Medicare Advantage

Wellcare's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Anaheim: one plan gone, one renamed

ANAHEIM, Calif. — As the Annual Enrollment Period runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026, Wellcare is going into 2027 with five Medicare Advantage plans available to people on Medicare in Orange County, the county Anaheim sits in. One plan from this year's lineup is not returning, one has been renamed, and no new Wellcare plans are being added for the 2027 plan year.

That mix matters right now because any choice you make during this window takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews — but with whatever changes are spelled out in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) the carrier mails each fall.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site. We are not Wellcare, and 15 other carriers also offer Medicare Advantage plans in Orange County for 2027 (111 plans in all).

What Wellcare Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Anaheim for 2027?

In Orange County, where Anaheim is located, Wellcare is offering five Medicare Advantage plans for the 2027 plan year. All five are HMOs, and all five include Part D prescription drug coverage.

Two of those five are Special Needs Plans: one Dual Eligible SNP (for people who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal) and one Chronic Condition SNP (for people with a qualifying chronic condition). The other three are standard HMOs open to anyone eligible for Medicare Advantage in the service area.

The table below lists every Wellcare plan available in the county for 2027, in alphabetical order. In alphabetical order, the 2027 plans are: Wellcare Health Net Dual Liberty (HMO D-SNP), Wellcare Low Premium (HMO), Wellcare Simple (HMO), Wellcare Simple Focus (HMO), and Wellcare Specialty Simple (HMO C-SNP).

What is new, renamed or not returning from Wellcare for 2027?

Compared with 2026, one Wellcare plan in Orange County is not returning for 2027, no plans are new, and one plan has been renamed. The renamed plan is Wellcare Health Net Dual Liberty (HMO D-SNP), which was called Wellcare Dual Liberty (HMO D-SNP) in 2026.

If you are enrolled in a plan that is not returning, Wellcare will send you a non-renewal notice this fall, and you have a Special Enrollment Period to choose a new plan. If your plan was renamed, your coverage carries over, but the ANOC will spell out what else — if anything — has changed in benefits, drug list or network for 2027.

How do I check a Wellcare plan against my doctors and prescriptions before Dec. 7?

The clearest tool is the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. You can enter your ZIP code, add the names of your prescription drugs and the pharmacies you use, then open any Wellcare plan to see its drug list (formulary), estimated yearly drug costs, and plan documents.

For doctors and hospitals, check the plan's provider directory — linked from the plan's page on Medicare.gov or from Wellcare's own site — and, to be safe, call the office and ask whether they will be in-network for that specific plan in 2027. Networks can change at the start of a new plan year, so a provider who is in-network in 2026 may or may not be in 2027. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE around the clock for help walking through the comparison.

What else is changing for Medicare in 2027?

A few program-wide numbers for 2027 are already set by CMS and apply no matter which plan you pick. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). The Part D maximum deductible a plan can charge rises to $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 — that is a formula input Medicare uses, not what any specific plan charges.

A few 2027 figures are not out yet. The standard Part B premium and deductible, and the IRMAA income brackets and surcharges that apply at higher incomes, are usually announced by CMS in the fall, typically in November. We will not estimate them here.

The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") has been gone since 2025, so Part D now has three phases instead of four. The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan remains an option in 2027: it lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.

What happens if I do nothing by Dec. 7, 2026?

If you take no action by Dec. 7, 2026, your current plan renews on Jan. 1, 2027 — as long as it is still being offered — with whatever changes are described in its ANOC. You do not lose coverage simply by missing the window.

The exception is a plan that is not returning. In that case, your carrier will send a non-renewal letter, and you will qualify for a Special Enrollment Period to choose a new Medicare Advantage or Part D plan without penalty. Even if your plan is renewing, it is worth reading the ANOC — benefits, drug tiers, and provider networks can shift year to year.

Also keep in mind the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period that runs Jan. 1 through March 31, 2027. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1, you get one chance during that window to switch to a different MA plan or go back to Original Medicare.