Medicare Plan Changes for 2027: Is Your Plan Leaving?

If your Medicare Advantage plan is ending in 2027, you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, and the practical deadline to pick a new plan is December 7, 2026. Every year some carriers stop offering Medicare Advantage plans in counties they served the year before. When that happens your coverage ends on December 31 and you get extra time to choose something else. Enter your ZIP code below to see which carriers are leaving your county for 2027.

How to tell if your own plan is affected

Carriers are required to mail an Annual Notice of Change to every member by the end of September. If your plan is ending, that letter says so directly, usually on the first page. It is the most reliable answer you can get, so if you still have the envelope it is worth opening before anything else.

The tool above shows you which carriers are pulling out of your county entirely. That is the most common reason a plan disappears, but it is not the only one. A carrier that is staying in your county can still discontinue an individual plan and move its members to a different one. Your mailed notice covers both cases. The tool covers only the first.

If you cannot find the letter, a licensed agent can look your plan up with you in a couple of minutes.

What happens to your coverage if your plan ends

Your current plan runs normally through December 31, 2026. Nothing changes before then, and you keep using it exactly as you do today.

On January 1 one of two things happens:

• If you choose a new plan, your new coverage starts that day with no gap.
• If you do nothing, you go back to Original Medicare, Parts A and B. You keep your Medicare, but you lose whatever extras your Advantage plan included, and importantly you have no Part D prescription drug coverage unless you add a separate drug plan.

That second outcome is the one worth avoiding. Going without Part D coverage can also trigger a late enrollment penalty later, which is added to your premium permanently.

Your Special Enrollment Period

When your plan is discontinued, Medicare gives you a Special Enrollment Period, so you are not limited to the normal rules about when you can switch.

In practice, most people in this position should act during the Annual Enrollment Period, which runs October 15 to December 7, 2026. Choosing by December 7 means your new coverage starts January 1 with no gap at all. The Special Enrollment Period does extend past that date, but using it later means a break in coverage while the change takes effect.

You can read more about how the different Medicare enrollment periods work if you want the full picture.

What to compare before you switch

A plan that looks similar on premium can be very different in the ways that actually cost you money. Before you pick a replacement, check:

• Your doctors. Medicare Advantage plans use networks, and the plan with the lowest premium may not include the physicians you already see.
• Your prescriptions. Each plan has its own drug list and its own tiers. The same medication can cost very different amounts on two plans with identical premiums.
• The out-of-pocket maximum. This is the most you would pay in a bad year, and it varies widely.
• The extras you actually use. Dental, vision, hearing and over-the-counter allowances differ by plan, and the headline figure is often a maximum rather than what a typical member receives.

A licensed agent can check your specific doctors and prescriptions against the plans available in your county, at no cost to you.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Medicare plan is ending in 2027?

Check the Annual Notice of Change your plan mailed you by the end of September. If your plan is being discontinued, the letter says so directly. You can also enter your ZIP code in the tool above to see which carriers are leaving your county entirely, which is the most common reason a plan ends.

What happens if my Medicare Advantage plan is discontinued?

Your coverage runs through December 31, 2026. You qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, which lets you choose a new plan outside the usual window. If you do not choose one, you return to Original Medicare on January 1 without prescription drug coverage, so most people should pick a replacement before December 7.

Do I have to switch plans if my plan is ending?

You do not have to choose another Medicare Advantage plan. You can return to Original Medicare, and you may want to add a separate Part D drug plan and consider a Medicare Supplement. What makes sense depends on your health, your prescriptions and your budget, which is worth talking through with someone licensed.

Will I lose my doctor if my plan leaves my county?

Not necessarily. Many doctors accept several Medicare Advantage plans, so another plan in your area may include the same physicians. This is worth checking before you choose rather than after, because networks differ plan by plan.

Can I keep my plan if I move to a different county?

No. Medicare Advantage plans are sold county by county, and a plan that is leaving your county may still be available elsewhere, but you cannot enroll in it from an area it does not serve. Moving is itself a separate qualifying event for a Special Enrollment Period.

Is there a cost to getting help choosing a new plan?

No. Licensed agents are paid by the insurance carrier, so there is no cost to you for help comparing plans, and no obligation to enroll in anything.