Medicare Advantage plan choices are shrinking modestly, with the number of MA prescription drug plan options for an average beneficiary dropping for the third year in a row, according to an Oct. 1 KFF analysis of CMS data.
The average beneficiary has 28 MA-PD plan choices available for general enrollment in 2027, down from 32 in 2026, 34 in 2025 and 36 in 2024. The number of options has been steady for beneficiaries seeking MA plans without Part D coverage, holding at seven choices in both 2027 and 2026.
Counting MA plans with and without drug coverage, though, the average beneficiary has access to 35 possible plans in 2027, versus 39 in 2026, 42 in 2025 and 43 in 2024. However, the 2027 figure is still higher than the number of options each year before 2022.
Another KFF analysis from Oct. 2 found the number of Medicare Part D standalone drug plans available to the average Medicare beneficiary is dropping for the fourth consecutive year, from 11 in 2026 to nine in 2027. Enrollees in six of the eight standalone plans that will still be available nationwide in 2027 will see premium reductions in some states. However, enrollees in other states will see premiums climb if they stay in those plans.
CMS is discontinuing the Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration at the end of 2026. Like CMS, KFF noted this did not elevate premiums substantially overall. Still, KFF said this could have affected premium levels, including the loss of zero-premium plans for enrollees without low-income subsidies.
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