Medicare Advantage

21 Medicare Advantage Plans Not Returning in Arizona for 2027: The List

PHOENIX — When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published its 2027 Medicare Advantage Landscape file for Arizona, a side-by-side read against the 2026 file showed 21 Medicare Advantage plans that are offered somewhere in the state this year but are not in the 2027 file for any Arizona county. For 2027, 148 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers are listed statewide.

That doesn't mean every Arizona reader will feel a change. A plan is sold county by county, and some of the 21 served only one or two counties. But if your plan is one of them, you'll have a decision to make before December 7, 2026.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are not returning in Arizona for 2027, and which carriers?

Twenty-one Medicare Advantage plans offered in Arizona in 2026 do not appear in the CMS 2027 Landscape file for any county in the state. The 21 come from eight carriers: Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Wellpoint/Anthem), eternalHealth, HealthSpring, SCAN Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare.

Aetna accounts for six of the discontinued plans, and Centene (WellCare) accounts for seven. The remaining eight are spread across the other six carriers listed above. The full name, plan type, and 2026 county footprint of each discontinued plan appear in the table on this page; this article refers to that table rather than repeating every row.

Which Arizona Medicare Advantage plans leaving in 2027 served the most counties?

The widest footprints on the non-renewal list belong to AARP Medicare Advantage Access from UHC AZ-15 (PPO) from UnitedHealthcare, offered in 12 Arizona counties in 2026, and two Centene (WellCare) D-SNPs — Wellcare Arizona Complete Health Dual Align (HMO D-SNP) and Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP) — each offered in 15 counties in 2026.

Several other Centene (WellCare) plans also had broad reach, including Wellcare Giveback (HMO) and Wellcare Simple (HMO) at 11 counties each. Smaller-footprint exits include single-county plans such as Aetna Medicare Prime (HMO), DEVOTED CORE 016 AZ (HMO), and Wellpoint I CareMore Home Care (HMO I-SNP). The county counts shown here come from the 2026 Landscape; a plan listed with three counties was never offered in the other 12.

How can an Arizona member tell if their Medicare Advantage plan is being discontinued for 2027?

Two things confirm it: a letter from the carrier and the plan name on the list. By law, carriers must send a written non-renewal or plan termination notice in the fall of 2026 to every member whose plan will not be offered in 2027.

The letter will say the plan is ending December 31, 2026. If that letter arrives, check the plan name against the table on this page. The names must match exactly — "Wellcare Giveback (HMO)," "AARP Medicare Advantage CareFlex from UHC AZ-17 (HMO-POS)," and so on — because carriers often sell several plans with similar names, and only certain versions are leaving.

What happens to an Arizona Medicare Advantage member who does nothing by December 7, 2026?

A member whose plan is non-renewed and who makes no choice by December 7, 2026 will be returned to Original Medicare (Parts A and B) on January 1, 2027, with no Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage unless they actively enroll in a stand-alone drug plan or a new Medicare Advantage plan that includes drugs.

Original Medicare will pay its share of hospital and medical services from day one. Prescriptions, however, won't be covered until a Part D or MA-PD plan is in place, and going without creditable drug coverage can trigger a late enrollment penalty later.

What Special Enrollment Period and Medigap right apply when a Phoenix-area plan is non-renewed?

Federal rules give members of a non-renewed Medicare Advantage plan a Special Enrollment Period that runs through the end of February 2027 to join another Medicare Advantage plan or a stand-alone Part D plan. That is in addition to the Annual Enrollment 2027 window of October 15 – December 7, 2026.

Members who return to Original Medicare because of a plan termination also have a federal Medigap guaranteed-issue right, meaning certain Medicare Supplement policies must be sold to them without medical underwriting within a set window. Arizona-specific Medigap rules — including which standardized plans are available and any state protections — are set by the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions, and that office or a licensed agent can confirm what applies to a given situation.

How can an Arizona reader check their own county's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup?

The authoritative source is the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, which lets anyone enter a ZIP code and see every 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D plan available in that county, including premiums, drug lists, and provider networks. 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) can run the same search over the phone, 24 hours a day.

The statewide count — 148 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers — is the total across all 15 Arizona counties. No single county has 148 plans; each county's lineup is a subset.

What should an Arizona member do before December 7, 2026?

Before December 7, 2026, read the letter from the current carrier, pull the current prescription list and preferred doctors, and compare 2027 options on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. A choice made during the Annual Enrollment 2027 window takes effect January 1, 2027.

For members of a non-renewed plan who miss December 7, the Special Enrollment Period through the end of February 2027 is a second window, but acting during Annual Enrollment avoids any January gap in Medicare Advantage or drug coverage.

Where can an Arizona reader get free help?

Free, unbiased help is available from Medicare itself. 1-800-MEDICARE operates 24/7, and medicare.gov hosts the Plan Finder, the Medicare & You handbook, and plan-by-plan Star Ratings. For benefit questions on a specific plan, the plan's own Evidence of Coverage and provider and pharmacy directories are the definitive documents.