Medicare Advantage

Counting Medicare plans in Salem, NH for 2027

SALEM, N.H. — If you're sorting through Medicare choices in Salem this fall, here's the short version: you have real options, but the shape of the local market matters. For 2026, Rockingham County residents can pick from 16 Medicare Advantage plans offered by a handful of carriers; the 2027 lineup is spelled out in each plan's Annual Notice of Change and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. Stand-alone drug coverage here is also laid out differently than in many other parts of the country.

This article sticks to counts, not comparisons. We'll walk through what was available in the area for 2026, what's changing in the Medicare program itself for 2027, and where to get personal help before the December 7 deadline.

What's on the table in Rockingham County

Salem sits in Rockingham County, where Medicare plan availability is set. For 2026, the county's numbers looked like this (the 2027 lineup is in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder):

• 16 Medicare Advantage plans available to residents.
• 4 carriers offering Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage (MA-PD).
• 0 stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans listed in the county landscape data.
• 0 contracts in the local landscape rated 4 stars or higher.

Those figures come from the CMS 2026 Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape data. The 2027 landscape is reflected in each plan's ANOC and on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder. A few things worth pointing out:

The Advantage market here is moderate in size — 16 plans is enough to compare features side-by-side without being overwhelming, but it's not one of the largest markets in the country. Four carriers is a compact field, so if you already have a doctor or hospital you want to keep, provider networks are worth checking early.

The star rating figure deserves context, not alarm. CMS rates Medicare contracts on a 1-to-5 scale for things like customer service and care quality. Ratings can shift year to year, and a contract without a 4-star mark isn't necessarily a poor plan — it just means, for 2026, no local contract cleared that bar in the landscape data. Use ratings as one input, not the whole picture.

What about a stand-alone drug plan?

If you stay with Original Medicare (Parts A and B) and want prescription coverage, you'd normally add a stand-alone Part D plan. The county landscape file for 2026 showed 0 stand-alone Part D plans specific to Rockingham County — but Part D is sold at the region level, not the county level. New Hampshire is part of a multi-state Part D region, and stand-alone drug plans are available to Salem residents through that regional footprint. The 2027 lineup is on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.

Translation: don't panic. If you want Original Medicare plus a drug plan, use the Plan Finder at medicare.gov and enter your ZIP code. It will show you the stand-alone Part D plans you can actually enroll in.

Salem's 65-and-older community is large

Roughly 65,026 people age 65 and older live in Rockingham County. That's a sizable Medicare-eligible population, which is one reason multiple carriers compete here. A larger eligible population usually means more attention from insurers — and more calls, mailers, and TV ads this time of year. Take your time; the enrollment window is designed to let you compare, not rush.

What's changing in Medicare itself for 2027

Regardless of which plan you end up in, a few program-wide rules take effect for 2027:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs hits that number, you pay nothing for covered prescriptions the rest of the year.
• Part D deductible maximum: $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. Plans can charge less, but not more.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone. Since 2025, Part D has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. This optional program lets you spread your drug costs into monthly payments across the year instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA. Higher-income beneficiaries pay surcharges on Part B and Part D premiums. For 2026, the surcharge begins above $109,000 in income for single filers (higher for joint filers).

Key dates to circle

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7, 2026. This is when most people compare and switch plans for 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you get one chance during this window to switch to a different Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.