Medicare Advantage

Medicare in Philadelphia: 2027 coverage choices

People in Philadelphia can choose from 98 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 97 this year. Twelve of this year’s plans are gone, 13 are new to Philadelphia County, and 39 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 9 of them under a new name.

PHILADELPHIA — If you have Medicare in Philadelphia and feel like the mailbox flyers, TV ads, and phone calls never stop, there's a reason. For 2027, people on Medicare in Philadelphia County have a large menu of coverage choices to weigh — and the counts are worth knowing before you start comparing.

Here's a plain-English snapshot of what's on the table for 2027, plus where to get help sorting through it.

How many Medicare plans are available in Philadelphia for 2027

Philadelphia is in Philadelphia County, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lists 97 Medicare Advantage plans available for 2026. Those plans come from 14 different carriers offering Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD) in the county.

That's a lot of options for the roughly 232,000 Philadelphians age 65 and older. It also means most residents will need to spend some time comparing plans rather than picking the first one that comes in the mail.

A quick note on stand-alone Part D drug plans: those are sold by CMS region, not by county, so anyone with Original Medicare in Philadelphia still has access to stand-alone Part D plans through the Pennsylvania region. The county-level file simply doesn't attach a local count to them the way it does for Medicare Advantage.

Why the number of plans is so large

Medicare Advantage is offered by private insurance companies that contract with Medicare. In a big, densely populated county like Philadelphia, insurers tend to offer several versions of their plans — different networks, different drug coverage structures, different extras — which is why one carrier can account for many of the 97 options on the list.

More choice can be a good thing, but it can also be overwhelming. The key is to compare plans against your doctors, your prescriptions, and your budget — not against a general "best plan" list. There is no single best plan for everyone.

What "star ratings" mean when you're comparing

You'll see Medicare plans labeled with a Star Rating from 1 to 5. CMS uses those ratings to measure things like customer service, member complaints, and how well plans manage chronic conditions.

For 2027, CMS's public data shows no contracts serving the Philadelphia County area are rated 4 stars or higher based on the latest ratings file. Star Ratings can shift from year to year, and they're one input among many — network, drug coverage, and total out-of-pocket costs matter just as much for most people.

Key Medicare numbers to keep in mind for 2026 and 2027

Even though this article is about how many plans are out there — not the details inside any one plan — a few program-wide numbers apply to everyone with Medicare in 2026:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 ($2,400 in 2027). Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs hits that number, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027) (plans can set theirs lower).
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone. Since 2025, Part D has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: an optional program that lets you spread your drug costs into monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA surcharges for higher-income enrollees begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Important enrollment dates

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

Mark these on your calendar. Missing them usually means waiting a full year for the next chance.

How to narrow down 97 plans without losing your weekend

A few practical tips that Pennsylvania SHIP counselors and Medicare experts commonly suggest:

1. Start with your doctors and hospitals. Check which plans include them in-network. 2. List your prescriptions. Enter them into Medicare's Plan Finder to see how each plan covers them. 3. Look at total yearly cost, not just the monthly premium. A low premium can come with higher copays. 4. Re-check every year. Your plan's rules, drug list, and network can change from one year to the next — even if you like it today.