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Medicare Advantage

Average Medicare Beneficiary Has 28 Medicare Advantage Drug Plan Choices for 2027, Down From 32 Last Year

A KFF analysis of the 2027 plan landscape finds the typical enrollee has fewer Medicare Advantage options than in any recent year, with Alaska offering none at all and nine states providing fewer than 10 choices.

By the Goodsurance editorial teamOctober 2, 2026

A KFF analysis published October 1, 2026, finds that the average Medicare beneficiary will have 28 Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans to choose from in 2027, down from 32 in 2026. The analysis is based on the complete set of plans available as the annual open enrollment period opens October 15.

Plan availability varies widely by location. In 26 states and Puerto Rico, the average beneficiary has at least 20 options. Three states, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio, offer average beneficiaries at least 40 plans to compare. At the other end of the range, nine states and Washington D.C. have an average of fewer than 10 options, and Alaska will have no Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans available at all in 2027.

The average Medicare beneficiary has 28 Medicare Advantage drug plan choices for 2027, down from 32. Alaska will have none.

The per-beneficiary decline reflects a broader contraction in the market. Several large insurers reduced their county or state footprints for 2027, a pattern KFF and other analysts tracked through the summer and fall. The count of standalone Part D prescription drug plans is also falling, from 11 options on average in 2026 to 9 in 2027.

KFF notes that while the national plan count remains in the thousands, local conditions can differ substantially from national averages. Medicare open enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, 2026. Beneficiaries can compare plan options, premiums, and drug formularies at Medicare.gov.

In plain words

In 2027, the average person with Medicare will have 28 Medicare Advantage drug plan options to pick from. That is four fewer than in 2026. If you live in Pennsylvania, Michigan, or Ohio, you may have 40 or more options. In Alaska, there will be no Medicare Advantage drug plans at all. Nine states and Washington D.C. will have fewer than 10 options on average. There are also fewer standalone drug plans this year. You can compare all your options at Medicare.gov during open enrollment, October 15 to December 7.

Understand the basics first

Source: KFF
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