Medicare Advantage

Kent Medicare Shoppers: 2027 Plan Options

People in Kent can choose from 59 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 68 this year. 27 of this year’s plans are gone, 18 are new to King County, and 31 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 10 of them under a new name.

KENT, Wash. — If you live in Kent and you're sorting through Medicare choices for 2027, it helps to see how plan availability looks across the wider Puget Sound area. Medicare Advantage and Part D availability is set county by county, so where you live — and which neighboring counties you might compare against — shapes the menu in front of you.

A Snapshot of 2027 Medicare Choices Near Kent

Kent sits in King County, one of the largest Medicare markets in the state. Nearby counties like Pierce and Snohomish have their own separate plan lineups. That's why a friend across the county line may see different options than you do, even if you're only a few miles apart.

What "Plan Availability" Actually Means

When Medicare talks about how many plans are "available," it means the number of Medicare Advantage and Part D plans a private insurer has filed with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to sell in a specific county for the coming year. It doesn't tell you which one fits you — only what's on the shelf.

For 2027, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape files:

• King County (which includes Kent): 68 Medicare Advantage plans are available, offered by 10 carriers with MA-PD (Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage).
• Stand-alone Part D plans in the area: availability varies, and shoppers should check the Medicare Plan Finder for the current list serving their ZIP code.
• Population age 65+ in King County: roughly 320,899 residents — one of the largest senior populations on the West Coast.

Those numbers are area-level counts. They aren't a recommendation, and a bigger number of plans doesn't automatically mean a better fit — it just means more to sort through.

How Kent Compares With Nearby Counties

Kent is a useful example of how one metro can contain very different Medicare markets. Someone commuting from Kent to Tacoma is crossing into Pierce County, where the plan list is separate. Head north to Seattle or Bellevue and you're still in King County, so the availability is the same as Kent's.

If you have family in Snohomish County (Everett, Lynnwood) or Kitsap County (Bremerton), their plan choices are drawn from those counties' own landscape files. This is one of the most common surprises for Medicare shoppers: you can't "borrow" a neighbor's plan across county lines.

The takeaway for Kent readers: use your own ZIP code when you shop. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov filters availability automatically based on where you live.

Star Ratings, Briefly Explained

CMS rates Medicare Advantage and Part D contracts on a 1-to-5 star scale, based on things like customer service, member complaints, and how well the plan manages chronic conditions. Ratings are published each fall for the upcoming plan year.

Star Ratings can be one useful data point when comparing plans, but they're not the whole story — a highly rated plan may not include your doctor or your prescriptions. Ratings for the 2027 plan year are posted on medicare.gov alongside each plan.

2027 Program Changes Every Kent Reader Should Know

Regardless of which county you're in, several Medicare rules are the same nationwide for 2027:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your out-of-pocket drug spending hits that ceiling, you pay nothing more for covered Part D drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") is gone. Starting in 2025, Part D moved to three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: an optional program that lets you spread your Part D out-of-pocket costs across monthly payments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA surcharges (higher Part B and Part D premiums for higher-income beneficiaries) begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Key Dates to Circle

• Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): October 15 – December 7. This is when most people compare, switch, or join Medicare Advantage and Part D plans.
• 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 a different MA plan or return to Original Medicare.

Missing these windows usually means waiting a full year, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.