Medicare Advantage

Aetna Medicare Advantage in Arkansas for 2027: 16 Plans, County by County

LITTLE ROCK — Aetna will offer 16 Medicare Advantage plans across Arkansas for the 2027 plan year, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files for CY2026 and CY2027. The lineup includes a mix of HMO, HMO-POS and PPO plans, with some new names, some renamed plans, and a handful not returning. This explainer, produced by an independent Medicare education site that is not the government and not affiliated with any insurance carrier, walks through what the CMS files show for Arkansas and how to confirm what is actually available where you live.

What Medicare Advantage plans is Aetna offering in Arkansas for 2027?

Aetna, which CMS groups as Aetna (CVS Health), is listing 16 Medicare Advantage plans in Arkansas for 2027. By plan type, that breaks down to 5 HMO plans, 2 HMO-POS plans and 9 PPO plans. Fourteen of the 16 plans include prescription drug coverage.

Three of those plans are Special Needs Plans designed for people with specific circumstances: 2 Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid, and 1 Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan (C-SNP). Aetna is not offering an Institutional SNP (I-SNP) in the state for 2027.

For context on the broader market, CMS lists 9 other Medicare Advantage carriers active in Arkansas for 2027, and all carriers together account for 84 plans statewide. The full carrier-by-carrier and plan-by-plan tables appear elsewhere on this page.

Which Aetna Medicare Advantage plans reach the most Arkansas counties in 2027?

The widest county footprints among Aetna's Arkansas plans for 2027 belong to Aetna Medicare Full Dual Care (HMO D-SNP), listed in 53 counties, followed by four PPO plans each listed in 39 counties: Aetna Medicare Eagle Classic Giveback, Aetna Medicare Eagle Giveback, Aetna Medicare Signature Classic Plus and Aetna Medicare Signature Plus.

Other plans with substantial reach include Aetna Medicare Signature Plus (HMO) in 32 counties, and both Aetna Medicare Dual Extra Care (HMO D-SNP), Aetna Medicare Elite (PPO) and Aetna Medicare Elite Classic (PPO) in 21 counties. Smaller footprints include Aetna Medicare Signature (HMO-POS) in 13 counties, Aetna Medicare Signature Classic Giveback (PPO) and Aetna Medicare Signature Giveback (PPO) in 9 counties each, Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP) in 8 counties, and Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (HMO-POS), Aetna Medicare Signature Extra Plus (PPO) and Aetna Medicare Signature Care (HMO) in the single digits. The full county counts appear in the plan table on this page.

What is new or not returning from Aetna in Arkansas for 2027?

Seven of Aetna's 16 Arkansas plans are new for 2027, and 4 plans Aetna offered in 2026 are not returning. The new names on the CMS 2027 file include Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP), Aetna Medicare Eagle Giveback (PPO), Aetna Medicare Elite (PPO), Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (HMO-POS), Aetna Medicare Signature Extra Plus (PPO), Aetna Medicare Signature Giveback (PPO) and Aetna Medicare Signature Plus (PPO).

Several plans have also been renamed, which can look like a change on paper even when the plan is continuing. CMS lists Aetna Medicare Eagle Classic Giveback (PPO) as the renamed version of the former Aetna Medicare Eagle Giveback (PPO); Aetna Medicare Elite Classic (PPO) as the renamed Aetna Medicare Elite (PPO); Aetna Medicare Signature Classic Giveback (PPO) as the renamed Aetna Medicare Signature Giveback (PPO); and Aetna Medicare Signature Classic Plus (PPO) as the renamed Aetna Medicare Signature Plus (PPO). If you are already enrolled, watch for the Annual Notice of Change from the plan explaining what the new name means for your coverage.

How do I check whether an Aetna plan is offered in my Arkansas county for 2027?

Start with the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, which lets you enter your ZIP code and see every Medicare Advantage plan actually available in your county for 2027. A plan listed statewide here — even one offered in 53 Arkansas counties — may not be offered in the county where you live, because carriers choose their service areas county by county.

Once you have the list for your ZIP code, confirm two things for any plan you are considering: that your doctors, hospitals and pharmacies are in that specific plan's network, and that your prescriptions are on that plan's drug list at a cost you can live with. The authoritative source for those details is the plan's own Evidence of Coverage, Summary of Benefits and provider and pharmacy directories, which you can request from Aetna directly or view through medicare.gov. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

What should Arkansas Medicare beneficiaries do before December 7, 2026?

The Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage runs October 15 – December 7, 2026, and any choice made in that window takes effect January 1, 2027. That is the main window each year to join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage plan for the coming year.

A simple checklist: read the Annual Notice of Change your current plan mailed you, make a short list of your doctors and prescriptions, compare the plans available in your county on medicare.gov, and confirm your choice before the December 7, 2026 deadline. If you take no action, in most cases you stay in your current plan — or, if that plan is not returning for 2027, your coverage may change, so it is worth checking.

Where can Arkansans get free help comparing Medicare Advantage plans for 2027?

Two free, official resources are available to every Arkansas Medicare beneficiary year-round. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov shows every plan available in your ZIP code with full plan details, and 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048) can answer questions by phone 24/7.

Both sources are run by the federal Medicare program and do not sell insurance. They are the best place to confirm anything you read here against your own county, doctors and prescriptions before you enroll.