How to Use the Medicare Plan Finder to Compare Plans in 2026

The Medicare Plan Finder is a free tool on Medicare.gov that lets you compare Medicare Advantage plans, Part D prescription drug plans, and Medigap supplement plans available in your parent's area. It's the most comprehensive comparison tool available, because it pulls directly from CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) data — the same agency that runs Medicare.

The tool is powerful, but it's not intuitive. The interface can feel overwhelming, especially during the Annual Enrollment Period when you're comparing dozens of plans under a deadline. A 2019 Government Accountability Office report found that many beneficiaries and caregivers struggled to use the tool effectively due to its complexity.

This guide walks through how to actually use the Medicare Plan Finder step by step, what to watch for in the results, and how to avoid the comparison mistakes that lead families to pick the wrong plan.

Before you start: gather what you need

To get accurate results from the Plan Finder, you'll need:

1. Your parent's zip code — plan availability and pricing are location-specific
2. A list of their current medications — including the drug name, dosage, frequency, and the pharmacy they use. This is essential for comparing Part D plans accurately.
3. Their current doctors — names and specialties, to verify network inclusion if comparing Advantage plans
4. Their Medicare number (optional) — logging in with a Medicare.gov account can pre-populate some information and allow you to save comparisons

If you don't have the medication list, ask your parent's pharmacy for a printout of their current prescriptions. This is the single most important input for the Plan Finder — without it, the drug cost estimates will be meaningless.

Step 1: Access the Plan Finder

Go to Medicare.gov and navigate to the Plan Finder tool. You can reach it from the homepage or go directly to medicare.gov/plan-compare.

You'll be asked whether you want to log in with a Medicare.gov account or continue as a guest. Logging in pre-fills some information and lets you save your work. Continuing as a guest works fine for a one-time comparison but doesn't save your results.

If you're helping a parent remotely and don't have their Medicare.gov login, continuing as a guest is the practical choice. You'll enter their information manually.

Step 2: Enter your parent's information

The tool will ask for:

• Zip code and county
• Current coverage type — Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, etc.
• Whether they have Medicaid or qualify for Extra Help (low-income subsidy)
• Whether they want to compare drug plans, health plans (Advantage), or both

Select what you're comparing. The most common scenarios:

Comparing Part D drug plans: If your parent has Original Medicare (with or without Medigap) and needs a standalone Part D plan.

Comparing Medicare Advantage plans: If your parent is considering switching to or between Advantage plans (most include drug coverage).

Comparing both: If your parent is making the broader decision between Original Medicare + Part D vs. Medicare Advantage.

Step 3: Enter medications (this is critical)

The Plan Finder will prompt you to add your parent's prescriptions. For each medication:

1. Type the drug name — the tool will auto-suggest options
2. Select the exact drug, dosage, and form (tablet, capsule, injection, etc.)
3. Specify the quantity and frequency (e.g., 30 tablets per month)

Be precise about the drug formulation. The same medication in different dosages or forms (brand vs. generic, tablet vs. extended-release) can have dramatically different costs. A plan might cover the 10mg tablet at Tier 1 but put the 20mg tablet at Tier 3.

After entering medications, you'll select your parent's preferred pharmacy (or pharmacies). The tool shows costs for retail pharmacies and mail-order options. Mail-order pharmacies often provide significant savings for maintenance medications — sometimes 30-40% less than retail for 90-day supplies.

Step 4: Review and compare results

The Plan Finder displays available plans ranked by estimated annual cost, showing:

• Monthly premium
• Annual deductible
• Estimated annual drug costs (based on the medications you entered)
• Star rating (1-5 stars, based on CMS quality assessments)
• Plan type (HMO, PPO, PFFS for Advantage plans)

What to look for in Part D plan comparisons

Total estimated annual cost: This is the number that matters most. Don't fixate on the monthly premium alone — a plan with a $0 premium but high copays for your parent's specific drugs can cost more than a plan with a $30 premium and lower drug copays.

Coverage during the coverage gap: Even with the new $2,000 out-of-pocket cap, how the plan covers drugs in different phases (deductible, initial coverage, catastrophic) affects monthly cash flow.

Tier placement of your parent's drugs: Click into the plan details to see which tier each of your parent's drugs falls on. Tier 1 (preferred generic) is cheapest; Tier 5 (specialty) is most expensive. The same drug can be on different tiers across different plans.

