Medicare Advantage

Ramsey County drives Medicare plan totals in Maplewood

For 2027, Maplewood is looking at 27 Medicare Advantage plans: 8 new, 18 gone since 2026, and 9 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 3 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Ramsey County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. — If you live in Maplewood and you've started sorting through Medicare, you've probably noticed one thing right away: there is a lot on the table. That's true across most of the east metro. The number of plan choices you see depends on the county you live in, not the city, and Maplewood sits inside Ramsey County — one of the busier counties in the state for Medicare offerings.

Medicare choices near Maplewood: how the metro stacks up

This snapshot is meant to give you a plain look at what's available near home, using county-level counts from Medicare's public plan data. It is not a ranking, and it does not point to any one plan. It's just the lay of the land.

Ramsey County by the numbers

Maplewood is in Ramsey County, where 37 Medicare Advantage plans are available for the current year. Six carriers offer Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage (often called MA-PD) in the area.

Stand-alone Part D drug plans — the kind you pair with Original Medicare — are counted separately by CMS: Minnesota has 11 stand-alone Part D plans for 2026, sold statewide. In practice, Minnesotans on Original Medicare have long had different pathways for drug coverage than folks in most other states, so if you're weighing Part D on its own, that's worth a conversation with your local SHIP counselor (details below).

For context, Ramsey County is home to about 85,596 residents age 65 and older, which helps explain why carriers pay close attention to this market.

What "plan availability" actually means

A common source of confusion: plan availability is set at the county level, not the city level. So two neighbors on opposite sides of a county line can see different menus. If you drive a few miles from Maplewood into Washington, Anoka, Dakota, or Hennepin County, the count of plans and the mix of carriers can shift.

That's why, when you use Medicare's Plan Finder at medicare.gov, the very first thing it asks for is your ZIP code. The tool then filters everything to the plans available where you actually live.

About Star Ratings in the area

Medicare rates Medicare Advantage and Part D contracts on a 1-to-5 scale each year. The ratings look at things like customer service, member complaints, and how well plans manage chronic conditions.

Under CMS's 2026 Star Ratings, 5 of the 10 Medicare Advantage contracts offering plans in Ramsey County are rated 4 stars or higher. Ratings can shift from year to year as CMS updates its measures, so a rating is a snapshot, not a permanent grade. It's one input among several — alongside your doctors, your prescriptions, and your budget — not a scorecard for choosing.

2027 rules worth knowing before you compare

Whether you stay with Original Medicare, add a Part D drug plan, or use a Medicare Advantage plan, a few program-wide rules for 2027 are worth keeping in mind:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your covered drug costs hit that limit, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D deductible: up to $615 in 2026 and up to $700 in 2027 (plans can set theirs lower).
• No more "donut hole." Since 2025, Part D has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. You can choose to spread your drug costs into monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. It's optional and free to opt into.
• IRMAA. Higher-income enrollees pay extra for Part B and Part D. In 2026, the surcharge starts above $109,000 for a single filer.
• Key dates. Annual Enrollment runs Oct. 15 – Dec. 7. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, the MA Open Enrollment Period runs Jan. 1 – March 31.

How to compare without getting overwhelmed

With 37 Medicare Advantage plans in Ramsey County, "just browse them all" isn't a great strategy. A few steps that tend to help:

1. Make a short list of what you use. Your prescriptions (name, dose, frequency), your doctors, and any hospitals or clinics you'd want to stay with. 2. Run your ZIP code through Plan Finder. medicare.gov's tool will show plans available in Maplewood and let you enter your drugs. 3. Look past the premium. A low monthly premium can go with a higher deductible or different pharmacy network. Total yearly cost matters more than any one number. 4. Ask about networks. Medicare Advantage plans use networks; Original Medicare does not. If you travel or spend part of the year elsewhere, that matters.