Medicare Advantage

Before you renew in Hialeah: a 2027 Medicare Advantage checklist for the Dec. 7 window

People in Hialeah can choose from 101 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 115 this year. 30 of this year’s plans are gone, 16 are new to Miami-dade County, and 61 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 20 of them under a new name.

HIALEAH, Fla. — Fall 2026 is the one stretch of the year when almost anyone on Medicare can switch Advantage plans for the coming year, and the window closes December 7, 2026. Any change you make now takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews for 2027 — but almost every plan tweaks something, which is why the comparison matters this year.

Hialeah sits inside Miami-Dade County, where the Medicare Advantage lineup is shifting. For 2027, the county will have 101 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers, down from 115 plans and 17 carriers for 2026. Sixteen plans are new for 2027, 30 are not returning, and a batch of others have been renamed. That alone is reason to open the envelope your plan mailed in late September.

What's changing for Medicare Advantage in Hialeah for 2027?

Miami-Dade County will offer 101 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers in 2027, compared with 115 from 17 carriers in 2026. The county is losing 30 plans that will not return, gaining 16 new ones, and seeing another group of plans show up under new names.

By plan type in Miami-Dade for 2027: 70 HMOs, 10 HMO-POS and 21 PPOs. Most plans (94 of 101) include Part D drug coverage built in. The full roster for the county appears in the table below.

Two program-level numbers are also changing. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). CMS will publish the 2027 Part B premium, deductible and IRMAA income brackets later in the fall, typically in November.

How many carriers and Special Needs Plans serve Miami-Dade County in 2027?

Sixteen carriers will sell Medicare Advantage in Miami-Dade County for 2027, and 60 of their 101 plans are Special Needs Plans — 34 Dual-Eligible SNPs (D-SNP) for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, 20 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNP), and 6 Institutional SNPs (I-SNP).

In alphabetical order, the 2027 carriers in the county are: Aetna (CVS Health), Align Senior Care, AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Care, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Doctors HealthCare Plans, Elevance Health (Anthem), Florida Blue, Florida Blue HMO, Florida Complete Care, Gold Kidney Health Plan, Humana, Leon Health, Longevity Health Plan, Solis Health Plans, and UnitedHealthcare. Humana has the largest 2027 lineup in the county at 31 plans; UnitedHealthcare has 14 and Devoted Health has 10. The table below shows each carrier's full plan list for the county.

If you qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, or have a condition like diabetes, heart failure or chronic kidney disease, a Special Needs Plan may be worth a close look because it is designed around that situation.

What is the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and why does it matter?

The Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) is the booklet your current plan mailed by late September 2026. It lays out, side by side, what your plan covers in 2026 and what it will cover in 2027 — premium, deductible, copays, drug tier changes, extra benefits, provider network and pharmacy network.

Even if your plan is "the same," small changes add up: a drug you take could move to a different tier, your primary care copay could change, or a hospital could leave the network. If your plan is one of the 30 not returning to Miami-Dade for 2027, the ANOC will say so, and you have through December 7 to pick another — or a special period into early 2027 if a plan fully terminates.

How do I compare 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Hialeah step by step?

The cleanest way to compare plans in Hialeah for 2027 is to use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov and work through the same five checks for every plan on your short list.

1. Enter your ZIP code and your drug list. The Plan Finder will show every Advantage plan available in Miami-Dade County for 2027. Entering each medication (and dose) is what makes the drug-cost estimate meaningful. 2. Check your doctors and hospitals. Confirm each provider is in-network for the specific plan you are considering — not just the carrier. A carrier can offer several plans with different networks. When in doubt, call the doctor's office and the plan to confirm for 2027. 3. Check your pharmacy. Plans split pharmacies into "preferred" and "standard," and your cost at the counter can differ. If you use a specific Hialeah pharmacy or mail order, make sure it is in the plan's preferred tier. 4. Compare total yearly cost, not just the premium. Add the premium, deductible, expected copays and drug costs. Remember the 2027 Part D out-of-pocket cap of $2,400 and the maximum Part D deductible of $700. 5. Read the ANOC and the Summary of Benefits. The ANOC covers what is changing in your current plan; the Summary of Benefits is the quick-read version for any plan you are weighing.

If you want help by phone, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24/7.

What happens if I do nothing by December 7, 2026?

If you take no action by December 7, 2026, and your plan is being offered again in 2027, you stay on it — with the 2027 changes spelled out in your ANOC. If your plan is not returning to Miami-Dade County for 2027, you will get a non-renewal letter from the carrier and a Special Enrollment Period to choose another plan.

There is a second window after that: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 – March 31, 2027. During those months, people already in an Advantage plan can switch to another Advantage plan once, or drop back to Original Medicare. It is a narrower window than the fall one — you can't use it to leave Original Medicare for an Advantage plan — but it is a safety net.