Medicare Advantage

Medicare in Hoffman Estates: Your 2026 Options at a Glance

Cook County has 58 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 17 plans are not coming back, 6 are new, and 21 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 9 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Hoffman Estates, not which plan to pick.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — If you're sorting through Medicare choices this fall, you're not alone. Hoffman Estates sits in Cook County, where 58 Medicare Advantage plans are available for 2027, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plan landscape data. That's a lot to sift through — so let's break down what those numbers mean and how to use them.

What the plan counts actually tell you

Medicare plan availability is set at the county level, not the city level. Hoffman Estates residents shop from the same menu as the rest of Cook County. For 2027, that menu includes:

• 58 Medicare Advantage plans offered across the county
• 11 carriers offering Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD)
• A large 65-and-over population — roughly 827,000 people — which is one reason so many carriers compete here

A big plan count is not the same as a good match. The right question isn't "how many plans exist?" but "which plan fits my doctors, my medications, and my budget?"

Stand-alone drug plans: a separate decision

CMS landscape data shows that Illinois has 12 stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans for 2026, sold statewide. Stand-alone Part D plans are sold by region rather than county by county, so the same statewide list is available to anyone in Cook County with Original Medicare. To see the current stand-alone Part D plans for your ZIP code, use the Plan Finder at medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE.

If you choose Original Medicare (Parts A and B), you'd typically add a stand-alone Part D plan for drug coverage. If you choose Medicare Advantage, drug coverage is usually built in (MA-PD).

What's new in 2027 you should know

A few program-level changes apply no matter which plan you pick:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your drug spending hits that ceiling, you pay nothing for covered Part D drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• No more "donut hole." The coverage gap was eliminated in 2025. Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: an optional program that lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs into monthly payments instead of paying all at once at the pharmacy.
• IRMAA: higher-income surcharges on Part B and Part D premiums begin above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

About Star Ratings in the area

CMS assigns Star Ratings (1 to 5) to Medicare Advantage and Part D contracts based on quality and member experience. Under CMS's 2026 Star Ratings, of the 34 Medicare Advantage contracts offering plans in Cook County, 27 have a 2026 Star Rating and 10 of those are rated 4 stars or higher — but ratings shift each year, and a contract can cover multiple plans across multiple states. Use Star Ratings as one input, not the only input, when you compare options on Plan Finder.

Key dates to circle

• Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): October 15 – December 7, 2026. This is when most people compare, switch, or join Medicare Advantage and Part D plans for 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: 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.

How to work through 58 options without burning out

A few practical steps:

1. Make a list of your prescriptions (name, dose, how often). 2. Write down your doctors and preferred hospitals. Networks vary a lot. 3. Go to medicare.gov/plan-compare, enter your ZIP code, and let the tool filter plans by your drugs and providers. 4. Talk to a neutral counselor. Illinois has a free State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — in Illinois, it's called SHIP through the Illinois Department on Aging. Counselors don't sell plans.