Medicare Advantage

New Orleans Medicare 2027: Dates, Deadlines & Plans

Orleans Parish has 67 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 10 plans are not coming back, 12 are new, and 28 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 11 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for New Orleans, not which plan to pick.

The New Orleans Medicare landscape for 2027, by the numbers — enrollment dates, plan counts, and Part D changes.

NEW ORLEANS — If you have Medicare in the Crescent City, this fall is a time to watch the calendar as closely as the plan choices. New Orleans sits in Orleans Parish, where 56 Medicare Advantage plans are available for 2027, offered by 9 carriers. That's a lot of paperwork to sort through — and the windows for making a change are shorter than most people think.

This guide focuses on the timing side of the picture: which enrollment periods apply to you, what happens if you miss one, and how the dates fit together.

The two windows every New Orleans reader should know

There are two main chances to change Medicare coverage each year, and they do different things.

Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026. This is the big one. During AEP you can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan, and you can join, switch, or drop a Part D drug plan. Whatever you choose takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP): Jan. 1 – March 31. This one is narrower. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1, you get one chance during this window to switch to a different Advantage plan or go back to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan if you need one). If you're on Original Medicare on Jan. 1, this window does not apply to you.

What happens if you miss Dec. 7

Missing AEP is the mistake we hear about most. If Dec. 7 passes and you didn't act, your current coverage generally rolls into 2027 as your plan renews it — which may or may not match what you actually need next year. Check your plan's Annual Notice of Change for what's different.

A few things can still help after Dec. 7:

• If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan, the MA OEP (Jan. 1 – March 31) gives you one more move.
• If you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period — for example, you move, lose other coverage, or qualify for Extra Help with drug costs — you can make a change outside the normal windows.
• If you never signed up for Part D when you were first eligible and don't have other creditable drug coverage, a late enrollment penalty can be added to your premium for as long as you have Part D. That penalty grows the longer you wait, so don't sit on it.

First-time enrollees: your own clock

If you're turning 65 soon or newly qualifying for Medicare, AEP is not your starting line. Your Initial Enrollment Period is a 7-month window around your 65th birthday month — three months before, your birthday month, and three months after. Signing up during this window helps you avoid Part B and Part D late penalties down the road.

After that, you can use AEP each fall like everyone else.

How the local numbers shape the timing

The Orleans Parish figures matter because they tell you how much comparison shopping is realistic before Dec. 7. Fifty-six Medicare Advantage plans across 9 carriers is still a wide field, with 12 new plans, 10 not returning, and 11 renamed compared with 2026; 17 continuing plans have changes in their terms. Reviewing that many options — checking whether your doctors, hospitals and prescriptions are covered — takes more than an afternoon. Starting in mid-October, not late November, is a kinder pace.

If you rely on Original Medicare plus a separate drug plan, Louisiana has 8 stand-alone Part D plans for 2027, sold statewide, and a SHIP counselor (details below) can walk you through what's actually available in your ZIP code on Medicare's Plan Finder. A SHIP counselor (details below) can walk you through what's actually available in your ZIP code on Medicare's Plan Finder.

Program-level changes to factor in for 2027

Two Part D changes are already set for 2027, and they may affect how urgently you want to review drug coverage during AEP:

• The out-of-pocket cap for Part D drugs is $2,400 in 2027. Once you hit that, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $700 in 2027.
• The old coverage gap (the "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly amounts instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. You have to opt in.
• IRMAA — the income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D premiums — starts above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

A word on Star Ratings

You'll see Medicare's Star Ratings (1 to 5 stars) attached to Advantage and Part D contracts. They're a quality signal from CMS, not a recommendation. Ratings are useful context when you compare, but they shouldn't be the only factor — network, drug list, and total costs matter too.

Where to get personal help

Because Medicare choices depend on your doctors, prescriptions, and budget, get help from a source that has no plan to sell:

• Medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder lets you enter your drugs and ZIP code.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7.
• Louisiana SHIIP (State Health Insurance Information Program), Louisiana's free Medicare counseling service, at 1-800-259-5300.