Medicare Advantage

Thinking about a brand-new Medicare Advantage plan in Tampa? Here's how to check one before Dec. 7

Hillsborough County has 124 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 29 plans are not coming back, 20 are new, and 51 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 19 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Tampa, not which plan to pick.

TAMPA, Fla. — As the Annual Enrollment Period opens for 2027 coverage, Hillsborough County's Medicare Advantage menu is shifting. Twenty plans that were not sold here in 2026 will be on the shelf for 2027, offered by 13 different carriers. If one of them catches your eye between now and December 7, 2026, there is a simple way to test whether it actually fits your doctors and your prescriptions — and a few things to know first about how a brand-new plan is different from one that has been around.

What "new for 2027" means in Tampa

Each fall, CMS publishes the plan lineup for the coming year. In Hillsborough County, the 2027 Landscape shows 20 Medicare Advantage plans that were not offered in 2026, 29 that are not returning, and 19 that are being renamed. The table on this page lists every plan. The focus here is the new ones.

A "new" plan is just that — it begins selling on January 1, 2027. It has a benefit design, a network and a formulary, like any other plan. What it does not have yet is a track record with CMS or with members in this market.

The 20 new Medicare Advantage plans for 2027

Here are the plans new to Hillsborough County for 2027, in alphabetical order by carrier, with each plan's type and whether it includes drug coverage. All of them include prescription drug coverage. Several are Special Needs Plans (SNPs) — D-SNPs for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, C-SNPs for people with certain chronic conditions, and I-SNPs for people living in an institutional setting.

• Aetna (CVS Health) — Aetna Medicare Partial Dual Select (HMO D-SNP); with drug coverage
• Align Senior Care — Premier Care (HMO I-SNP); with drug coverage
• Align Senior Care — Senior Care (HMO I-SNP); with drug coverage
• Centene (WellCare) — Wellcare Sunshine Health Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP); with drug coverage
• Centene (WellCare) — Wellcare Sunshine Health Dual Align (HMO D-SNP); with drug coverage
• Devoted Health — DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 106 FL (HMO); with drug coverage
• Doctors HealthCare Plans, Inc. — DrExtraCare-CFL (HMO C-SNP); with drug coverage
• Doctors HealthCare Plans, Inc. — DrPartialDual-CFL (HMO D-SNP); with drug coverage
• Doctors HealthCare Plans, Inc. — DrSelect-CFL (HMO); with drug coverage
• Florida Blue — BlueMedicare Patriot Plus (PPO); with drug coverage
• Florida Complete Care — Florida Complete Care-Duals VIP (HMO-POS D-SNP); with drug coverage
• Gold Kidney Health Plan — Gold Dialysis Premier (HMO-POS C-SNP); with drug coverage
• Gold Kidney Health Plan — Gold Heart & Diabetes Plus (HMO-POS C-SNP); with drug coverage
• Humana — Humana Dual Integrated (PPO D-SNP); with drug coverage
• Humana — Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO); with drug coverage
• SECUR Health Plan — SECUR CarePath (HMO C-SNP); with drug coverage
• Solis Health Plans — Solis Wellness Plan (HMO C-SNP); with drug coverage
• Ultimate Health Plans — Advantage Care COPD by Ultimate (HMO C-SNP); with drug coverage
• UnitedHealthcare — AARP Medicare Advantage Giveback from UHC FL-40 (HMO-POS); with drug coverage
• UnitedHealthcare — UHC Dual Complete FL-Y5 (HMO-POS D-SNP); with drug coverage

A quick read of that list: most of the new entries are HMOs or HMO-POS plans, with a handful of PPOs; and a big share are Special Needs Plans aimed at specific groups — people with both Medicare and Medicaid, people with chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, COPD or kidney disease, and people in institutional care.

How a new plan is different from a renewing one

A plan that has been offered for years comes with history: a Star Rating from CMS based on past performance, provider relationships that longtime members know, and the experience of a formulary that has been through a plan year.

A new plan does not have that yet. CMS Star Ratings use past data, so a brand-new plan simply has no rating assigned. That is a program fact — not a judgment on the plan — and the Medicare Plan Finder will show it that way.

What is the same for both? The plan still has a published premium, deductible, copays, provider network and drug list for 2027. You can look all of that up before you enroll. The practical difference is that with a new plan, there are no member reviews or rating history to lean on; you are relying on the written benefits and your own check of the network and formulary.

How to vet a new plan against your doctors and prescriptions

Before December 7, 2026, here is a straightforward way to test any plan — new or renewing — against your own life.

1. Make two lists. Write down the doctors, specialists and hospitals you want to keep. Then list every prescription you take, with the exact dose and how often you fill it. 2. Use the Medicare Plan Finder. Go to medicare.gov, enter your ZIP code, and add your prescriptions. The tool will show each plan's estimated yearly drug cost based on your list. 3. Check the plan's provider directory. The Plan Finder links out to each plan's network search. Look up each doctor by name — and call the office to confirm they will be in-network for that plan in 2027, since directories can lag. 4. Read the Evidence of Coverage or Summary of Benefits. These documents, posted by the plan, spell out copays, referral rules, prior authorization and any extra benefits. 5. Call 1-800-MEDICARE if you want to talk through a comparison with a Medicare representative, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you already have a Medicare Advantage plan, read the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) that arrived from your carrier in September. It lays out what is changing in your current plan for 2027, so you can decide whether to stay or shop.

The dates and figures that apply to everyone

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7, 2026. Any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing and your plan is being offered next year, it renews automatically with the changes in the ANOC.

Two confirmed 2027 numbers are worth knowing as you compare drug coverage: the Part D out-of-pocket cap will be $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible will be $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, will be announced by CMS later in the fall.

For context, Hillsborough County had 133 Medicare Advantage plans from 19 carriers on offer for 2026. The full 2027 table on this page shows what is available next year — new, renaming, and continuing.