Medicare Part D 2027: Check Your Drug Plan Before Dec 7 or You're Stuck All Year

A calm, step-by-step walkthrough of Medicare's official Plan Finder (medicare.gov/plan-compare) so you can compare your 2027 drug coverage before Open Enrollment ends on December 7, 2026. Every number comes from Medicare.gov or CMS. We don't sell insurance. • What to gather first: your Annual Notice of Change, an exact drug list, your pharmacies, and your Medicare card • Plan Finder step by step: plan type, ZIP, exact drugs, up to 5 pharmacies, sort by lowest drug + premium cost • How to read tiers, prior authorization, step therapy, quantity limits and star ratings • 2027 Part D numbers from CMS: $2,400 out-of-pocket cap, $700 max deductible, $35 insulin, $0 recommended vaccines • The big mistake: joining a stand-alone drug plan generally drops you out of Medicare Advantage (with a few exceptions) • Extra Help (2026 limits), 1-800-MEDICARE, and free SHIP counseling CHAPTERS 0:00 The one number to check 0:58 Gather four things first 2:41 Plan type, ZIP and your drugs 4:10 Pharmacies and sorting the plans 5:40 Plan details: tiers and restrictions 7:03 The 2027 Part D numbers 8:36 Mistakes to avoid before you enroll 10:42 Extra Help and free help 12:24 Recap SOURCES • Medicare Plan Finder (official): https://www.medicare.gov/plan-compare/ • CMS CY2027 Rate Announcement, Table V-2 (Part D $2,400 cap, $700 deductible): https://www.cms.gov/files/document/2027-an... • Medicare & You 2027 handbook: https://www.medicare.gov/publications/1005... • Medicare.gov: Joining a plan (enrollment periods, 3 ways to join): https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-starte... • Medicare.gov: Choose how you get drug coverage (Advantage + drug plan rule): https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans... • Medicare.gov: Switch, drop, or rejoin drug coverage: https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans... • Medicare.gov: Drug plan rules (prior auth, step therapy, transition fill): https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans... • Medicare.gov: What pharmacies can I use?: https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans... • Medicare.gov: Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: https://www.medicare.gov/prescription-paym... • CMS fact sheet: What's the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan? (Sept 2026): https://www.medicare.gov/publications/1221... • Medicare.gov: Extra Help (2026 limits, 2027 costs): https://www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/help... • CMS MA & Part D Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance (CY2027): https://www.cms.gov/files/document/cy-2027... • CMS training guide: Adding drugs and pharmacies in Plan Finder: https://cmsnationaltrainingprogram.cms.gov... • Medicare.gov: Talk to someone (1-800-MEDICARE, SHIP): https://www.medicare.gov/talk-to-someone • SHIP: free local Medicare counseling: https://www.shiphelp.org/ • Compare plans: https://www.medicare.gov/plan-compare · 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) · Free SHIP counseling: https://www.shiphelp.org This video is general information only, not financial, legal or insurance advice. We don't sell insurance. Narration is AI-generated; photos are AI-generated illustrations, not real beneficiaries; on-screen documents are summary illustrations, not official forms. Script researched and fact-checked against the sources above. If we got something wrong, we'll pin a correction.