Medicare & You Handbook: What It Covers, How to Get It
The official Medicare & You handbook explained: what is inside the 2027 edition, when it arrives, how to get it online, in large print or in other languages, and how to use it alongside the Colorado guides.
Medicare & You is the official Medicare handbook from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare mails an updated printed copy to every Medicare household in late September, so the edition arriving now covers 2027. You can also download it as a PDF from Medicare.gov at any time, switch to the electronic version through your Medicare account, or order it in large print, braille and other languages by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. It summarizes Medicare benefits, costs, your rights and protections, your health and drug plan options, and answers to common questions.
What is inside
- A summary of what Parts A, B, C and D cover.
- Your coverage choices: Original Medicare, Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage and Part D.
- Costs, including the premiums and deductibles for the year as published when it went to print.
- Enrollment periods and how to avoid late penalties.
- Your rights and protections, including appeals.
- Programs for people with limited income.
- Preventive services and screenings Medicare covers.
- Answers to frequently asked questions.
What is new in the 2027 edition
The Medicare & You 2027 handbook opens with a What is new and important page. In its own words and page references, the 2027 edition highlights:
- More ways to log in to your Medicare.gov account: ID.me, CLEAR (CLEARme.com) and Login.gov, free identity services meant to help prevent fraud (page 14).
- A new care model called ACCESS that some people may be eligible to join, described as technology-supported care that may lower overall costs (page 78), and access to certain GLP-1 drugs for weight loss for people who meet the requirements (page 92).
- A stepped-up fight against fraud, including AI tools, with a reminder to check your Medicare Summary Notices and guard your Medicare number (page 109).
- A change to eligibility: you must now meet certain citizenship, nationality or immigration status requirements to sign up for Medicare (page 9).
- Third-party health apps listed on Medicare.gov that connect to your Medicare information.
- The Rural Health Transformation Program, which supports states in improving rural care (page 52).
- Telehealth flexibilities extended through December 31, 2027 (page 53), and virtual options in the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (page 48).
A section map of the 2027 handbook
| Section | Starts on page | Read it when |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance: Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage | 11 | You are choosing your path at 65 |
| Get started with Medicare | 13 | You are about to enroll |
| Section 1: How Medicare works | 15 | You want the basics of Parts A, B, C and D |
| Section 2: Find out what Medicare covers | 27 | You need to know whether a service or screening is covered |
| Section 3: Original Medicare | 61 | You plan to keep Original Medicare |
| Section 4: Medicare Advantage Plans and other options | 65 | You are comparing plans for the coming year |
| Section 5: Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) | 79 | You are thinking about a supplement |
| Section 6: Medicare drug coverage (Part D) | 83 | You are choosing or reviewing a drug plan |
| Section 7: Get help paying your health and drug costs | 95 | Your income or savings are limited |
| Section 8: Your Medicare rights and protections | 101 | A claim or drug was denied |
| Section 9: Find helpful contacts | 111 | You need a phone number |
| Section 10: Definitions | 119 | A term is unclear |
Where the handbook stops and Colorado begins
The handbook is written for the whole country. These are the Colorado details to pair with each section:
| Handbook section | The Colorado detail | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Section 4: Medicare Advantage | Adams County has 36 standard plans from 10 organizations for 2027, Weld County 25 from 8 (CMS CY2027 Landscape) | Our Adams and Weld county pages and our plan types guide |
| Section 5: Medigap | No birthday rule; companies must sell to disabled beneficiaries under 65; a guaranteed issue right after losing Medicaid | Colorado Division of Insurance Medigap guide; our Colorado Medigap rules guide |
| Section 6: Part D | 8 standalone plans statewide for 2027, premiums $5.30 to $260.20 a month | Our Part D guide |
| Section 7: Help paying costs | Medicare Savings Programs are run by Health First Colorado (HCPF) through county human services | HCPF; our Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs guide |
| Section 9: Helpful contacts | Health First Colorado (1-800-221-3943) and your county Department of Human Services handle Medicaid and the Medicare Savings Programs | Our where to get Medicare help in Colorado guide |
How to get a copy
| Format | How |
|---|---|
| Printed copy | Mailed to Medicare households in late September each year; order another by calling 1-800-MEDICARE |
| PDF download | Download the latest edition from Medicare.gov at any time |
| Electronic handbook | Log in to your Medicare.gov account and choose the electronic version; Medicare emails you a link when the new edition is ready |
| Large print, braille, audio and other languages | Request through 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) |
How to use it well
Read the sections that match where you are. If you are turning 65, start with enrollment and the overview of your coverage choices. If you are already on Medicare, the yearly cost section and plan comparison section matter most in the fall.