Step therapy and prior authorization requirements: Some plans require your parent to try a cheaper drug first before covering the prescribed one (step therapy), or require pre-approval before covering certain medications. These restrictions appear in the plan details.

Pharmacy restrictions: Some plans have "preferred pharmacies" where copays are lower. If your parent uses a specific pharmacy, verify it's in the plan's preferred network.

What to look for in Medicare Advantage comparisons

Network type and size: Check whether the plan is an HMO (strict network) or PPO (allows out-of-network at higher cost). Click into the plan to verify your parent's doctors are in-network — the online directories aren't always current, so follow up with a phone call to the plan.

Out-of-pocket maximum: The annual maximum your parent would pay for covered services. Lower is better. Compare the in-network maximum (which applies to most care) and the out-of-network maximum (relevant for PPOs).

Specific copays and coinsurance: The Plan Finder shows estimated costs for common services — primary care visits, specialist visits, hospital stays, emergency room visits. Compare these across plans based on how your parent actually uses healthcare.

Extra benefits: Dental, vision, hearing, fitness, and other benefits vary significantly between Advantage plans. If your parent needs hearing aids ($2,000-$6,000 out of pocket) or regular dental work, these benefits can provide real value.

Drug coverage: If the Advantage plan includes Part D, review the drug formulary with the same scrutiny as a standalone Part D plan.

Step 5: Dig into the details

The initial results screen gives a high-level comparison, but the most important information is one or two clicks deeper. For each plan you're considering:

Click "Plan Details" to see the full cost-sharing breakdown, formulary, provider directory, and any restrictions.

Check the "Documents" section for the plan's Summary of Benefits, Evidence of Coverage, and formulary document. The Evidence of Coverage is the definitive source for what the plan covers and what it costs — the summary can sometimes oversimplify.

Look at the star rating breakdown. The overall star rating is useful, but the component ratings (customer service, drug pricing accuracy, managing chronic conditions) tell you more. A plan might have 4 stars overall but a 2-star rating on complaint resolution.

Common Plan Finder mistakes

Comparing on premium alone

A $0 premium plan is not automatically the cheapest option. A plan with a $30/month premium but lower drug copays can save hundreds per year depending on your parent's medications. Always compare total estimated annual cost.

Not entering all medications

If you skip even one prescription, the cost estimates will be inaccurate. This is especially true for expensive specialty drugs or brand-name medications that might be on different tiers across plans.

Using outdated medication lists

Drug prices, tier placements, and formularies change every year. Run the Plan Finder with your parent's current medication list — not last year's list. Drugs get removed from formularies, generics become available, and copay structures shift.

Ignoring pharmacy choice

The same plan can show significantly different drug costs depending on whether your parent uses a preferred pharmacy or a standard pharmacy. Enter their actual pharmacy, and also check the mail-order option.

Not re-checking every year

The best Part D or Advantage plan this year might not be the best one next year. Formularies, premiums, networks, and copay structures all change annually. Families should use the Plan Finder every fall during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 - December 7) to verify their parent's plan is still the best fit.

Comparing Medigap plans

The Medicare Plan Finder also offers a Medigap comparison tool, though it's less detailed than the Part D and Advantage comparisons. For Medigap:

1. Select "Medigap" as the plan type
2. Enter your parent's zip code, age, and gender
3. The tool shows available Medigap plans from insurers in your parent's area, with premium ranges

Since all Medigap plans with the same letter (e.g., all Plan G's) cover identical benefits regardless of insurer, the comparison is purely about price and company reputation. The Plan Finder shows premium ranges but may not have every company's current rates. Supplementing with quotes directly from insurers or through your state's SHIP program gives a more complete picture.

Getting help with the comparison

If the Plan Finder feels overwhelming, your parent's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) offers free, unbiased counseling. SHIP counselors can walk through the Plan Finder with you, help interpret results, and verify that the plan you're considering actually covers your parent's doctors and medications. Find your local SHIP at shiphelp.org or by calling 1-877-839-2675.

For a structured approach to the plan comparison process, our Medicare Enrollment Guide includes a Plan Finder prep worksheet, a side-by-side comparison template, and a decision checklist — so you can organize the results and discuss options with your parent without losing track of what you've compared.