Medicare Advantage 2027 and GLP-1s: October 15 to December 7

You pick a 2027 Medicare Advantage or Part D plan between October 15 and December 7, 2026, and it starts January 1, 2027. Plans can change their drug lists every year, so check each 2027 plan's list for your drug, the use it covers, its tier and any prior authorization before you switch.

The 2027 windows

• Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026. Changes you make start January 1, 2027, and the plan must get your request by December 7. Source: Medicare.gov, Open Enrollment, read October 27, 2026.
• In that window you can join, drop or switch a Medicare Advantage plan, with or without drug coverage, or switch from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage. Source: Medicare.gov, joining a plan, read October 27, 2026.
• If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 to March 31, lets you make one more change. Source: Medicare.gov, joining a plan, read October 27, 2026.

Checking a plan's 2027 drug list

Medicare Plan Finder on medicare.gov shows each plan's 2027 drug list. Search it for the drug you take and read the row: the tier sets the copay, and a note on prior authorization or a quantity limit tells you what your doctor has to file. A plan that lists a GLP-1 for type 2 diabetes may not cover it for weight loss.

The yearly cap on Part D out-of-pocket drug costs is $2,400 in 2027, from the CMS 2027 Rate Announcement. It applies to drugs your plan covers.

The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge stays through 2027

CMS runs the GLP-1 Bridge from July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027 for eligible people with Medicare Part D coverage, at a $50 copay. It does not depend on which plan you pick for 2027.

• The Bridge runs outside the Part D benefit. Part D plans do not have to opt in, the Part D deductible does not apply, and the copay does not count toward your out-of-pocket total. Source: CMS, Medicare GLP-1 Bridge (page modified July 13, 2026), read October 27, 2026.

Who qualifies and which drugs it covers are on our Medicare Bridge page, read from CMS on October 27, 2026.

If neither covers it

Cash is outside Medicare and does not count toward the Part D cap. What Medicare GLP-1s cost, or all three 2027 windows.