How to Compare Medicare Advantage Plans for 2027

Start with the coverage you have

Write down your exact plan name, contract and plan ID, HMO or PPO designation, plan year, county, ZIP code, and date of review. Use the same year for every option. If comparing next year during fall enrollment, use your current plan’s next-year documents.

List your reason for reviewing: a provider concern, a medication change, unaffordable costs, or simply checking whether your coverage still fits. Then confirm your enrollment opportunity. Reviewing plans is different from being eligible to switch. Medicare explains enrollment periods; our 2027 MA OEP guide covers the January–March window.

Identify the needs each plan must meet

Doctors, hospitals, and travel

Check your primary doctor, specialists, preferred hospital, and other facilities at their exact locations. Ask both the office and plan about the specific product. “We accept Medicare” does not confirm participation in a particular MA network. Keep the source, date, and reference number.

HMOs generally require network care, with exceptions including emergencies, out-of-area urgent care, and temporary out-of-area dialysis; some HMO-POS plans allow certain outside services. Review HMO rules. PPOs generally allow covered out-of-network care at higher cost; confirm the provider will see you and ask the plan about coverage before planned care. Review PPO rules.

Prescriptions and your pharmacy

Use the exact drug, formulation, strength, quantity, and fill frequency. Check the formulary and pharmacy location, then compare like-for-like estimates in Medicare Plan Compare. Review prior authorization, step therapy, and quantity limits; a drug’s presence on the list does not mean there are no restrictions. Ask your prescriber and plan to resolve concerns before changing treatment. Medicare explains drug coverage rules.

Costs you expect and exposure you could face

Compare premiums and expected medical and drug cost sharing. Separately record the plan’s medical out-of-pocket limits, including the in-network and combined limits where applicable, and what counts toward them. These limits are not the same as a complete household budget: premiums, drug costs, and noncovered expenses need separate attention. Medicare’s MA guide explains the cost categories.

For 2027, the Part D out-of-pocket threshold is $2,400 for covered Part D drugs; the maximum drug deductible is $700. After reaching the threshold, covered Part D drugs have no out-of-pocket charge for the rest of the year. Premiums and noncovered drugs are not included in that protection. See Medicare’s drug-cost guidance.

Ongoing treatment and extra benefits

Ask about referrals, authorizations, scheduled procedures, equipment, and treatment already underway. Request the new plan’s transition instructions instead of assuming an existing approval transfers unchanged. For dental, vision, hearing, or other extras, check eligibility, participating providers, frequency limits, allowances, and your remaining share. Record the actual benefit you expect to use—not its advertised headline value.

Use the same three columns throughout

First record access and benefits, then separate cost estimates from limits, open questions, and your decision. Use Verified, Not checked, or Conflicting for coverage checks, with a source and date. Verified means checked at that time, not guaranteed forever.

Worked example: the lowest subtotal is not the whole answer

Fictional teaching example—not quotes or a savings prediction. Jordan compares the same assumed care over 12 months. Noncovered expenses are assumed to be $0 here only. Part B and any other premiums or surcharges are excluded from these subtotals.

B has the lowest subtotal, but Jordan’s hospital access under B is unresolved. The decision stays pending. Jordan asks the plan and hospital to clarify the exact product before choosing. The calculation informs the decision; it does not settle it.

These drug totals use simplified assumed annual amounts. Real spending can vary by fill and coverage stage. For a midyear change, compare the same remaining months and ask how accumulated spending will be treated rather than assuming a reset or transfer.

Resolve tradeoffs before enrolling

CMS Star Ratings summarize quality and performance across multiple measures at the contract level. Use the current rating alongside access, benefits, and costs. A higher rating does not establish that your doctor participates, your medication is covered, or your individual experience will be better. CMS describes the 2027 ratings and their measures.

Choose your next step

• Keep your current plan if it still meets your needs after checking the relevant year’s coverage.
• Investigate further if a must-have provider, drug, cost, or eligibility question remains unresolved.
• Prepare an enrollment request only after choosing an option and confirming the applicable window and effective date with Medicare or the plan.

If considering Original Medicare instead, verify Medigap eligibility before relying on a policy. Permission to leave MA does not guarantee Medigap acceptance. Medicare explains when you can buy Medigap.

For assistance, use Medicare’s joining-a-plan guidance, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program.

Plan-comparison questions

Sources checked November 5, 2026. Examples are illustrative; verify the exact plan, coverage year, and your circumstances before enrolling.