Medicare Advantage

Albuquerque Medicare Advantage: 2027 plan/carrier counts

People in Albuquerque can choose from 36 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 51 this year. 24 of this year’s plans are gone, 9 are new to Bernalillo County, and 22 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 9 of them under a new name.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — If you're turning 65 soon, or just rethinking your coverage this fall, here's the short version: you have Medicare options to sort through in the Duke City. Albuquerque is in Bernalillo County, where 27 Medicare Advantage plans are available for 2027, offered by 6 different carriers.

That's still a substantial menu — and it can feel overwhelming. This guide walks through what those numbers mean, what's new about Medicare in 2027, and where to get free, unbiased help.

What "51 plans" really means

Medicare plan availability is set at the county level, not the city level. So while we talk about "Albuquerque Medicare plans," the official count comes from Bernalillo County. For 2027, that's 27 Medicare Advantage plans (the all-in-one plans that bundle hospital, medical, and usually drug coverage) from 6 carriers. Compared with 2026, 24 plans are not returning, 9 are new, and 9 have been renamed; 13 continuing plans change something in their terms, spelled out in each plan's ANOC.

A few things to keep in mind when you look at that number:

• Not every plan works for every ZIP code within the county.
• Some plans are HMOs, some are PPOs, and some are Special Needs Plans (SNPs) built for people with specific conditions or dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility.
• The count changes a little every year as carriers add, drop, or reshape their offerings.

With about 123,220 people age 65 and older living in Bernalillo County, there's real demand — and real competition — for your business.

What about stand-alone drug plans?

Here's how stand-alone Part D works in New Mexico: CMS sells PDPs by region rather than county, and New Mexico has 10 stand-alone Part D plans for 2027, sold statewide, so anyone in Bernalillo County with Original Medicare can join one of them. That means you can get drug coverage either way. Many Albuquerque-area beneficiaries get their drug coverage folded into a Medicare Advantage plan (called MA-PD).

If you stick with Original Medicare (Parts A and B) and want drug coverage, you'll still shop for a stand-alone Part D plan on Medicare.gov. The Plan Finder tool will show you what's actually offered to your ZIP code — always check there before assuming.

Star Ratings in the local market

Medicare rates each contract on a 1-to-5 scale, called Star Ratings, based on things like customer service, member complaints, and how well the plan manages chronic conditions.

For 2027, under CMS's 2027 Star Ratings, 7 of the Medicare Advantage contracts offering plans in the area are rated 4 stars or higher. Star Ratings shifted broadly across the country this year, and many contracts landed in the 3 to 3.5 range. It does mean stars alone won't narrow your list much locally, so you'll want to compare plans on the fundamentals that matter to you: your doctors, your prescriptions, and your budget.

What's new for Medicare in 2027

A few program-wide changes are worth knowing before you compare plans:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400. Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs hits $2,400 in 2027, you pay nothing for the rest of the year on covered prescriptions. This cap applies to Part D coverage whether it's stand-alone or built into an Advantage plan.
• Part D deductible maximum: $700 in 2027. Plans can charge less, but not more.
• No more donut hole. The old coverage gap was eliminated in 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. This optional program lets you spread your drug costs into predictable monthly payments across the year instead of paying a big bill at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA thresholds. Higher-income beneficiaries pay an extra premium (IRMAA) on Parts B and D. For 2026, those surcharges start above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Key dates to circle

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7, 2026. This is when most people compare, switch, or join a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan and it isn't working out, you get one chance during this window to switch to a different MA plan or move back to Original Medicare.

If you miss AEP and don't qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, you're generally locked in until next fall.