1604 1st Street South, Suite 260 · Willmar, MN 56201
Mon–Fri 9:00am–5:00pm · Walk-ins welcome
Talk to a licensed agent
Health Insurance Services · Willmar, MN · Fall 2026
Educational article
Big Changes Are Coming This Fall — Is Your Coverage Ready for 2027?
Every year brings updates to Medicare and health insurance. This year, several changes are significant enough that everyone in Willmar and west central Minnesota should review their coverage before Open Enrollment closes.
What follows is split by who you are: what changes if you’re on Medicare, and what changes if you buy your own coverage under 65 — plus the dates that matter and a short list of what to do before December 7.
Everyone · New coverage effective
January 1, 2027
Key dates
Mark Your Calendar
These are the dates that matter between now and January. Miss the window and you are usually stuck with your current plan for another year.
Medicare · ANOC letters arrive
By September 30, 2026
Medicare · Minnesota Medigap rule takes effect
August 1, 2026
Medicare · Open Enrollment (AEP)
October 15 – December 7, 2026
Under 65 · MNsure Open Enrollment
November 1, 2026 – January 15, 2027
If you're on Medicare
What's changing for 2027
Read this first
Some Medicare Advantage plans are leaving Minnesota counties
Yours may be one of them. Carriers are cutting back where they offer Medicare Advantage next year, and in some Minnesota counties plans are going away altogether. If yours is one of them, it won’t simply roll over on January 1 — you would need to choose new coverage. Plan details for 2027 aren’t public until October 1, so watch your mail this fall and call us.
Part D, by the numbers
Out-of-pocket cap $2,100 → $2,400
Standard deductible $615 → $700
After you hit the cap $0
Once you hit the cap, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
A new Part D subsidy is ending
A temporary federal program that helped keep stand-alone Part D premiums stable is winding down for 2027, which may affect premiums for people on stand-alone drug plans (not bundled Medicare Advantage plans).
Networks and drug lists are shifting too
Even a plan that stays can change around you. Your network or your covered drug list could look different in 2027 even if nothing changed on your end — so it’s worth checking what your plan actually looks like next year, not just whether it’s still offered.
New in Minnesota: a one-time Medigap window at 65–70
From August 1, 2026, Minnesotans aged 65 to 70 can buy or switch a Medicare Supplement plan during Medicare’s annual enrollment window without medical underwriting — once, at some point in that age range. There is a trade-off: plans may add a premium loading, 15% for a 2026 enrollment and rising in later years, that stays with the policy. Worth talking through before you use it.
If you're under 65
What's changing for marketplace coverage
Enrollment window
Nov 1 – Jan 15
Two deadlines inside it: enroll by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1, or by January 15 for coverage that starts February 1.
Help with premiums is tightening
The enhanced pandemic-era credits expired at the end of 2025, and the 400% income cap came back for 2026 — so some households that got help through 2025 no longer qualify at all. Worth checking what you would actually pay before the window closes.
Premiums have already risen
Many households have seen sharp increases as those federal subsidies wind down. If your premium jumped, comparing plans is the only way to know whether it’s the market or the plan.
Your next steps
What to do before December 7
Read your ANOC
Read it the moment it arrives — don’t assume “no news is good news.” It lists exactly what’s different about your plan for 2027.
Check your doctors and pharmacies
Confirm they are still in-network for 2027.
Review your prescription list
Check it against your plan’s updated drug formulary.
Compare at least one alternative plan
Even loyal, happy members are often surprised. Talk to a licensed agent before December 7 — waiting until the deadline limits your options.