A plain-English, step-by-step guide to creating your Medicare.gov account and comparing 2027 Part D drug plans in the Medicare Plan Finder. Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, 2026.
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2027 Part D plans are live in the Medicare Plan Finder now. You don’t need a Medicare.gov account to compare plans, but an account saves your drug list and shows your own Medicare information.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| October 1, 2026 | 2027 plans can be shopped and compared on Medicare.gov |
| On or around October 8, 2026 | 2027 plan Star Ratings appear on Medicare.gov |
| October 15, 2026 | Medicare Open Enrollment begins |
| December 7, 2026 | Open Enrollment ends. Your new plan must receive your request by this date. |
| January 1, 2027 | New 2027 coverage begins |
Key takeaway: If you’re happy with your current plan and it’s still offered in 2027, you don’t have to re-enroll. Plans change premiums, drug lists and pharmacy networks every year, so it pays to check. See every enrollment window in our Medicare Enrollment Periods guide.
Since March 2026, every new Medicare.gov account is created through one of three free, secure identity services: ID.me, CLEAR®, or Login.gov. Plan on 15 to 30 minutes and have these ready:
If you use one for Social Security, the IRS or the VA, use that same account. You don’t need to make another.
You can keep using it for now, or connect it to ID.me, CLEAR or Login.gov. Once you connect it, your old Medicare username and password stop working.
ID.me (at retail locations such as UPS stores) and Login.gov (at participating U.S. Post Offices) offer in-person identity checks. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE for help.
Follow these eight steps in order to set up your Medicare.gov account. You only verify your identity once.
Type www.medicare.gov into your browser’s address bar yourself. Don’t click links in unexpected emails or texts, and never pay anyone to set up your account. It’s free.
It’s in the upper-right corner of the Medicare.gov home page.
Pick ID.me, CLEAR®, or Login.gov. Already use one for Social Security, the IRS or the VA? Choose that one. Prefer a government-run service? Choose Login.gov. Need in-person help? Choose ID.me or Login.gov.
You’ll be taken to the service’s own website. Enter your email address, open the confirmation email they send, and create a strong password.
Choose how you want to receive a code each time you sign in, usually a text message, a phone call or an authentication app. Write down your choice.
Follow the prompts. You’ll typically photograph the front and back of your photo ID, enter your Social Security Number, and take a quick photo or video of yourself. Can’t finish online? Choose the in-person option (ID.me or Login.gov) and bring your ID and the code or QR code they give you.
When prompted, enter the information from your Medicare card exactly as printed, including your Medicare Number, so Medicare can match the account to you. Accept the terms to finish.
From your Medicare.gov account you can view coverage and claims, save a drug list for Plan Finder, and choose electronic Medicare Summary Notices and the electronic “Medicare & You” handbook under My account settings.
Next time: click Log in/Create Account and choose the same service you used today. Stuck creating your Medicare.gov account? Contact the service you chose (links are on Medicare’s log-in help page) or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, 24 hours a day.
A stand-alone Part D plan is for people with Original Medicare and a Medicare Supplement. Joining one generally ends your Medicare Advantage enrollment and returns you to Original Medicare, including the medical coverage you had through that plan.
A stand-alone Part D plan (PDP) is for people with Original Medicare, with or without a Medicare Supplement. Your results are only as accurate as the drug list you enter.
Over-the-counter drugs and vitamins aren’t covered by Part D, so you can leave them off.
Button names match the Medicare Plan Finder as of fall 2026. A desktop or laptop with Google Chrome is easiest; plan details are hard to read on a phone.
Go to www.medicare.gov/plan-compare, or click Find Plans Now on the Medicare.gov home page.
Click Log in to use your Medicare.gov account (your saved drugs and Extra Help status fill in automatically), or click Continue without logging in (nothing you enter will be saved).
Until December 31, Plan Finder can show both 2026 and 2027 plans. If you see a plan-year choice, pick 2027, and check the year again on the results page.
Click Continue. If your ZIP code covers more than one county, select your county.
Don’t choose Medicare Advantage or Medigap for this search. Click Find Plans.
Guest searches only. Select whether you get Extra Help, a Medicare Savings Program, or Medicaid. If you choose “I don’t get help” but actually qualify, the costs shown will be higher than you’d really pay.
This is what makes the comparison meaningful.
Start typing the drug name, click the correct drug in the drop-down list, then click Add Drug. Choose the exact dosage and form, package (if asked), quantity and frequency, then click Add to My Drug List. Repeat for every drug, then click Done Adding Drugs.
Pick the pharmacies you actually use, plus mail order to compare. Click Done.
The default sort is Lowest drug + premium cost: an estimate of 12 months of premiums plus your 2027 drug costs. That total matters more than the premium alone. You can also sort by lowest premium or deductible, and filter by insurance company or Star Rating.
Check each of these:
Click Add to compare on up to three plans. The compare screen doesn’t show the detailed drug-cost breakdown.
Logged-in drug lists save automatically. Guests should print or save the Plan Details pages as a PDF.
Enrollment for 2027 opens October 15. We’ll double-check your drug list, pharmacy pricing and plan rules with you first, at no cost: (888) 564-2326.
Need to change your drugs or pharmacies? Click Back to search results near the top of the plan list, make your edit, and click Update this Drug after each change.
The numbers that shape every 2027 drug plan, from CMS.
✓ 2027 Update: The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (from $2,100 in 2026). Once you reach it, you pay $0 for covered Part D drugs for the rest of 2027.
| Item | 2027 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum standard Part D deductible | $700 | $615 |
| Annual out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs | $2,400 | $2,100 |
| Stand-alone PDPs offered in Florida | 11 | |
| Lowest Florida PDP monthly premium | $5.30 |
After you meet your plan’s deductible (some plans charge less than $700, or none), you generally pay 25% of covered drug costs until your out-of-pocket costs reach $2,400. The deductible doesn’t apply to covered insulin or ACIP-recommended vaccines. The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs into monthly payments; a link appears on each plan’s Plan Details page.
No. Click “Continue without logging in” in the Medicare Plan Finder to compare every 2027 Part D plan in your ZIP code. An account saves your drug list and fills in your Extra Help status automatically.
These are the three services Medicare chose for account sign-in in March 2026, and all three are free for Medicare.gov. Medicare says they aren’t allowed to sell your data, and your health information stays with Medicare.
No. A state-issued photo ID or U.S. passport works, and ID.me and Login.gov both offer in-person identity checks if you can’t finish online.
For now, yes. Once you connect your existing account to ID.me, CLEAR or Login.gov, the old username and password stop working.
During Medicare Open Enrollment, October 15 through December 7, 2026. Your new plan starts January 1, 2027.
$2,400 out of pocket for covered Part D drugs, up from $2,100 in 2026. After that, you pay $0 for covered Part D drugs for the rest of the year.
Usually not without help. Joining a stand-alone Part D plan generally ends your Medicare Advantage enrollment. Call us before making that change.
We compare every 2027 Part D plan in your ZIP code with you, using your actual drugs and pharmacies, for clients across the Treasure Coast and Space Coast. Free, local, and completely unbiased.
Contact Us Today Call (888) 564-2326
Medicare’s own help line: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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This page is for general education and reflects information available as of October 2, 2026. NISONA is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.
Nisona serves the insurance needs of the Treasure and Space Coast.