Medicare Advantage

Got a letter about your Medicare Advantage plan?

For 2027, Fort Lauderdale is looking at 87 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers: 16 new, 29 gone since 2026, and 41 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 19 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Broward County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

FORT LAUDERDALE — If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in the Fort Lauderdale area, this fall's mail is worth opening. The 2027 plan year brings a noticeable reshuffle in Broward County, with 29 plans not returning, 16 new plans coming in, and another 19 keeping their coverage but changing names. One carrier — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), which sold HealthSpring plans locally — will not offer Medicare Advantage plans in the county next year.

The Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, so you have time to compare — but only if you know what's actually changing on your plan.

What's changing in Broward County for 2027

Fort Lauderdale is in Broward County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set. According to CMS's Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files comparing 2026 to 2027, the county's lineup will look like this:

• 29 plans leaving after 2026
• 16 new plans for 2027
• 19 plans renamed (same plan, new name)
• 41 plans with a change on file (premium, deductible, plan type or name)
• 71 plans continuing without one of those changes

Those numbers do not mean 29 members will lose coverage — many carriers replace an exiting plan with a similar one. But if the exact plan you're enrolled in is on the "leaving" list, you will need to pick a new plan for Jan. 1.

Plans not returning in 2027

The plans below were sold in Broward County in 2026 and will not be offered in 2027. If your ID card matches one of these, expect a non-renewal letter from your carrier:

• Aetna Medicare Dual Select (HMO D-SNP) and Aetna Medicare Select Extra (HMO-POS) from Aetna (CVS Health)
• Premier Care (HMO I-SNP) and Senior Care (HMO I-SNP) from Align Senior Care
• AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Care (HMO D-SNP)
• HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) and HealthSpring TotalCare (HMO D-SNP) from Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC)
• Wellcare Dual Access Sync (HMO D-SNP), Wellcare Patriot Giveback (HMO) and Wellcare Sunshine Health Dual Align (HMO D-SNP) from Centene (WellCare)
• DrElite-SFL (HMO) and DrSelect (HMO) from Doctors HealthCare Plans
• From Elevance Health (Anthem): Freedom Medi-Medi Full (HMO D-SNP), Optimum Emerald Full (HMO D-SNP), Simply Complete (HMO D-SNP), Simply Extra Platinum (HMO), Simply Integrated (HMO D-SNP), Simply Integrated Platinum (HMO D-SNP), Simply Level (HMO C-SNP), Simply Level Platinum (HMO C-SNP), Simply More (HMO) and Simply More Platinum (HMO)
• CareNeeds Extra (HMO D-SNP), Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO) and HumanaChoice Florida SNP-DE H7617-113 (PPO D-SNP) from Humana
• UHC MedicareMax Complete Care FL-30 (HMO C-SNP), UHC MedicareMax Dual Complete FL-D4 (HMO D-SNP), UHC MedicareMax Dual Complete FL-V3 (HMO D-SNP) and UHC MedicareMax Dual Complete FL-Y6 (HMO-POS D-SNP) from UnitedHealthcare

Several of these are Special Needs Plans (SNPs) for people with both Medicare and Medicaid or specific chronic conditions. If you're in a D-SNP or C-SNP that's leaving, you'll want to find another SNP you qualify for rather than a general plan.

New plans and renamed plans for 2027

Sixteen new plans join the Broward lineup for 2027, including new options from Aetna (CVS Health), Align Senior Care, AmeriHealth Caritas, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Doctors HealthCare Plans, Gold Kidney Health Plan, Humana and Solis Health Plans. The table below lists every plan available in the county for 2027 with its carrier and plan type.

Nineteen more plans are simply changing name. A few examples from the CMS file: Aetna Medicare Dual Select (HMO D-SNP) is being renamed Aetna Medicare QMB Only Select (HMO D-SNP); Wellcare Dual Reserve (HMO D-SNP) becomes Wellcare Sunshine Health Dual Reserve (HMO-POS D-SNP); and several UnitedHealthcare Dual Complete plans are getting new alphanumeric labels (for example, FL-D003 becomes FL-Q1). A rename by itself doesn't force you to switch — your coverage renews — but the plan on your welcome packet may not look like the plan on your current card.

What to do if your plan is leaving

If your carrier tells you your plan won't be offered in Broward County in 2027, you have two overlapping windows:

1. Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): Oct. 15 – Dec. 7. Anyone on Medicare can pick a new Medicare Advantage plan or a stand-alone Part D drug plan for a Jan. 1 start. 2. Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for a non-renewed plan: This SEP runs from Dec. 8 through the end of February 2027. It's for people whose plan is being discontinued in their area. You can use it to enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan or to go back to Original Medicare and add a Part D plan.

If you do nothing, CMS may automatically move you to a similar plan from the same carrier — or, if the carrier is exiting entirely (as with Blue Cross Blue Shield/HCSC here), you'll be returned to Original Medicare without drug coverage. That's why reading the letter matters.

There's also the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 – March 31, which lets people already in a Medicare Advantage plan switch once or drop back to Original Medicare.

Read the ANOC — even if your plan is staying

By late September, every Medicare Advantage member should have received an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). It spells out exactly what's different for 2027 on your specific plan — premium, deductible, drug list, network, extras. In Broward County, 41 plans have at least one change on file with CMS beyond a name swap. The ANOC is the document that tells you what those changes are on your plan.

A few program-level facts to keep in mind while you compare:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027, and there is no longer a coverage gap (the "donut hole" was eliminated in 2025).
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly amounts instead of paying a large bill at the pharmacy.
• IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Where to get personal help

Comparing plans in Broward County can get overwhelming — 119 Medicare Advantage plans from 17 carriers are on the 2026 board, and 87 plans from 16 carriers are on the 2027 board. Free, unbiased help is available:

• Medicare.gov Plan Finder lets you enter your ZIP code and prescriptions and see every plan side by side.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7.
• Florida SHINE, the state's SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program), offers free one-on-one counseling. Call the Elder Helpline at 1-800-