The handbook is national. It explains the rules everywhere, but it does not tell you which plans serve Adams or Weld County, how Colorado's Medigap rules work, or what Health First Colorado pays. That is what the guides on this site add, and what we go through together at a review.
Colorado publications worth keeping beside it
- Colorado Medigap Policies: the Colorado Division of Insurance guide to Medicare Supplements, with yearly premium charts by company.
- The Health First Colorado Medicare Savings Programs page (hcpf.colorado.gov), with the current monthly income limits for QMB, SLMB, QI-1 and QDWI.
- Your plan's Annual Notice of Change and Evidence of Coverage, mailed by your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan each fall.
Figures to pencil in beside the handbook
Some 2027 numbers were set by CMS this year and some are still to come. Keep this short list with your copy:
| Figure | 2027 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Part D maximum standard deductible | $700 (was $615 in 2026) | CMS CY2027 Rate Announcement |
| Part D yearly out-of-pocket cap | $2,400 (was $2,100) | CMS CY2027 Rate Announcement |
| Part D national base beneficiary premium, used for the late penalty | $41.33 (was $38.99) | CMS, July 28, 2026 |
| Medigap high deductible Plan G and F deductible | $3,050 (was $2,950) | CMS |
| Part B premium and deductible | Not yet announced; 2026 is $202.90 a month and $283 a year | CMS, usually in November |
Other languages and accessible formats
Pages 124 to 126 of the 2027 handbook explain how to get Medicare information in another format or language. Medicare provides free auxiliary aids and services, including braille, large print, data or audio files, relay services and TTY, and if you ask for an accessible format you get extra time to act on anything delayed by the request. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048).
For another language, the handbook says you have the right to help and information in your language at no cost: call 1-800-MEDICARE and ask for an interpreter. It prints that notice in languages including Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Haitian Creole, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish and Portuguese.
To stop the paper copy, the cover of the 2027 edition invites you to switch to the electronic handbook at Medicare.gov/go-digital.
How I use the handbook with you
The handbook works best as a reference you apply to your own situation: look up the official rule, then check how it plays out for your doctors, drugs and budget in Colorado. This is how I go through it with you:
- We open At a glance on page 11 and talk through the two paths, then set the national picture aside.
- We look at your doctors and prescriptions against the actual 2027 plans in your county, which the handbook does not list.
- If cost is a worry, we read Section 7 together and check the Colorado limits for the Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help.
- If you are leaning toward a supplement, we read Section 5 and then the Colorado Medigap guide, because Colorado rules on switching are stricter than many states.
- Before you leave, I mark the pages that matter for you, so the handbook becomes your own reference.
Getting your questions answered
The handbook is a reference, not a recommendation. Once you have read it, the next step is applying it to your own doctors, prescriptions and budget. Call 1-800-MEDICARE for questions about the handbook itself, or our Brighton office at (303) 887-8584 for a free, no-obligation review of your options with a licensed agent.
The bottom line
Keep the Medicare & You handbook as your official reference: it arrives each fall, is free to download from Medicare.gov, and comes in large print, braille and other languages on request. Use it alongside Colorado-specific resources, and when you are ready to turn the handbook into a decision, give us a call.
Want to go through this with someone?
Lisa Asmussen at our Brighton office will go through your doctors, your prescriptions and your real numbers, and explain plainly what we found. Take the Stress Out of Medicare
Prefer to learn in a group? See our Medicare education sessions, in person in Brighton or online, and official Medicare forms and publications on our Resources page.
Sources
- Medicare & You handbook, Medicare.gov (CMS)
- Medicare & You 2027 (CMS publication 10050), Medicare.gov (CMS)
- CY2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Rate Announcement, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- CY2027 Part D national average bid and base beneficiary premium, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- CMS: Deductible amount for Medigap high deductible options F, G and J, calendar year 2027, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- 2026 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape, contract year 2027 (Adams and Weld counties, Colorado), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape, contract year 2027 (September 2026 release), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- 2026-2027 Colorado Medigap Policies (Medicare Supplement guide), Colorado Division of Insurance
- Health First Colorado Medicare Savings Programs (MSP), Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (Health First Colorado)
Please note: We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 10 organizations which offer 106 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. Headwaters Health and Wealth is not connected with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program. Medicare has neither endorsed nor reviewed this information.