Medicare Advantage

Before Dec. 7: Check Your Augusta Plan for 2027

People in Augusta can choose from 85 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 84 this year. Seven of this year’s plans are gone, 8 are new to Richmond County, and 33 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 11 of them under a new name.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — As Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period runs through Dec. 7, people on a Medicare Advantage plan in Augusta should look closely at what is changing for 2027. New federal filings show seven plans will not return in Richmond County next year, eight new plans are joining the market, and 11 plans are keeping the same core coverage under a new name. One carrier, CareSource, will not offer Medicare Advantage plans in the county in 2027.

What's changing in Richmond County

Augusta sits in Richmond County, where Medicare Advantage plan availability is set. For 2027, the county's Medicare Advantage lineup is shifting in four ways: some plans are ending, some are new, some are being renamed, and many that continue have adjustments listed in CMS filings.

Sixty-six plans are continuing. The full 2026 plan list is shown in the table on this page.

Plans leaving Augusta after 2026

Seven Medicare Advantage plans offered in Richmond County this year will not be available in 2027:

• CareSource Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP)
• CareSource Dual Advantage Plus (HMO D-SNP)
• Anthem Extra Help (HMO-POS)
• Anthem Medicare Advantage (HMO-POS)
• Anthem Medicare Advantage 2 (PPO)
• Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H4141-025 (HMO D-SNP)
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC GA-5 (HMO-POS)

CareSource is exiting the county entirely for 2027. If you are enrolled in one of these plans, your carrier is required to send you a written notice. You will not lose Medicare — but you will need to choose a new Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (and consider a stand-alone Part D drug plan).

Because your plan is being discontinued, you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period that runs through Feb. 28, 2027. That gives you extra time beyond the Dec. 7 deadline.

New Medicare Advantage plans for 2027

Eight plans are joining the Richmond County market for 2027:

• Aetna Medicare Prime Care (HMO)
• DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE GIVEBACK EXTRAS 020 GA (PPO C-SNP)
• DEVOTED CHOICE GIVEBACK EXTRAS 024 GA (PPO)
• Anthem Medicare Advantage 2 (HMO-POS)
• Humana Together in Health (PPO I-SNP)
• HumanaChoice Giveback H7617-119 (PPO)
• HumanaChoice H7617-114 (PPO)
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC GA-10 (HMO-POS)

Some plans that end in "C-SNP" (Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan) or "I-SNP" (Institutional Special Needs Plan) are only for people who qualify based on a specific chronic illness or nursing-home residency.

Renamed plans — same plan, new name

Eleven Medicare Advantage plans in Richmond County are being renamed for 2027. A rename by itself does not mean your coverage is changing, but it can still cause confusion when your mail arrives. These renames include:

• Aetna Medicare Eagle Extra Plus (PPO) — was Aetna Medicare Eagle Plus (PPO)
• Aetna Medicare Value Extra Care (PPO) — was Aetna Medicare Value Care (PPO)
• Wellcare Peach State Health Plan Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was Wellcare Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Wellcare Peach State Health Plan Dual Access Open (PPO D-SNP) — was Wellcare Dual Access Open (PPO D-SNP)
• Wellcare Peach State Health Plan Dual Liberty (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was Wellcare Dual Liberty (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Wellcare Peach State Health Plan Dual Reserve (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was Wellcare Dual Reserve (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Clover Health LiveHealthy Premier (PPO) — was Clover Health LiveHealthy Value (PPO)
• DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE ENHANCED 017 GA (PPO C-SNP) — was DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE PREMIUM 017 GA
• UHC Dual Advantage GA-V1 (PPO D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete GA-V1
• UHC Dual Complete GA-Q2 (PPO D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete GA-S1
• UHC Dual Complete GA-Q3 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete GA-D2

Your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) will tell you the new name and confirm any other adjustments.

Read your ANOC — even if your plan is "continuing"

Beyond the plans leaving, joining or being renamed, 22 plans in Richmond County have at least one change on file with CMS for 2027 — a change in premium, deductible, plan type or name. CMS files do not tell us how much has changed, only that something has. The ANOC that your plan mails each fall lists the specifics. Compare the 2026 and 2027 columns side by side, and pay attention to:

• The monthly premium and yearly deductible
• Copays for your regular doctor visits and prescriptions
• Whether your doctors, hospitals and pharmacies are still in-network
• Any changes to extra benefits like dental, vision or hearing

What to do — and when

The two key windows:

• Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026): Anyone with Medicare can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for coverage starting Jan. 1, 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment (Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027): If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1, you get one more chance to switch to another Advantage plan or move back to Original Medicare.
• Special Enrollment Period for non-renewed plans: Runs through Feb. 28, 2027.

A few program-level facts to keep in mind: the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027, and the maximum Part D deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. The coverage gap ("donut hole") no longer exists, and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly installments. CMS publishes the 2027 Part B premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA brackets, later this fall.

Where to get personal help

For free, one-on-one help in Augusta, contact Georgia's SHIP program — GeorgiaCares — which offers unbiased Medicare counseling. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (24/7) or use the Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare plans available at your ZIP code.