Medicare Advantage

Wellcare's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Phoenix: a plan-by-plan look before Dec. 7

PHOENIX — As the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 to December 7, 2026, Wellcare's Medicare Advantage lineup in Maricopa County is getting shorter and getting one new entry for the 2027 plan year. If you have a Wellcare plan now, or you are weighing one, here is a plain look at what the carrier is offering locally next year — and how to check it against your own doctors and prescriptions before the deadline.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site. We are not Wellcare, and we are not the government. Wellcare is one of 16 carriers offering Medicare Advantage plans in Maricopa County for 2027; together they offer 92 plans. This article covers Wellcare's slice of that picture.

Wellcare's 2027 plans in Maricopa County

Phoenix is in Maricopa County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set. For the 2027 plan year, Wellcare (CMS lists the parent as Centene) is offering 3 Medicare Advantage plans in the county. All 3 are HMOs, and all 3 include Part D drug coverage.

Two of the three are Special Needs Plans — one Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid, and one Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan (C-SNP) for people living with a qualifying chronic condition. SNPs have eligibility rules; a general-enrollment HMO does not.

The table below lists every Wellcare plan available in the county for 2027. In alphabetical order, they are:

• Wellcare Arizona Complete Health Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP) — new for 2027
• Wellcare Simple (HMO)
• Wellcare Specialty Simple (HMO C-SNP)

We are not quoting premiums, copays, deductibles, extra benefits, provider networks or star ratings for any of these plans. Those details sit in each plan's Summary of Benefits and Evidence of Coverage, and they are what you should compare against your own situation.

What's new, what's not returning

For 2027, Wellcare has 1 new plan in Maricopa County — the Wellcare Arizona Complete Health Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP) listed above — and 4 plans from 2026 are not returning in the county.

If you are enrolled in a Wellcare plan that is not continuing in 2027, the carrier is required to tell you. Watch the mail (and your plan's member portal) for the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and, if your plan is ending, a non-renewal notice. Those documents spell out exactly what is changing and what your options are.

If your current plan is on next year's list, it will renew automatically on January 1, 2027 unless you choose something else. The ANOC is still worth reading — premiums, copays, drug tiers and provider networks can shift from one year to the next even when the plan name stays the same.

How to check a plan against your doctors and prescriptions

Before December 7, 2026, three quick checks save a lot of January headaches:

1. Your doctors and hospitals. On medicare.gov, open the Plan Finder, enter your ZIP code, and look up each plan's provider directory. Call your doctor's office too — ask specifically whether they are in-network for the exact plan name and plan year. 2. Your prescriptions. Enter every drug you take, with the dose, into the Plan Finder. It will show each plan's formulary tier and your estimated yearly cost at nearby pharmacies. 3. Your pharmacy. A plan can have your drug on its formulary but treat your pharmacy as out-of-network. Check both.

For personal help, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What's confirmed for 2027 — and what isn't

A few program-level numbers are already set for 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 — this is a formula input, not the premium any specific plan charges.

Other 2027 figures have not been announced yet. CMS typically publishes the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets and surcharges, later in the fall. Be cautious of any source quoting those numbers now as fact.

Dates to keep in mind

• October 15 – December 7, 2026: Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. Changes take effect January 1, 2027.
• January 1 – March 31, 2027: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you get one chance to switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare.

If you do nothing during Annual Enrollment, nothing dramatic happens — your current plan renews (if it is being offered next year) with the changes listed in its ANOC.