Medicare Advantage

Peoria Medicare 2027: Metro Plan Choices

PEORIA, Ill. — If you live in the Peoria area and are looking at your Medicare choices for 2027, one thing worth knowing early: the plans available to you depend on the county you live in, not just the city. That means a neighbor a few miles away — in Tazewell, Woodford, or another nearby county — may see a different lineup than you do.

Comparing Medicare Options Around the Peoria Metro for 2027

This guide walks through how plan availability works across the metro, what the numbers look like locally, and how to sort through your options during this fall's Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026).

Why Plan Availability Is a County-Level Thing

Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D drug plans are approved and offered by county. Insurers decide which counties they want to serve, so the plan menu can shift as you cross a county line — even inside the same metro area.

For Peoria residents, that means:

• Peoria is in Peoria County, where 36 Medicare Advantage plans were available for 2026, offered by 6 carriers with MA-PD (Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage). The 2027 lineup is spelled out in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.
• Neighboring counties like Tazewell (East Peoria, Pekin), Woodford (Metamora, Eureka), and Marshall may have a different number of plans, different carriers, and different provider networks.

If you're helping a parent or relative in one of those nearby counties, don't assume their choices match yours. Always check by ZIP code on Medicare's Plan Finder.

What the Peoria County Numbers Tell You

A few plain facts about Peoria County, from CMS's 2026 Landscape data:

• 36 Medicare Advantage plans are available.
• 6 carriers offer MA-PD plans in the county.
• Illinois has 12 stand-alone Part D plans for 2026, sold statewide — and many residents also get drug coverage bundled inside Medicare Advantage plans. (Stand-alone Part D plans are still offered on the national market to people who stay on Original Medicare; check Plan Finder for the current list serving your ZIP.)
• The county has roughly 32,813 residents age 65 and older, so there's real demand for clear, unbiased information.
• Star Ratings: under CMS's 2026 Star Ratings, 5 of the 16 rated contracts serving the area carried a 4-star-or-higher overall rating. Star Ratings measure things like customer service and care quality — they're one input, not the whole story, and CMS updates them each year.

We're not naming or ranking specific plans here. That's on purpose — the "right" plan depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, and your budget, not on a headline.

Program-Level Changes That Apply Everywhere in the Metro

No matter which Peoria-area county you live in, these program rules apply for 2027:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap. The cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your drug spending hits that amount, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D deductible maximum. The maximum is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. Plans can charge less, but not more.
• The old "donut hole" is gone (as of 2025). Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. This is an optional program that lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA surcharges — the higher premiums for higher-income enrollees — begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

How to Decide Between Your Local Options

Here's a simple way to work through the choices without getting overwhelmed:

1. Start with your doctors and hospitals. Ask which Medicare Advantage plans they accept for 2027, or decide whether you'd rather stay on Original Medicare (which is accepted by any provider who takes Medicare). 2. List your prescriptions. Then run them through Medicare's Plan Finder at medicare.gov. This is where most people find real differences between plans. 3. Think about travel. If you split time between counties or states, network rules matter more than the premium. 4. Check the enrollment windows. - Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026 (changes take effect Jan. 1, 2027). - Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027 (a second chance to switch MA plans or return to Original Medicare). 5. Get free, unbiased help. Illinois has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) with local counselors who don't sell anything.