Medicare Advantage

How Mansfield's three counties shape Medicare choices

Tarrant County has 83 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 28 plans are not coming back, 22 are new, and 32 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 10 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Mansfield, not which plan to pick.

MANSFIELD, Texas — If you live in Mansfield and you're sorting through Medicare choices for 2027, it helps to see how the landscape looks across the wider Dallas–Fort Worth metro. Mansfield straddles Tarrant, Johnson, and Ellis counties, and because Medicare plan availability is set county by county, where you live on the map can shape what shows up on your screen when you shop.

Here's a plain-language snapshot of what nearby areas look like, along with the program-level rules that apply no matter which county you call home.

Why Your County Matters More Than Your City

Medicare Advantage and Part D plan availability is drawn along county lines, not city lines. Two neighbors on opposite sides of a Mansfield street can technically have different plan menus if a county line runs between them.

Most of Mansfield sits in Tarrant County, with portions in Johnson and Ellis counties. When you use the Plan Finder tool at medicare.gov, it will ask for your ZIP code and then confirm your county — that's the step that decides which plans you'll see.

A Look at Tarrant County's Availability

According to CMS Medicare Plan Finder data for the area, Mansfield is in Tarrant County, where 73 Medicare Advantage plans are available for 2027, offered by 12 carriers providing Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD).

A few things worth knowing about that number:

• It counts every plan variation available in the county, including special needs plans (SNPs) that only accept people who qualify — for example, those with both Medicare and Medicaid, or with certain chronic conditions. You may not personally qualify for every plan in the count.
• Stand-alone Part D drug plans are counted separately from Medicare Advantage.
• More options is not automatically better. What matters is whether a plan fits your doctors, your prescriptions, and your budget.

Tarrant County is home to roughly 266,889 residents age 65 and older, one of the larger senior populations in Texas — which is part of why carriers offer so many plan variations here.

How Nearby Counties Compare

If you have family in Johnson County (Cleburne, Burleson), Ellis County (Waxahachie, Midlothian), or Dallas County just east of Mansfield, their plan menus will look different from yours — sometimes very different. A plan sold in Tarrant may not be sold one county over, and vice versa.

This is the single most common source of confusion we hear from readers who move, snowbird, or help an aging parent. If you cross a county line, re-check availability. Don't assume.

What's the Same Everywhere in 2027

While plan menus vary by county, the underlying Medicare rules do not. For 2027, keep these program-level facts in mind:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your covered drug costs hit that amount, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. Some plans set a lower deductible; none can set a higher one.
• No more donut hole. As of 2025, Part D has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. You can ask to spread your drug costs into monthly payments across the year instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA. Higher-income enrollees pay a surcharge on Part B and Part D premiums, starting above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.
• Enrollment windows. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 – March 31.

A Simple Way to Decide

With dozens of plans on the table in Tarrant County, most people don't need to compare all of them. A shorter path:

1. Start with your doctors and hospitals. Which plans include them in-network? 2. Add your prescriptions. Enter every drug into the Plan Finder — this is where costs really separate. 3. Look at total yearly cost, not just the premium. Deductibles, copays, and out-of-pocket maximums matter more. 4. Check extras that you'll actually use — dental, vision, hearing, transportation, over-the-counter allowances. 5. Ask about Star Ratings. CMS rates plans 1 to 5 stars on quality and service. Ratings can help you compare, but they're one input, not a verdict.