Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage in Huntsville for 2027: 5 plans leaving, 15 new

For 2027, Huntsville is looking at 70 Medicare Advantage plans from 8 carriers: 15 new, 5 gone since 2026, and 18 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 6 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Madison County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Medicare AdvantageHuntsville, AL

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in the Huntsville area, this fall's mail matters more than usual. In Madison County, five plans will not return in 2027, 15 new ones are joining the market, and six are keeping the same coverage under a new name. Another 18 plans are staying but changing on details like premium, deductible, type or name.

That means most local members will see something different when they open their Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) this fall — and a small number will need to pick a new plan.

What's changing in Madison County for 2027

Huntsville is in Madison County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set. For the 2027 plan year, CMS's Landscape file shows:

• 5 plans leaving after December 31, 2026
• 15 new plans launching January 1, 2027
• 6 plans renamed (same plan, new name on your card and paperwork)
• 18 plans changing on premium, deductible, type or name — the ANOC has the specifics
• 55 plans continuing without one of those flagged changes

No carriers are exiting the county, and no new carriers are entering. The eight companies serving Madison County in 2026 — Aetna (CVS Health), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Devoted Health, Humana, Simpra Advantage, UnitedHealthcare and VIVA Medicare — are all still here for 2027.

The plans not coming back

If you are enrolled in one of these five plans, your coverage ends December 31, 2026, and you'll need to choose something else:

• Blue Advantage Premier (PPO) — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
• HealthSpring Preferred AL (HMO) — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC)
• HealthSpring TotalCare (HMO D-SNP) — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC)
• HealthSpring TotalCare Plus (HMO D-SNP) — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC)
• HumanaChoice H5216-448 (PPO) — Humana

Note: HCSC is filing new versions of HealthSpring TotalCare and HealthSpring TotalCare Plus for 2027 — the names are similar, but under CMS rules these are counted as new plans, not continuations. If you're in a current HealthSpring TotalCare plan, treat it as a non-renewal and read what arrives in the mail carefully.

Your plan will send you a non-renewal notice by early October. Keep it — you'll need it if you want proof of your Special Enrollment Period.

The new plans for 2027

Fifteen plans are new to the county for 2027. They come from Aetna (CVS Health), Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Devoted Health, UnitedHealthcare and VIVA Medicare. The full table on this page lists each new plan by name and type. A quick summary:

• Aetna is adding one new HMO.
• HCSC is adding two new D-SNP plans.
• Devoted Health is adding seven new plans, a mix of PPOs and Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans (C-SNPs).
• UnitedHealthcare is adding four new plans, mostly HMO-POS.
• VIVA Medicare is adding one new HMO C-SNP.

Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are only for people who qualify — for example, by having both Medicare and Medicaid (D-SNP), by living in a nursing home (I-SNP), or by having a specific chronic condition like diabetes (C-SNP).

The six renamed plans

Six plans are the same coverage with a new name. If your ID card looks different in January, that's why. The renames are:

• DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE ENHANCED 011 AL (PPO C-SNP) — was DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE PREMIUM 011 AL
• Humana Dual QMB Only (HMO D-SNP) — was Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H4461-074
• AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC AL-3 (HMO-POS) — was AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC AL-0003
• UHC Dual Advantage AL-V2 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete AL-V002
• UHC Dual Complete AL-Q1 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete AL-D001
• UHC Dual Complete AL-Q2 (PPO D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete AL-D002

A rename by itself does not require you to do anything. But rename or not, still open your ANOC — some renamed plans also have other changes.

What to do, step by step

1. Wait for the mail in late September or early October. Two documents matter:

• The ANOC (Annual Notice of Change) — what's different for 2027.
• If your plan is leaving, a non-renewal letter telling you your coverage ends December 31.

2. Check whether your doctors, hospitals and prescriptions are still covered. Networks and drug lists (formularies) can change every January, even on plans that are "continuing."

3. Pick your window.

• Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): October 15 – December 7, 2026. Open to everyone with Medicare. Your new choice starts January 1, 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31, 2027. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you get one switch during this window (to another MA plan or back to Original Medicare with a Part D plan).
• Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for non-renewal: If your plan is on the "leaving" list, you have an SEP that runs from December 8, 2026 through the end of February 2027 to pick a new Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare and add a Part D plan.

4. Compare on medicare.gov. The Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare lets you enter your ZIP code and your prescriptions and see every plan available in Madison County side by side.

A few program facts worth knowing

These apply to everyone on Medicare drug coverage, not just Huntsville:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for 2026. Once you hit it, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027).
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone — Part D now has three phases, not four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs into monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy. It's optional and free to join.
• IRMAA (the income-based surcharge on Part B and Part D) starts above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.