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State guide · North Carolina · 2027 plan year

Original Medicare vs Medicare Advantage in North Carolina

Medicare Advantage plans differ from county to county. Each guide below lists the 2027 plans on this site for one county, next to Original Medicare with Medigap: premiums, the yearly limit, star ratings, prior authorization, and the yearly cost.

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In most states, including North Carolina, you cannot count on getting Medigap later

You can buy any Medigap plan with no health questions in the 6 months that start when you are 65 or older and have Part B. After that, a Medigap company in North Carolina can ask about your health. It can say no, or it can charge you more. So if you join a Medicare Advantage plan now, you may not be able to get Medigap later.

One exception is the trial right. If you joined Medicare Advantage when you first got Medicare at 65, or you left a Medigap plan to try Medicare Advantage for the first time, you can switch back within 12 months. Then you can buy a Medigap plan with no health questions.

Read about Medigap rights on Medicare.gov

Counties with a guide in North Carolina

100 local guides. The number shows the 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in each guide.

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A higher drug plan premium is not, by itself, a reason to switch

With Original Medicare, you buy a separate drug plan. In North Carolina, 11 drug plans are for sale for 2027, from $5.30 to $239.20 a month. Half of them cost $130.20 a month or less.

  • Every 2027 drug plan limits what you pay for covered drugs to $2,400 a year. The drug coverage in Medicare Advantage plans has the same limit.
  • The premium is one part of your yearly cost. Each county guide adds premiums, medical costs, and drug costs, so you can see the whole year.
  • A Medicare Advantage plan can cost less in a light year. But you also take on its network and prior authorization rules, and you may not be able to get Medigap later.
  • If your income is limited, Extra Help can pay most of your drug plan premium and drug costs. Check Extra Help at SSA.gov

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Sources and method

Plan data comes from the CMS 2027 Plan Benefit Package and landscape files. The data is from 2026-10-10. Drug plan premiums come from the CMS 2027 landscape file for North Carolina.

These are estimates, not quotes, and they are for education only. Check every number with Medicare and with the plan before you choose. What you pay depends on your doctors and hospitals, your drugs and pharmacy, and the care you use. Plans can change their benefits, premiums, drug lists, and networks each year.

Pinnie is not an insurance agent or broker and does not sell Medicare plans. Pinnie is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. For all your options, visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048.

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