Medicare Advantage

Doing nothing? Port St. Lucie members land on Original Medicare

For 2027, Port St. Lucie is looking at 81 Medicare Advantage plans: 16 new, 26 gone since 2026, and 39 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 15 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in St. Lucie County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Port St. Lucie, Fla. — If a thick envelope from your Medicare Advantage insurer landed in your mailbox this fall, read it before you set it aside. In St. Lucie County, 26 Medicare Advantage plans offered in 2026 are not being offered again for 2027, and the people enrolled in them are getting non-renewal letters right now. Here is how to tell if you are one of them, what happens on January 1 if you do nothing, and the extra time Medicare gives you to pick something new.

How do I know if my Medicare Advantage plan is leaving Port St. Lucie for 2027?

Your insurer is required to mail you a non-renewal notice by early October 2026 if your plan will not be offered next year. The letter will say the plan is being "discontinued" or "non-renewed" in your service area as of December 31, 2026, and will spell out your options.

This is different from the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which plans send to members whose plan is continuing but changing. A non-renewal letter is the one that says the plan itself is going away. Keep it — you will need the dates and plan ID if you call Medicare or shop on medicare.gov.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are not returning in St. Lucie County for 2027?

Port St. Lucie is in St. Lucie County, where CMS's 2027 Landscape file shows 26 Medicare Advantage plans from the 2026 lineup are not being offered again. The plans, listed alphabetically by carrier, are:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Dual Select (HMO D-SNP); Aetna Medicare Premier (PPO); Aetna Medicare Select Extra (HMO-POS); Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO) — three plan variations under this name; Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (PPO).
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Dual Access Sync (HMO D-SNP); Wellcare Patriot Giveback (HMO); Wellcare Sunshine Health Dual Align (HMO D-SNP).
• Elevance Health (Anthem): Freedom Medi-Medi Full (HMO D-SNP); Optimum Diamond Rewards (HMO C-SNP); Optimum Diamond Rewards COPD (HMO C-SNP); Optimum Emerald Full (HMO D-SNP); Simply Complete Platinum (HMO D-SNP); Simply Integrated Platinum (HMO D-SNP).
• Florida Blue: BlueMedicare Select (PPO).
• Florida Blue HMO: BlueMedicare Premier (HMO).
• Florida Complete Care: Florida Complete Care-Duals VIP (HMO-POS D-SNP).
• HealthSpring: HealthSpring Preferred (HMO); HealthSpring TotalCare (HMO D-SNP); HealthSpring TotalCare Plus (HMO D-SNP).
• Humana: Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO); HumanaChoice Florida SNP-DE H7617-113 (PPO D-SNP).
• UnitedHealthcare: AARP Medicare Advantage CareFlex from UHC FL-35 (HMO-POS); UHC Dual Complete FL-Y5 (HMO-POS D-SNP).

If your 2026 plan is not on this list, it is expected to return in some form for 2027 — but still read your ANOC, because benefits, copays and drug lists can change year to year. The table on this page lists every plan available in the county.

What happens on January 1, 2027, if I do nothing after my plan ends?

If your Medicare Advantage plan is non-renewed and you make no other choice, Medicare automatically moves you to Original Medicare — Part A (hospital) and Part B (medical) — starting January 1, 2027. You will not be left without medical coverage.

But two important things do not come with that automatic move:

• No prescription drug coverage. Original Medicare does not include Part D, and if you lost drug coverage along with your plan, you need to enroll in a stand-alone Part D plan to avoid a gap and a possible late-enrollment penalty down the road.
• No supplemental coverage. Original Medicare has no annual out-of-pocket maximum on Part A/B services. Many people pair it with a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy to limit what they pay.

What is the Special Enrollment Period for a non-renewed plan?

When your Medicare Advantage plan is non-renewed, Medicare gives you a Special Enrollment Period that runs from December 8, 2026 through the end of February 2027. During that window you can:

• Join a different Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage).
• Enroll in a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan if you move to Original Medicare.
• Switch from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare.

You can also still make your pick during the regular Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 – December 7, 2026, which takes effect January 1, 2027. The Special Enrollment Period is extra time, not your only time.

Leaving a Medicare Advantage plan because it is non-renewing may also give you a Medigap "guaranteed-issue" right — meaning certain Medigap policies have to sell to you without medical underwriting. Florida has its own rules on top of the federal baseline, so check with the Florida Department of Financial Services or call 1-800-MEDICARE before you assume a specific Medigap plan is available to you.

What should I look at before I pick a new plan?

A few things to check as you compare — whether on medicare.gov's Plan Finder or by phone:

• Your doctors and hospitals: confirm they are in-network for any plan you consider.
• Your prescriptions: enter them into Plan Finder to see which plans cover them and at what tier.
• Drug costs for 2027: the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). Actual plan premiums and copays vary.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread Part D out-of-pocket costs over the calendar year in monthly amounts.

For St. Lucie County overall, CMS's 2027 file shows 81 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 carriers, so there is still a wide field to choose from.