Medicare in Pierre · Hughes County, South Dakota · Plan Year 2026
2026 Medicare Plans in Pierre, SD
Medicare Advantage plan availability is set at the county level — and no standard Medicare Advantage plan is sold in Hughes County, Pierre's county, for 2026. That is not the end of the story: CMS counts 3,766 Medicare beneficiaries in the county, and 8 Medicare Cost plans serve it, alongside Original Medicare with Medigap and standalone Part D. Pierre itself is home to 14,008 residents (Census ACS 2023). Below is the real data.
Page last revised: 2026-07-19 · CMS plan data refreshed: 2026-07-19 · Census data retrieved: 2026-08-18
Pierre by the numbers
Pierre at a glance — and the Hughes County Medicare market it belongs to
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023), places — retrieved 2026-08-18 · CMS Medicare Advantage/Part D Landscape (PY2026) · CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment (county).
Why Pierre's plan list is really Hughes County's plan list
CMS approves and prices Medicare Advantage, Cost, and Part D plans county by county — there is no such thing as a city-level plan menu. Every Pierre address in Hughes County sees the same 2026 lineup as the rest of the county, and moving one county over can change the list entirely. That is why the deep data — every plan, premium, out-of-pocket maximum, star rating, and enrollment count — lives on our county Complete Guide:
Hughes County, SD: every 2026 plan, premium & rating →
The state capital sits in one of the South Dakota counties with no standard Medicare Advantage plan at all — Medicare Cost plans and Medigap do the work here.
A South Dakota specialty
Medicare Cost plans for Pierre residents
South Dakota is one of the few states where Medicare Cost plans are still common. They combine plan benefits with a safety valve: outside the network, care simply falls back to Original Medicare rates. Hughes County has 8 Cost plans for 2026 from Medica, with 710 county enrollees. Full details are on the Hughes County guide.
Hospitals serving Pierre (Hughes County)
- AVERA ST MARY'S HOSPITAL — Pierre · CMS 2★ overall hospital rating
See your Pierre plans now
Enter your ZIP for an instant plan count and top CMS-rated options — then your full ranked report.
Question 1 of 2
Free and no pressure. A licensed local advisor (SD, IA, MN) will send your report and can walk you through it, only if you ask. No spam, ever.
🤖 An AI agent can run this exact tool
Your inputs hit POST /mcp as an MCP tools/call, the identical payload a browsing agent (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Computer Use) sends. This tool is also registered in-page via navigator.modelContext and advertised at /.well-known/mcp.json.
When Pierre residents can enroll
- Initial Enrollment Period — the 7-month window around your 65th birthday. Medicare 101 →
- Annual Enrollment Period — October 15 to December 7 each year, for 2027 coverage decisions.
- Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment — January 1 to March 31, one switch allowed if you already have an MA plan.
- Special Enrollment Periods — after life events like moving counties, losing employer coverage, or qualifying for Extra Help.
Thinking about a Medigap supplement instead? Your 6-month Medigap open enrollment window starts with Part B — the details, including South Dakota's own rules, are in our South Dakota Medigap guide and Medicare answers.
Pierre Medicare questions, answered
Are there Medicare Advantage plans in Pierre, SD for 2026?
No standard Medicare Advantage HMO or PPO plans are sold in Hughes County — Pierre's county — for 2026. However, 8 Medicare Cost plans from Medica serve the county, alongside Original Medicare with a Medigap supplement and a standalone Part D plan. A licensed agent can compare your actual options.
Why does Pierre use Hughes County's Medicare plan list?
Because CMS approves and prices Medicare Advantage, Cost, and Part D plans county by county, not city by city. Every Pierre address inside Hughes County sees the same 2026 plan menu as the rest of the county — that's a CMS rule, not an agency choice. The full county data lives on our Hughes County Complete Guide.
What Medicare options do Pierre residents actually use?
CMS counts 3,766 Medicare beneficiaries in Hughes County (2025). With no standard Medicare Advantage plan sold locally, most pair Original Medicare with a Medigap supplement and standalone Part D drug plan, or choose one of the 8 Medicare Cost plans. A licensed agent can quote the combinations for your situation.
Where can I get free Medicare help in Pierre?
Big Sioux Benefits works with Pierre residents by phone and video (and in person across the Sioux Falls area) — free, because licensed agents are paid by carriers, not by you. For all options beyond the plans we offer, contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or SHIINE, South Dakota's free SHIP counseling program.
Sources, citations, and methodology
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2023), tables B01003 (population), B01002 (median age), B19013 (median household income), B25003 (housing tenure) — incorporated places, South Dakota — retrieved 2026-08-18
- CMS Medicare Advantage/Part D Landscape (PY2026) — accessed 2026-07-19
- CMS Medicare Part C & D Star Ratings (2026) — accessed 2026-07-19
- CMS Medicare Advantage Enrollment by State/County/Contract — accessed 2026-07-19
- CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment (county) — accessed 2026-07-19
- CMS Hospital Compare — Overall Star Ratings — accessed 2026-07-19
Methodology: city population, median age, median household income, and homeownership are U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates (2023) for Pierre city, South Dakota. All plan counts, premiums, out-of-pocket maximums, star ratings, and enrollment figures are county-level facts computed from the CMS PY2026 Landscape source files for Hughes County — because CMS defines Medicare Advantage service areas by county, they apply to every Pierre address in the county. Content is prepared by the Big Sioux Benefits Data Desk and reviewed against the cited files; plan details change — verify with a licensed agent before enrolling.
Big Sioux Benefits is a licensed insurance agency, not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE for all options.
Keep exploring
- Hughes County, SD Complete Guide → — every 2026 plan, premium, and rating behind this page.
- South Dakota statewide Medicare guide (2026) — all plans, carriers, and the counties with none.
- South Dakota Medigap (Medicare Supplement) guide — the other half of the decision.
- All areas we serve — every SD county and city guide.
Talk to a licensed Medicare advisor who knows Pierre
Free, no pressure — we compare the plans we offer against your doctors, drugs, and budget.