If your Medicare Advantage plan will not be available in 2027, your Medicare eligibility is not ending. You have coverage options to review.
Start with your notice. It explains what is happening to your current plan and whether you need to enroll in different coverage.
What Does Your Notice Mean?
An Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) describes changes to a plan for the coming year. Changes to costs or benefits do not necessarily mean the plan is ending.
A non-renewal notice explains that your current plan will not continue. Review this notice along with any information about a transfer to another plan.
For a plan that is not renewed for 2027, current coverage generally ends December 31, 2026. That plan will no longer cover you beginning January 1, 2027.
The coverage ending date and the enrollment deadlines are different. Keep your notice so you can refer to both.
Is Your Plan Discontinued or Leaving Your Area?
A carrier may discontinue your specific plan while continuing to offer other plans in your county.
A service area reduction means a plan continues elsewhere but no longer covers where you live. You can be affected even though you have not moved.
Neither situation necessarily means the insurance company is leaving Colorado entirely. Check the information for your exact plan and address.
Will You Automatically Move to Another Plan?
A new plan from the same insurance company does not necessarily replace your current coverage automatically.
Some transitions involve an approved automatic transfer. Others require you to choose coverage and complete a new enrollment.
Check whether your notice describes a transfer or requires enrollment. If the instructions are unclear, confirm what applies to your plan.
Even when an automatic transfer is planned, review the new coverage to see whether it still fits your needs. A familiar carrier name does not mean the doctors, prescriptions, costs, and benefits will stay the same.
What Coverage Options Can You Review?
You can consider other Medicare Advantage plans available where you live. These may include plans from your current carrier or another carrier.
You can also consider Original Medicare, which includes Part A hospital insurance and Part B medical insurance. With Original Medicare, prescription coverage is generally provided through a separate Part D drug plan.
Medicare Supplement Insurance, also called Medigap, helps pay certain costs that Original Medicare leaves to you. Medigap and Part D serve different purposes. Medigap does not include prescription drug coverage.
If your Medicare Advantage plan leaves Medicare or stops covering your area, you may have guaranteed issue rights to buy certain Medigap policies. These protections can allow you to buy eligible coverage without being turned down because of health conditions.
The available policies and application deadlines depend on your situation. Keep your non-renewal notice because it may help document those rights.
How Can You Compare Your Options?
Start with the care you use and expect to need.
Doctors and hospitals. Check your primary care doctor, specialists, and preferred hospitals against the exact Medicare Advantage plan you are considering. With Original Medicare, you can generally use providers nationwide that accept Medicare.
Prescriptions and pharmacies. Review each medication, its dose, and your preferred pharmacy. Check the formulary, which is the plan’s covered drug list, along with cost tiers and any approval requirements.
Ongoing care. Review coverage for treatment, therapy, medical equipment, and other services you use. Check participating providers and any prior authorization requirements.
Costs. Compare premiums, deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance. Medicare Advantage members generally continue paying their Part B premium.
Medicare Advantage plans have an annual out-of-pocket limit for covered Part A and Part B medical services. This limit does not include premiums or Part D prescription drug spending. Original Medicare has no annual out-of-pocket limit, although supplemental coverage may help with certain costs.
Extra benefits. Review dental, vision, hearing, fitness, and other benefits you use. Check their limits and participating providers.
Travel. Consider how coverage works when you are away from home, including access to routine care.
A replacement plan deserves a fresh review, even when it comes from the same insurance company.
What Enrollment Dates Apply?
The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs October 15 through December 7, 2026. Changes made during this period generally begin January 1, 2027.
If your plan is not renewed for 2027, including a qualifying service area reduction, you generally have a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) from December 8, 2026, through February 28, 2027.
Enrollment requests received December 8 through December 31 take effect January 1. Requests received in January take effect February 1. Requests received in February take effect March 1.
Affected members are therefore not limited to December 7 for January 1 replacement coverage. The additional enrollment period does not extend the old plan beyond December 31.
If no replacement Medicare Advantage enrollment is effective January 1, you generally return to Original Medicare then. Medigap is not automatically added. Separate Part D coverage generally requires enrollment, although some people receiving Extra Help may be reassigned to a drug plan.
Review your notice for the dates and any automatic enrollment arrangements that apply to you.
Help Reviewing Your Options
For an annual benefits review, gather:
- Your non-renewal notice and any transfer information
- Your doctor and hospital names
- Your medication list, including doses
- Your preferred pharmacy
- The Summary of Benefits for any plan you are considering
At Insurance Advisors Inc, I can help you understand your notice and compare the plans that I represent based on your doctors, prescriptions, and care needs.
Together, we can review what is changing and whether another coverage option fits your needs for 2027.