Medicare Advantage

Why every 2026 Augusta MA plan includes drug coverage

People in Augusta can choose from 74 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 84 this year. Seven of this year's plans are gone, 8 are new to Richmond County, and 22 that continue have changed something in their terms, 11 of them under a new name.

Medicare AdvantageAugusta, GA

AUGUSTA, Ga. — If you are sorting through Medicare Advantage options for 2027, here is a plain look at who is selling what in Augusta. Augusta is in Richmond County, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lists 74 Medicare Advantage plans from 9 carriers for the 2027 plan year. Every one of those plans includes prescription drug coverage. The full carrier-by-carrier roster is in the table below.

What is on offer in Richmond County

CMS's 2027 Medicare Advantage Landscape file shows 9 carriers offering plans to people with Medicare in Richmond County. In alphabetical order, they are: Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Clover Health, Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Georgia Health Advantage, Humana, PruittHealth Premier and UnitedHealthcare. CareSource, which offered plans in 2026, is not returning for 2027.

Here is how the 84 plans split by carrier:

• Aetna (CVS Health): 12 plans (HMO, PPO; 4 SNPs)
• CareSource: 2 plans (HMO; 2 SNPs)
• Centene (WellCare): 10 plans (HMO-POS, PPO; 4 SNPs)
• Clover Health: 4 plans (PPO)
• Devoted Health: 5 plans (PPO; 2 SNPs)
• Elevance Health (Anthem): 8 plans (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO; 3 SNPs)
• Georgia Health Advantage: 2 plans (HMO; 2 SNPs)
• Humana: 25 plans (HMO, PPO; 7 SNPs)
• PruittHealth Premier: 3 plans (HMO; 3 SNPs)
• UnitedHealthcare: 13 plans (HMO-POS, PPO; 9 SNPs)

The table below lists every plan by carrier, its plan type and whether it includes drug coverage.

The plan types you will see

You will see three basic plan types in the Augusta roster:

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You generally use in-network doctors and get referrals for specialists.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service). An HMO with a limited option to go out of network for certain services.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). You can see out-of-network providers, usually at a higher cost.

Some plans are also Special Needs Plans (SNPs), which only accept people who meet specific criteria:

• D-SNP — for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.
• C-SNP — for people with certain chronic conditions (for example, diabetes, heart conditions or end-stage renal disease).
• I-SNP — for people who live in an institution such as a nursing home, or need that level of care at home.

Of the 84 plans in Richmond County, 36 are SNPs, so not every plan on the list is one you can join. Carriers offering SNPs in the county include Aetna, CareSource, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Georgia Health Advantage, Humana, PruittHealth Premier and UnitedHealthcare.

Drug coverage and stand-alone Part D

Every 2027 Medicare Advantage plan listed for Richmond County includes Part D prescription drug coverage. The CMS 2027 landscape file shows zero stand-alone Part D plans specifically flagged for the county in this dataset. If you want drug coverage and you live in Augusta, in practice that means picking a Medicare Advantage plan that includes it, or pairing Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan that CMS shows available in your ZIP code on the Medicare Plan Finder.

A few program-level Part D facts to keep in mind for 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap (the "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments, at no extra charge.

Dates and enrollment windows

• Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026. This is when most people join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for coverage starting Jan. 1, 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: Jan. 1 – March 31. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).
• Special Enrollment Periods may apply if you move, lose other coverage or qualify for Medicaid or Extra Help.

If your income is above $109,000 as a single filer in 2026, an IRMAA surcharge may be added to your Part B and Part D premiums. That is set by Social Security, not by the plan.

How to compare plans without guessing

Because this article cannot list premiums, copays, drug formularies, provider networks or star ratings for individual plans, you will want to check those directly:

• Use medicare.gov/plan-compare to enter your ZIP code, your prescriptions and your preferred doctors and pharmacies. The Plan Finder will show you costs and coverage side by side.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7.
• For free, unbiased local help, contact GeorgiaCares, the state's SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program), at 1-866-552-4464.

Star Ratings are CMS's quality measure for plans; they are one useful input, but they do not tell you whether a plan covers your specific drugs or includes your doctor. The CMS 2027 data used here does not show any contracts in the area rated 4 stars or higher, so leaning only on ratings is not a shortcut in Richmond County — checking the details on your own list of drugs and providers matters more.