Medicare Advantage

What’s Changing in Kansas Medicare Advantage for 2027: 23 Plans Leaving, 27 Changing

TOPEKA — Kansans with Medicare Advantage have a shorter menu to read this fall. According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape files, the number of plans offered somewhere in Kansas drops from 87 for 2026 to 80 for 2027 — a net change that reflects plans leaving, plans arriving, and plans staying put with adjustments. Of the 105 counties in the state, 100 will see at least one plan leave or change for the 2027 plan year.

That makes this a year to open the mail, not toss it.

What the statewide numbers mean

The two CMS Landscape files — one for 2026, one for 2027 — list every Medicare Advantage plan offered in each Kansas county. Counting each plan once statewide, no matter how many counties it serves, gives this year-over-year picture:

• 87 plans offered in Kansas for 2026; 80 for 2027.
• 23 plans leaving: offered somewhere in Kansas for 2026, nowhere for 2027.
• 27 plans changing: offered both years, but with a different premium, drug deductible, plan type, or plan name in at least one county.
• 16 plans new for 2027.
• 37 plans continuing unchanged.

CMS's definition of "changing" is narrow and technical. It means something in the plan's Landscape record is different for 2027 — the premium, the drug deductible, the plan type, or the name. It does not tell you what changed or by how much. For those specifics, the plan's own Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) is the document to read.

The Landscape also shows which carriers no longer appear in Kansas. HealthSpring has no Kansas plans listed for 2027.

If your plan is leaving

If your 2026 plan is one of the 23 not offered in Kansas for 2027, your carrier is required to send you a non-renewal notice. You will not be dropped from Medicare — your Part A and Part B stay in place — but your Medicare Advantage plan ends on December 31, 2026.

Two things to know:

1. You get a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Members whose plan is not renewed get an SEP that runs through the end of February 2027. You can use it to pick a different Medicare Advantage plan or to return to Original Medicare (and consider a stand-alone Part D drug plan). 2. Doing nothing has consequences. If your plan is leaving and you make no choice, you will generally end up back on Original Medicare without drug coverage, which can create a gap. Acting during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026) means your new coverage starts January 1, 2027, with no interruption.

If your plan is changing

If your plan is one of the 27 continuing with a change, you will receive an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) from your carrier in the fall. The ANOC is the official document that lists exactly what is different for 2027 compared with 2026 — the premium, the deductible, the plan type or name, as well as benefit and network details.

A member who does nothing stays enrolled in a renewing plan and is automatically carried into the 2027 version of that plan, with the changes described in the ANOC. That is a legitimate choice — but only if you have actually read the ANOC and the 2027 version still fits your doctors, your prescriptions, and your budget.

If you have questions after reading it, the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026) is the time to switch. A choice made during AEP takes effect January 1, 2027.

The counties with the most change

Across Kansas, 100 of 105 counties see at least one plan leave or change. The counts below come straight from the CMS Landscape comparison:

• Johnson County: 16 leaving, 16 changing
• Jefferson County: 13 leaving, 16 changing
• Leavenworth County: 13 leaving, 16 changing
• Franklin County: 14 leaving, 14 changing
• Miami County: 13 leaving, 15 changing
• Wyandotte County: 10 leaving, 16 changing
• Douglas County: 13 leaving, 12 changing
• Doniphan County: 15 leaving, 8 changing

These are counts, not rankings — a plan that "leaves" one county may still be offered elsewhere, and a plan that "changes" may have changed in only one of several counties. The practical takeaway is the same: if you live in one of these counties, the odds are high that something about your coverage looks different for 2027.

What to do before December 7

A short checklist for the weeks between now and December 7, 2026:

• Watch the mail in September and October. Look for the ANOC (if your plan is continuing) or a non-renewal notice (if your plan is leaving).
• Make a list. Your doctors, your pharmacy, your prescriptions, and any specialists you see.
• Compare on Medicare.gov. The Plan Finder lets you enter your drugs and pharmacy and see every 2027 plan in your ZIP code.
• Mark the dates. AEP: October 15 – December 7, 2026. Coverage from an AEP choice starts January 1, 2027. If your plan is not renewed, your SEP runs through the end of February 2027.

Where to get free help

You do not have to figure this out alone, and you do not have to pay anyone to help.

• Medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder for side-by-side comparisons.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — free, one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers who do not sell insurance. In Kansas, SHIP is known as SHICK (Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas).