Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026. Whatever you pick takes effect January 1, 2027.
You may not need to change anything. Doing nothing is a fine choice for plenty of people. But three things in Oregon are worth ten minutes: an average premium that went up, a county map with big gaps, and a Medigap birthday rule that gives some people a yearly chance to switch.
Oregon's average premium went up, and two drug numbers moved too
The national average Medicare Advantage premium is projected to fall. In Oregon it rose, from $25.15 to $26.30 a month.
CMS projects the national average Medicare Advantage premium will drop from $14.37 to $12.00 for 2027. Oregon went the other way. Its average rose from $25.15 in 2026 to $26.30 in 2027.
An average is not your price. Many plans charge more or less than it. But the premium is only part of what you pay, and two other numbers moved for 2027.
Medicare's standard Part D benefit, set by CMS
| What it is | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Highest deductible Medicare allows | $615 | $700 |
| Out-of-pocket cap, after which you pay $0 for covered drugs | $2,100 | $2,400 |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Set by CMS for the defined standard benefit. Many plans charge a lower deductible or none at all, and the cap includes whatever deductible you pay. Your Annual Notice of Change lists your own plan's figures.
The cap is the one to watch. Once your out-of-pocket drug costs reach it, you pay nothing more for covered drugs that year. With the cap at $2,400, someone who hits it each year pays $300 more in 2027 than in 2026. That is before any premium.
If your drug costs are modest, this will not touch you. If you take a specialty drug and reach the cap early in the year, it may be the biggest change you face.
Oregon has 95 Medicare Advantage plans. Bend has 4.
Plans are sold county by county. The Portland area has dozens. Deschutes County has 4, and 3 of them are open to anyone.
The statewide count is not what you can buy. Each plan is sold in certain counties only. Of the 95 plans in Oregon, 26 are Special Needs Plans. Those are open only to people who also have Medicaid, have a certain health condition, or live in a care facility. So most people choose from a smaller list.
Medicare Advantage plans by Oregon county, 2027
| County | All plans | Open to anyone |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 47 | 32 |
| Clackamas | 47 | 32 |
| Multnomah | 45 | 32 |
| Lane | 36 | 26 |
| Marion | 33 | 22 |
| Crook | 10 | 6 |
| Baker | 5 | 5 |
| Wallowa | 5 | 5 |
| Deschutes | 4 | 3 |
| Curry | 1 | 0 |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Counted from the CMS CY2027 Landscape file. Statewide: 95 plans, 69 open to anyone. CMS's Oregon fact sheet reports 100; this table counts the plans listed in the Landscape file. The difference between the two columns is Special Needs Plans, which have eligibility rules.
Look at the bottom of the table. Bend is one of Oregon's larger cities, and Deschutes County has 4 Medicare Advantage plans. Three are open to anyone. All four come from one company. A year ago the county had 6.
Washington County, west of Portland, has 47. That is more than ten times as many. Next door to Bend, Crook County has 10. If you live near a county line, check which county your home is in. That decides your list.
Other counties are thinner still. In Baker, Malheur, Morrow and Wallowa counties, every Medicare Advantage plan comes from a single company. In Curry County on the south coast, the only plan listed for 2027 is a Special Needs Plan.
A short list is not a problem if one plan on it covers your doctors and your drugs. If none does, Original Medicare with a supplement and a drug plan is the other path. Before you take it, read the next section. Oregon's Medigap rules help some people more than others.
Oregon's Medigap birthday rule: a yearly switch, if you already have Medigap
Open Enrollment does not cover Medigap. Oregon gives people who already have a Medigap policy a separate window each year, timed to their birthday.
October 15 to December 7 is for Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans. It is not the window for a Medicare Supplement, also called Medigap.
Oregon has its own Medigap rule, and it helps if you already have a policy. Each year around your birthday, you can move your coverage to another company, and your health cannot be used to turn you down.
Medigap plans are standardized. A Plan G pays the same benefits at every company that sells it. So this window is a price check. If your rate went up, it is worth comparing. If it did not, keeping what you have is fine. Here is how the state's rule works:
- The window is tied to your birthday. The window you can count on opens on your birthday and closes 30 days after it. Oregon also requires Medigap policies to include a provision that opens it 30 days earlier, so check your own policy or ask SHIBA, because many people get the longer window.
- You keep the same benefits or take fewer. You can choose the same plan letter or one with lesser benefits. For example, Plan G can move to Plan G at another company, or to Plan N.
- Your health cannot be held against you. The new company cannot turn you down, or charge you more, because of your health or past claims.
- Keep your current policy until the new one is issued. The state warns you may pay two premiums for one month so there is no gap.
Source: Oregon Administrative Rule 836-052-0143 and the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation's birthday rule fact sheet. The rule does not cover policies issued before 1990, and the state says self-funded employer group Medigap plans are not eligible.
Drug plans: 8 to choose from, down from 10
Oregon has 8 standalone drug plans for 2027. A federal program that held their premiums down ends after 2026.
CMS ran a temporary program called the Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration, and it ends after 2026. Nationally, the average standalone drug plan premium is projected to move from $35.09 to about $36. That sounds small, but averages hide what happens to single plans.
Standalone Part D drug plans in Oregon, 2027
| What CMS reports | Oregon |
|---|---|
| Standalone drug plans available | 8 |
| Share of standalone drug plan members who can get a lower premium than in 2026 | 56.54% |
| Share of standalone drug plan members who get Extra Help | 23.91% |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
From the CMS 2027 state fact sheet for Oregon.
Look at the middle row. A little over half of Oregonians in a standalone drug plan can find a lower premium than they pay now. Close to half cannot. So check the drug list first. Your savings may come from how your drugs are covered more than from the monthly price.
Oregon had 10 standalone drug plans for 2026 and has 8 for 2027. One company that sold one here does not offer one for 2027. If that was your plan, look for a letter about it, and pick a new drug plan by December 7 so your coverage starts January 1 with no gap.
What to do before December 7
Four steps, in this order. The first one is already in your mailbox.
Before you decide to stay, read what changed.
- Read your Annual Notice of Change. Your plan had to get it to you by September 30. It lists what changes for 2027: premium, copays, deductible and drug list. Of everything your plan mails you, this is the one to read.
- Check whether your drugs are still covered the same way. Drug lists change each year. A drug can move to a higher tier and cost you more, even if your premium went down.
- Check whether your doctors are still in network. Medicare Advantage networks are local, and they change. People often find out in January, when it is harder to fix.
- Compare total cost among the plans sold in your county. Premium plus deductible plus what your prescriptions cost. A $0 premium plan is not free if it puts your daily drug on a higher tier.