advantage plans or return to Original Medicare and join a Part D plan.

Many Medicare Advantage plans may cover telehealth visits for some services, sometimes at a lower copay than an office visit. Telehealth is convenient for follow-ups and minor issues, but it does not replace confirming that your regular doctors are in network.

Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are Medicare Advantage plans built for specific groups. Benefits, networks and drug lists are designed around the members they serve, and many include care coordinators. For 2027, Special Needs Plans are one of the few areas where large insurers are adding plans, even as they cut PPOs.

If you turn 65 in 2027, your Initial Enrollment Period lasts seven months: the three months before your birthday month, your birthday month and the three months after. Signing up during the first three months means your coverage starts on the first day of your birthday month.

If your income and savings are limited, two programs can cut your Medicare costs sharply:

If you qualify for both Medicare and full Medicaid, you may also be able to join a Dual Special Needs Plan. See help for low-income Part D beneficiaries.

Sometimes a drug you take is not on a plan’s 2027 formulary, or it carries a rule like prior authorization. You still have options:

See steps to appeal a Medicare Part D denial.

A Medicare Supplement plan is built to cover the gaps in Original Medicare. These are the costs it can pick up:

Federal law sets exactly what each plan letter covers, so the same letter has the same benefits from every insurer in your state.

*Plans C and F can only be bought by people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. **Plans K and L have a yearly out-of-pocket limit that Medicare sets each year; after you reach it, the plan pays 100% of covered services for the rest of the year. ***Plan N pays all Part B coinsurance except copays of up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 for emergency room visits that do not lead to an inpatient admission. Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin standardize their plans differently.

Most people new to Medicare choose one of these three. Plan G covers every gap except the Part B deductible. Plan N trades a lower premium for copays of up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 for ER visits that do not lead to admission, and it does not cover Part B excess charges. High-Deductible Plan G has a $3,050 deductible for 2027, up from $2,950, then covers like Plan G. See Plan G vs Plan N.

The method depends on the insurer and the state. Ask how a policy is priced before you buy, not just what it costs today.

Federal law also gives you guaranteed issue rights in certain situations, generally within 63 days after other coverage ends:

For 2027, a standalone Part D plan has a maximum deductible of $700 and an out-of-pocket cap of $2,400. Buy one when you buy Medigap to avoid a lifelong late enrollment penalty.

Plans K and L pay a share of most costs instead of all of them: Plan K pays 50% and Plan L pays 75% of most cost sharing, after which you pay the rest. In exchange for lower premiums, both have a yearly out-of-pocket limit that Medicare sets each year. Once you reach it, the plan pays 100% of covered services for the rest of the year.

These plans can suit people who want catastrophic protection at a lower premium and can handle some costs along the way. Ask whether your insurer offers Plan K or L in your state.

Plans C and F are the only plans that cover the Part B deductible. Since January 1, 2020, they cannot be sold to people newly eligible for Medicare. If you were eligible for Medicare before that date, even if you did not enroll, you may still be able to buy Plan C or F, including a High-Deductible Plan F with the same $3,050 deductible for 2027.

For most people who can buy either, compare the yearly premium difference between Plan F and Plan G with the Part B deductible. If Plan F costs more than the deductible saves you, Plan G is the better value.

If you have Medicare before 65 because of a disability or end-stage renal disease, federal law does not require insurers to sell you a Medigap policy, but many states do. Prices for people under 65 can be much higher, and plan choices may be limited. When you turn 65, you get a new six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, when you can buy any plan sold in your state at the same prices as everyone else your age.

Inside the U.S., a Medigap plan follows you everywhere, because it works with any provider that accepts Medicare. Outside the U.S., Original Medicare generally pays nothing, but Plans C, D, F, G, M and N cover 80% of emergency care abroad after a $250 yearly deductible, up to a $50,000 lifetime limit.

Medigap benefits never change once you buy, but premiums can. Insurers file rate increases with state regulators, often once a year. Because the same plan letter covers the same benefits everywhere, switching to a lower-priced insurer can save money without changing your coverage.

The catch is underwriting. Outside your Medigap Open Enrollment Period or a guaranteed issue situation, most states let the new insurer ask health questions and decline you. Never cancel your current policy until the new one is approved and in force.

In most cases you never file a Medigap claim. Your doctor bills Medicare, Medicare pays its share, and the claim crosses over to your Medigap insurer automatically, which pays its share. You get a Medicare Summary Notice and an explanation of benefits showing what each paid.

Because Medigap plans sold today do not cover prescriptions, you should also have a Part D plan. It does not have to come from your Medigap company. Choose it by your drugs and pharmacy in Medicare Plan Finder, and review it every fall. If you delay drug coverage without other creditable coverage, the late penalty adds 1% of the national base beneficiary premium, $41.33 for 2027, for every month you went without.

Each Part D plan submits a bid to CMS. CMS uses the bids to set the national average monthly bid amount, $296.05 for 2027, and the base beneficiary premium, $41.33 for 2027. The base premium is used to calculate the late penalty and subsidies; your actual premium depends on your plan and region. Federal law limits base premium growth to 6% a year through 2029.

A basic plan covers at least Medicare’s standard benefit. An enhanced plan adds coverage, such as a lower deductible or lower copays, usually for a higher premium. For 2027, CMS says 88% of non-low-income beneficiaries can get a basic plan for $10.30 a month or less, and 93% can get an enhanced plan for less than $6.

You do not have to compare plans alone, and you should not have to pay for help. These are the free options:

Before any call, have your Medicare card, your list of drugs and doses, your doctors and your preferred pharmacies ready. It turns a long conversation into a short one.