North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey says Medicare plan price increases are expected for 2027, and some will be significant. People on Medicare have until Dec. 7 to make changes if they want new coverage to start Jan. 1 without a gap. The state’s free counseling program, called SHIIP, can walk people through the choices.
Causey made the case in an Oct. 14 release from the North Carolina Department of Insurance. Open Enrollment began Oct. 15 and runs eight weeks, so there is still time, but not much of it.
What the commissioner is warning about
Causey’s message is blunt. He said this is not the year to simply say “I’m happy with what I have” without exploring the alternatives, according to the department’s release. He pointed to expected increases, some of them large, as the reason to look again.
The release does not give a dollar figure for the increases, and it does not name any plan or insurer. What it does say is that even a person who is satisfied with a current Medicare Advantage or Part D drug plan may find another plan in the same area that covers their care or drugs at a lower price.
Who needs to act before Dec. 7
That advice reaches anyone in North Carolina with a Medicare Advantage plan, a stand-alone Part D drug plan, or both. Changes have to be made by Dec. 7 for coverage to begin Jan. 1, 2027, without interruption. A person who does nothing stays in the plan they have, at whatever price it carries next year. The department says the government’s 2027 Medicare handbook was mailed to beneficiaries in September, so many households already have it on the kitchen table. Reading it first can make a call to a counselor shorter.
For many households, the choice comes down to three numbers: the monthly premium, the drug costs at the pharmacy they use, and whether their doctors are in network. A plan that looks cheaper on the premium alone can cost more once those are counted.
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Medicare.gov confirms what can change in that window. From Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, people can join, drop or switch Medicare Advantage plans, add or drop drug coverage, switch drug plans if they have Original Medicare, or move between Original Medicare and an Advantage plan. The plan must receive the enrollment request by Dec. 7, and changes take effect Jan. 1.
What SHIIP counselors do
SHIIP stands for the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program, a division of the Department of Insurance. Its counselors give free, unbiased information on Medicare, Medicare prescription drug coverage, Medicare Advantage and long-term care insurance. They can also help work out whether someone qualifies for Medicare cost-savings programs, which can lower what a person pays.
The counselors are not licensed insurance agents. The department says they do not sell, endorse or oppose any product, plan or company, so the advice does not come with a commission attached. For specific plan questions, the release says to contact an insurance agent or the insurance company.
The department says the counseling may lead to a more affordable plan. That is the pitch Causey is making: a free conversation before Dec. 7 could cost nothing and save real money for the year ahead.
The department’s release lists several ways to compare 2027 plans. People can ask for one-on-one help at a local SHIIP office, or call the SHIIP line at 1-855-408-1212 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The program’s website is ncshiip.com. Plans can be compared on medicare.gov, and the 2027 Medicare handbook went out in the mail last month.
Medicare itself answers at 1-800-MEDICARE, or 1-800-633-4227, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Callers who use a TTY can dial 1-877-486-2048. A trusted licensed insurance agent is the other option the commissioner names.
Switching to Original Medicare takes a second step
Some people will look at the 2027 prices and consider leaving Medicare Advantage altogether. Medicare.gov says that is allowed during Open Enrollment, but it adds that they may then need a separate drug plan and may want a Medigap policy, which is the supplement that helps pay deductibles and coinsurance. Medicare.gov warns that there are limits on when that supplement can be added.
Those limits matter. The Medigap timing page says guaranteed rights to buy a policy apply when an Advantage plan leaves Medicare or no longer covers the area, and that outside a person’s Medigap Open Enrollment Period there is no federal guarantee a company will sell a policy. State rules can offer more.
The commissioner has not announced a plan-by-plan list of 2027 increases, and the department’s SHIIP news page shows no newer Medicare release than the Oct. 14 one. For now, the open question for each North Carolina household is whether the plan they have is still the cheapest one that covers their doctors and drugs.
Facing a higher Medicare bill in North Carolina?
The cost of skipping the review is a full year at a price set by the plan, with the next chance to change not coming until the following fall. A plan that costs more, drops a doctor or covers fewer drugs stays that way once Dec. 7 passes.
The Medicare Money Bundle puts eight Medicare guides in one 102-page download. The first, Open Enrollment in an Afternoon: Plan Finder in one sitting, and a keep-or-switch answer, is built for exactly this decision, and Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage covers the rights and state rules for people thinking of leaving an Advantage plan.
Get the eight-guide Medicare bundle for North Carolina’s Dec. 7 keep-or-switch decision →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
