Are Medicare Advantage Plans Going Away in 2027?

Non-renewal is not the only kind of change worth watching. Carriers in transition can restructure or rebrand plans without formally ending them — HealthSpring is one example, operating in legacy Cigna markets where plan lineups have shifted repeatedly. A plan that is combined or renamed may not trigger a non-renewal notice at all.

A carrier changing its name is not the same as a carrier leaving. The Cigna to HealthSpring transition is the clearest recent example — the plans continued, only the ownership and the name on the envelope changed.

Here is what the major insurers have said publicly. Treat it as a reason to watch your mail, not as an answer about your specific plan.

One item on that list deserves explaining, because it is the quietest signal and the easiest to miss. Aetna did not cancel 123 plans — it froze broker commissions on them. When a carrier stops paying agents to sell a plan without formally ending it, the plan technically still exists and quietly stops being offered to anyone new. If your plan is among them, it may well survive into 2027, as a product no broker will place anyone into. That is worth knowing before you decide to stay put by default.

Rural counties carry the most risk. UnitedHealthcare and Humana together hold at least 75% of enrollment in 28% of US counties, so when one withdraws from a rural market, there is often no comparable replacement. Twelve states are seeing disenrollment above 20%, and in Vermont it reaches 92%.

Humana is cutting deepest of any carrier for 2027. Our page on Humana Medicare Advantage plans 2027 breaks down what has been confirmed, what has only been signalled, and when you will find out whether your own plan is affected.

The impact is not spread evenly. Florida has more Medicare Advantage members at stake than any other state, because it has the largest concentration of enrollees with the carrier making the deepest reductions.

The detail matters enough that we broke it out separately — Aetna froze commissions on 123 plans across 33 states and nearly 780 counties, without cancelling a single one of them.

Anthem has announced no 2027 exits

You will not lose Medicare. You will lose the parts of it your plan was providing, and one of those losses carries a penalty that never goes away.

Your Medicare Advantage coverage ends December 31. On January 1 you fall back to Original Medicare automatically — Parts A and B resume, so you still have hospital and medical coverage, but with 20% coinsurance and no annual limit on what you can be asked to pay.

The problem is everything else. If your plan included prescription coverage, that ends with the plan, and nothing replaces it automatically. Original Medicare does not cover drugs. Your dental, vision, hearing and over-the-counter benefits end too, along with any Part B giveback the plan provided.

The drug gap is the part that follows you. Go 63 days or more without creditable prescription coverage and Medicare adds a late enrollment penalty to your Part D premium — 1% of the national base beneficiary premium for every month you went without, charged for as long as you have Part D coverage. It does not expire and it is not forgiven. A few months of inattention becomes a permanent monthly cost.

A plan going away actually opens up choices you would not otherwise have. There are three real paths, and the third one has a deadline.

➤  How do I know if my Medicare Advantage plan is going away in 2027?

Your plan must send you a written non-renewal notice by October 1, 2026, or at least 90 calendar days before the plan ends. That letter states plainly that the plan will not be offered next year and lists your alternatives. It is separate from the Annual Notice of Change, which every member receives in September and which only describes changes to a plan that is continuing. News coverage cannot answer this for you, because Medicare Advantage is sold county by county and a carrier cutting plans in one state may be leaving yours alone.

➤  Which Medicare Advantage plans are going away for 2027?

Humana is exiting plans covering roughly 600,000 members. UnitedHealthcare is leaving 34 counties across 12 states, with about two-thirds of affected policies being PPOs. Aetna froze broker commissions on 123 plans across 33 states and nearly 780 counties. Molina is dropping its standard individual Medicare Advantage drug plans entirely, and Presbyterian Health Plan is exiting most of its markets. Kaiser Permanente is the only major carrier with no announced contraction. Specific county and plan lists arrive with the non-renewal notices and the October 1 plan data release.

➤  What happens if my Medicare Advantage plan goes away and I do nothing?

Your plan ends December 31 and you are automatically returned to Original Medicare on January 1. You keep Part A and Part B, but with 20% coinsurance and no annual cap. Critically, if your plan included prescription coverage that ends too, and nothing replaces it automatically. Your dental, vision, hearing and over-the-counter benefits end as well. Going 63 days or more without creditable drug coverage triggers a permanent Part D late enrollment penalty.

➤  Can I get a Medigap policy if my Medicare Advantage plan is going away?

Yes, and without medical underwriting. A terminating plan gives you guaranteed issue rights, meaning insurers cannot ask health questions, cannot decline you and cannot impose a pre-existing condition waiting period. The qualifying policies are Medigap Plans A, B, C, F, K and L. Plans C and F are only available to people who became eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020, so for most people today Plan G is the most comprehensive option. You must apply within 63 days of your coverage ending.

➤  Why are Medicare Advantage plans going away?

Carriers are prioritizing profitability and plan quality over footprint. Medical costs have risen faster than the federal payments plans receive, and contracts rated 4 stars and above earn bonus payments that lower-rated ones do not, so insurers are concentrating on their better-performing plans and dropping the rest. Humana’s CFO described the strategy as using plan exits to prioritize higher-performing plans. The effect falls hardest on rural counties, where fewer carriers compete to begin with.

➤  My plan is not going away but the benefits got worse. What can I do?

You can change plans during Annual Enrollment, October 15 through December 7, like anyone else. What you do not get is a Special Enrollment Period or guaranteed-issue Medigap rights, because those are triggered by a plan ending, not by a plan getting worse. If your Annual Notice of Change shows higher copays, a smaller network or drugs moving to higher tiers, treat Annual Enrollment as your window and compare properly rather than renewing by default.

➤  What if there are no other Medicare Advantage plans in my county?

This is a real possibility in rural areas, where two carriers often hold three-quarters of the market. If no comparable Advantage plan is available, your path is Original Medicare plus a standalone Part D plan, ideally with a Medigap policy purchased under your guaranteed issue rights. That combination costs more monthly but is accepted by any provider nationwide, which matters more when local plan choice is thin.

➤  Does a plan going away affect my Part B or my Social Security?

No. Your Part A and Part B enrollment continues regardless of what happens to a Medicare Advantage plan, and your Part B premium is unaffected. The one financial change some people notice is losing a Part B giveback, a benefit some Advantage plans offer that reduces part of your Part B premium. If the plan going away included a giveback, that reduction ends and your full Part B premium resumes.

➤  When do I need to decide by for 2027 coverage?

Annual Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and choosing within that window gives you coverage starting January 1 with no gap. If your plan is going away you also get a Special Enrollment Period that extends past December 7, and your Medigap guaranteed issue rights run for 63 days after your coverage ends. Those are safety nets rather than a reason to delay, since deciding during Annual Enrollment is the only way to guarantee continuous coverage from January 1.

➤  Where can I see the 2027 plans available in my area?

Plan-level details for every 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D plan publish October 1, 2026 — premiums, provider networks, drug formularies, supplemental benefits and the new star ratings, for every county. Nothing before that date reflects actual 2027 plan offerings in your area. Once the data is live, compare the specific plans available where you live rather than relying on national carrier averages, since a strong carrier nationally can offer a weak plan in your county and the reverse is equally true.