Allsup Highlights Hidden Costs When Comparing Medicare During Open Enrollment
Prescription coverage, provider networks and out-of-pocket expenses help beneficiaries assess a plan’s value beyond monthly premiums
Belleville, Illinois, Oct. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Allsup, a nationwide provider of healthcare benefits coordination and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) representation services for employers and individuals, encourages people with Medicare to look beyond monthly premiums when they compare coverage for 2027. Average Medicare Advantage premiums are projected to drop next year, but a lower premium does not always mean lower total costs. Prescription coverage, access to preferred doctors and out-of-pocket expenses can make a bigger difference in whether a healthcare plan fits a person’s health needs and budget.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) projects the weighted average monthly premium across all Medicare Advantage plans will decrease from $14.37 in 2026 to $12 in 2027, a 16.5% decline. Premiums for stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans are projected to move the other way, rising from an average of $35.09 to $36 a month. National averages provide an indicator of costs, and individuals may pay more or less depending on plans available in their area. Deductibles, copayments, covered medications and provider networks all shape the real value of a plan.
Beneficiaries will not be short on choices. CMS reports that 97% of people with Medicare will have access to 10 or more Medicare Advantage plans in 2027. That range of options can work in a beneficiary’s favor, but only when plans are compared on the care and prescriptions each person actually uses.
“A lower premium can look like a win, until you’re paying more for your prescriptions or you find out your doctor isn’t in the network,” said Tricia Blazier, J.D., senior director of Healthcare Insurance Services at Allsup. “The right plan depends on the care you actually use. When employers give retirees and older workers someone to walk through those details with them, people can make a choice they feel confident about, well before their new coverage starts in January.”
Medicare Open Enrollment runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. Plan changes take effect Jan. 1, 2027, as long as the plan receives the enrollment request by Dec. 7.
Employers can help their retirees, post-65 active workers and other employee groups make plan comparisons through Allsup Benefits Coordination. Trained healthcare benefit specialists assess each person’s needs, including their doctors, prescriptions and budget. They review the Medicare coverage options available in the person’s area, determine eligibility and assist with enrollment in the plan of their choice, when possible. Allsup has helped more than 150,000 customers enroll in Medicare.
For employers, the service can reduce group health plan costs and the administrative impact of complicated insurance transitions, while giving employees personal guidance through each step.
For more information about healthcare benefits coordination for your employee population, including incorporating Medicare plan selection into your benefits programs and cost-savings opportunities, email allsuphealthcare@allsup.com or call (866) 521-7655.
Find more at AllsupLLC.com under “Health Insurance Benefits Coordination Services.”
ABOUT ALLSUP
Allsup and its subsidiaries provide nationwide Social Security disability, veterans disability appeal, disability financial solutions, return to work, and healthcare benefits services for individuals, their employers and insurance carriers. Allsup professionals deliver specialized services supporting people with disabilities and seniors so they may lead lives that are as financially secure and as healthy as possible. Founded in 1984, the company is based in Belleville, Illinois, near St. Louis. Learn more at Allsup.com.
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Rebecca Ray Allsup (618) 236-5065 r.ray@allsup.com Laura Sala Allsup (618) 409-7079 l.sala@allsup.com
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