CMS opens the second CY 2027 Medicare Plan Finder benefit and drug-pricing preview through September 11
Sep 6, 2026 edition · GC-2026-0083 · Published 2026-09-06 · Version 2 · Final
CMS schedules the second 2027 benefit and drug-pricing preview for September 8–11. Plans need to compare the display with their submissions, accounting for the preview’s stated pricing and data limits.
What happened
CMS’s September 1 memorandum sets the second 2027 Medicare Plan Finder benefit and drug-pricing preview for September 8 at 6 a.m. through September 11 at 11:59 p.m., Eastern. The preview is still ahead of this edition’s September 5 coverage cutoff. The memo lists no known issues and describes resolved displays, including D-SNP Part A cost sharing, drug tiers and prior-authorization/referral labels. Those are statements about the preview, not a certification of each plan’s submitted data.
Plans are encouraged to compare benefits with HPMS reports. Updates submitted after the preview’s data-as-of date will not appear, and 2026 Medicare-defined rates are displayed because 2027 rates were not yet released at the memo date. Drug pricing reflects submitted formulary, excluded-drug and pricing files, shows individual benefit phases without applying their thresholds, and can show cash price when a location or supply frequency is unavailable. CMS recommends representative comments for widespread defects. These limits distinguish a useful submission check from a final beneficiary cost quotation.
Scope and timing
- Authority status
- Final
- Applicability
- Directly applicable
- Audience
- Health systems, Provider networks
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
- Affected functions
- Managed Care, Finance, IT, Compliance
- Responsible owner
- Managed Care
- Recorded date
- 2026-09-11
- Date type
- implementation
Why it matters
Comparing like-for-like data helps separate expected preview behavior from a real submission or display defect. An expired review window does not prove an organization’s work was completed.
Recommended action
Arrange the September 8–11 benefit and pricing checks, compare the appropriate HPMS submissions and submit representative comments for distinct defects before the stated Eastern-time close.
Implementation playbook
- Compare each CY 2027 plan-benefit preview with its HPMS benefit report and record exceptions, including D-SNP Part A cost sharing and prior-authorization or referral displays. Any intermediate preparation date is an internal target; it does not replace the source’s operative deadline. Managed Care · Due 2026-09-10
- Compare drug-pricing preview results with submitted formulary, excluded-drug and drug-pricing files, then submit representative CMS comments for each distinct defect before the preview closes at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Any intermediate preparation date is an internal target; it does not replace the source’s operative deadline. Managed Care · Due 2026-09-11
Sources
- CMS HPMS Memos for WK 1 September 1-4, 2026 bundleOfficial · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · 2026-09-04 · Source review 2026-09-10
- CMS HPMS Memos for WK 1 September 1-4, 2026 archive pageOfficial · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · 2026-09-04 · Source review 2026-09-10
Complete edition and supplemental material
This finding in the complete approved report →Regulatory horizons, CIA trends and implementation trackers remain in the full report.
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