Medicare Advantage

Chicago's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup: new plans, exits and one carrier gone

For 2027, Chicago is looking at 67 Medicare Advantage plans: 6 new, 17 gone since 2026, and 30 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 9 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Cook County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

CHICAGO — As the Annual Enrollment Period opens on Oct. 15, 2026, the Medicare Advantage menu for Cook County is shifting again. Six plans are new for 2027, seventeen will not return, and one carrier — Clear Spring Health — is leaving the county altogether. For Chicagoans comparing coverage before the Dec. 7, 2026 deadline, the lineup you shopped last fall is not the lineup you will see this fall.

What the 2027 lineup looks like in Cook County

Medicare Advantage plans are approved county by county, so Chicago's choices are set by what CMS allows in Cook County. For 2027, that includes 12 carriers, listed here in alphabetical order: Aetna (CVS Health), Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Essence Healthcare, Humana, Longevity Health, Molina Healthcare of Illinois, Provider Partners Health Plans, UnitedHealthcare and Zing Health. Clear Spring Health, which offered plans in Cook County for 2026, is not returning.

The county's plan mix continues to lean toward HMO and PPO designs, with a smaller number of HMO-POS and PFFS options, plus Special Needs Plans (SNPs) for people with certain chronic conditions, dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility, or who live in an institutional setting. Every Medicare Advantage plan available in Cook County for 2027 includes prescription drug coverage.

The table below lists every plan by carrier.

What's new for 2027

Six plans are new to Cook County for 2027, spread across five carriers:

• Aetna Medicare Prime Extra Care (HMO) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• Wellcare Simple Exclusive Value (HMO-POS) — Centene (WellCare)
• DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 007 IL (HMO C-SNP) — Devoted Health
• DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 008 IL (HMO) — Devoted Health
• Molina Medicare Complete Care Plus (HMO D-SNP) — Molina Healthcare of Illinois
• AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx IL-MA2 (HMO-POS) — UnitedHealthcare

Benefits, costs and provider networks for each of these are in the plan's own documents and in the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov.

What's leaving after 2026

Seventeen plans sold in Cook County for 2026 will not be offered for 2027. They include:

• Aetna Medicare Prime Chronic Total (HMO C-SNP) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Basic Plus (HMO-POS), Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Choice Plus (PPO), Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Choice Premier (PPO), Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Premier Plus (HMO-POS) and Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Secure (HMO) — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC)
• Wellcare Patriot Giveback (HMO), Wellcare Simple Essential (HMO) and Wellcare Simple Value (HMO-POS) — Centene (WellCare)
• Clear Spring Health Balance+ Diabetes & Heart (HMO C-SNP) and both Clear Spring Health BrightPath Advantage (HMO) plans — Clear Spring Health (entire carrier exit)
• Humana Full Access H5216-412 (PPO), Humana Full Access H7617-009 (PPO) and Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO) — Humana
• Molina Medicare Choice Care (HMO) and Molina Medicare Complete Care Plus (HMO D-SNP) — Molina Healthcare of Illinois

If one of these is your current plan, your insurer must send you a non-renewal letter. You do not lose Medicare — you lose that particular Medicare Advantage plan on Dec. 31, 2026.

If your plan is not returning, you have extra time

When a Medicare Advantage plan is discontinued, Medicare opens a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for the people who were in it. In most cases that SEP runs from Dec. 8, 2026 through the end of February 2027, and it lets you pick another Medicare Advantage plan or go back to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Part D plan.

Two things worth knowing:

• If you do nothing, you will still have Original Medicare (Parts A and B), but you will not have drug coverage, and going without creditable drug coverage can trigger a late-enrollment penalty later.
• If you want to add a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy when you return to Original Medicare, your protections for buying one depend on Illinois rules and your situation; medicare.gov explains the guaranteed-issue rights that apply.

Renamed and changing plans

Nine plans in Cook County are being renamed for 2027. The plan ID stays the same, but the name on your card and paperwork may be different. Examples include Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (HMO), which was Humana Gold Plus Giveback H1468-021 (HMO), and Zing Select Care IL (HMO), which was Zing Choice IL (HMO).

Beyond renames, CMS data show 21 Cook County plans have at least one change for 2027 — to premium, deductible, plan type or name. The specifics are in each plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), the booklet carriers mail every September. Read it even if your plan name has not changed.

Dates and figures to keep in mind

• Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026. Changes take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027, when a current MA enrollee can make one change.
• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026, rising to $2,400 in 2027.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026, rising to $700 in 2027.
• The Part B standard premium and deductible for 2027, and the 2027 IRMAA brackets, are expected from CMS later this fall.

If you do nothing during AEP and your plan is still offered, it renews automatically with the changes described in your ANOC. If your plan is on the leaving list, doing nothing means losing that plan — but your SEP gives you a window to choose.

Where to go for personalized help

For plan-by-plan comparisons tied to your prescriptions and doctors, use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. For questions you cannot answer there, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.