Medicare Advantage

If your Medicare Advantage plan is leaving Overland Park, here's what to do next

For 2027, Overland Park is looking at 29 Medicare Advantage plans from 7 carriers: 6 new, 16 gone since 2026, and 23 continuing, 14 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Johnson County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — If you get a thick envelope from your Medicare Advantage insurer this fall, don't set it aside. In Johnson County, which is where Overland Park's plan options are set, 16 Medicare Advantage plans are ending after 2026, six new plans are arriving for 2027, and 14 plans are keeping the same shape but showing up under a new name. One carrier, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), will not offer Medicare Advantage plans in the county next year.

That means a real slice of local members will need to make a decision before the Annual Enrollment Period closes on Dec. 7 — or use the special window that opens when a plan is discontinued.

What's actually changing in Johnson County

Overland Park is in Johnson County, and Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level. Comparing the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files for 2026 and 2027 side by side, here is the local picture:

• 16 plans leaving after Dec. 31, 2026
• 6 new plans starting Jan. 1, 2027
• 14 plans renamed (same insurer, different name on the card)
• 16 plans continuing but changing on premium, deductible, plan type or name
• 23 plans continuing with no CMS-flagged change

The table below on this page lists every plan available locally for the coming year. Use it alongside your ANOC letter.

Plans that are leaving after 2026

If you're enrolled in one of these, your coverage ends Dec. 31, 2026, and you'll need to act:

• Aetna Medicare Chronic Care Total (HMO C-SNP)
• Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (HMO-POS)
• HealthSpring Preferred (HMO)
• HealthSpring Preferred Savings (HMO)
• HealthSpring True Choice (PPO)
• Wellcare Dual Access Sync Open (PPO D-SNP)
• Wellcare Patriot Giveback Open (PPO)
• Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
• Healthy Blue Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP)
• Erickson Advantage Champion (HMO-POS C-SNP)
• Erickson Advantage Freedom (HMO-POS)
• Erickson Advantage Guardian (HMO-POS I-SNP)
• Erickson Advantage Liberty (HMO-POS)
• Erickson Advantage Liberty no Rx (HMO-POS)
• Erickson Advantage Signature (HMO-POS)
• UHC Dual Complete KS-S002 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

The three HealthSpring plans are the Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC) Medicare Advantage lineup that is exiting the county. If you're on one of them, you won't be able to renew it here.

New plans arriving for 2027

Six plans are new to Johnson County next year:

• Aetna Medicare Enhanced (HMO-POS)
• Aetna Medicare Longevity (HMO I-SNP)
• Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO)
• DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE GIVEBACK EXTRAS 021 KS (PPO C-SNP)
• DEVOTED CHOICE GIVEBACK EXTRAS 023 KS (PPO)
• Healthy Blue Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP)

Two of these — the Aetna Longevity plan and one of the Devoted plans — are Special Needs Plans, which have eligibility rules (a chronic condition, being in an institution, or dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid).

Renamed plans: same coverage, new name on the card

Fourteen plans are keeping their core structure but showing up under a new name for 2027. A few examples: Aetna Medicare Signature Classic (PPO) was previously Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO); the Wellcare dual-eligible plans now carry "Sunflower Health Plan" in their names; and a group of Humana plans have dropped the H-number suffix. Two UnitedHealthcare AARP-branded plans lost the "Essentials" or "Extras" word from their names.

A renamed plan is not a new plan — you generally stay enrolled — but your ID card, member portal login and mailings will look different. Confirm the new name in your ANOC so you're not confused when a bill or explanation of benefits arrives.

Plans that are continuing but changed

Sixteen plans are continuing but differ from last year on premium, deductible, plan type or name. CMS flags that a change exists — it doesn't tell us the dollar amount. That is exactly what your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) is for. Every Medicare Advantage member should receive one by the end of September. It shows, side by side, what your plan looked like this year and what it will look like next year.

Read it. Even if you like your plan.

What to do if your plan is leaving

Two enrollment periods matter here:

1. Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): Oct. 15 – Dec. 7. This is when anyone with Medicare can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for the following year. Coverage starts Jan. 1. 2. Special Enrollment Period for a non-renewed plan. If your plan is not being offered in 2027, you have a Special Enrollment Period that runs through the end of February to enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan). You do not have to wait until AEP ends.

There's also the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (Jan. 1 – March 31) for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1 who want to switch once.

A few practical steps:

• Check that your doctors, hospitals and pharmacies are in the new plan's network.
• Look up each of your prescriptions on the plan's formulary.
• If you take expensive drugs, remember the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026, the maximum Part D deductible is $615, and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year.
• Higher earners: IRMAA income-related surcharges start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

Where to get help you can trust

• medicare.gov — Plan Finder lets you enter your ZIP code and drug list and compare every plan available in Overland Park.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — 24/7, free.
• Kansas SHICK — the state's free State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Counselors don't sell anything and don't earn commissions.