Medicare Advantage

Before You Toss That Medicare Mail, Honolulu

HONOLULU — If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in Honolulu, this fall's mail is worth opening carefully. The 2027 plan year brings a mix of exits, new options and renamed plans in Honolulu County, and one carrier — Centene (WellCare) — will not offer a Medicare Advantage plan here next year, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files comparing 2026 and 2027.

Medicare AdvantageHonolulu, HI

For most members, the plan they have today will still be around, though sometimes under a new name or with different details. For a smaller group, the plan will not renew, which triggers a Special Enrollment Period on top of the regular Annual Enrollment Period that runs October 15 through December 7.

What is changing in Honolulu County for 2027

Honolulu is in Honolulu County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set. Comparing the 2026 and 2027 CMS Landscape files, the county shows:

• 4 plans leaving after 2026
• 5 plans new for 2027
• 3 plans renamed (same plan, new name)
• 10 continuing plans with a change on file (premium, deductible, type or name)
• 21 plans continuing

The table below lists every plan offered in the county so you can find yours by name.

Plans not returning after 2026

Four plans will not renew in Honolulu County for 2027:

• AlohaCare Advantage (HMO D-SNP) — AlohaCare
• Wellcare 'Ohana Dual Align (HMO-POS D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare)
• HMSA Akamai Advantage Complete Plus (PPO) — HMSA Akamai Advantage
• UHC Dual Complete HI-S001 (PPO D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare

If you are in one of these plans, you should receive a non-renewal letter from your carrier. You do not have to wait until December to act — but you do have extra time if you need it (see the enrollment periods section below).

Note that HMSA Akamai Advantage Complete Plus (PPO) also appears on the "new for 2027" list. In CMS's file, that means the plan as offered in 2026 is ending and a plan with the same name is being filed as new for 2027. Read your ANOC closely — do not assume it is the same coverage.

New plans for 2027

Five plans are being added in Honolulu County:

• DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 006 HI (HMO C-SNP) — Devoted Health
• DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 008 HI (HMO) — Devoted Health
• HMSA Akamai Advantage Complete Plus (PPO) — HMSA Akamai Advantage
• HMSA Akamai Advantage Select Plus (HMO) — HMSA Akamai Advantage
• UHC Dual Complete HI-YL (PPO D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare

Some of these are Special Needs Plans (C-SNP or D-SNP), which have eligibility rules based on a chronic condition or on having both Medicare and Medicaid.

Plans that are renamed

Three Humana plans are keeping the same underlying plan but changing what they are called for 2027:

• Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO) — was Humana USAA Honor Giveback with Rx (PPO)
• Humana Total Complete (HMO) — was Humana Gold Plus H0028-082 (HMO)
• Humana Value Choice (PPO) — was HumanaChoice H5216-465 (PPO)

A rename by itself does not change your coverage, but the ANOC will tell you if anything else is moving alongside the new name.

What to do if your plan is leaving — and the enrollment periods that apply

Two enrollment windows matter this fall and winter:

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7. Anyone with Medicare can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for a January 1 start.
• Special Enrollment Period for a non-renewed plan: If your plan is not being renewed for 2027, you qualify for an SEP that runs through the end of February 2027. You can use it to pick another Medicare Advantage plan or move back to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan).

There is also the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 – March 31, for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan who want to switch once.

A practical order of operations:

1. Read your ANOC when it arrives (usually by late September). 2. Confirm your doctors, hospitals and pharmacies are in-network for any plan you are considering. 3. Check that your prescriptions are on the plan's formulary. 4. Compare plans at medicare.gov/plan-compare, or call 1-800-MEDICARE. 5. If you would like free, unbiased help, contact the Hawaii SHIP (Sage PLUS Program) through the Executive Office on Aging.

A few 2026 and 2027 program facts worth knowing

These apply program-wide, not to any single plan:

• Part D has a $2,100 out-of-pocket cap in 2026.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly amounts.
• IRMAA income-based surcharges start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.