Medicare Advantage

Wellcare's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Wichita: three plans, two renamed, three gone

Wichita, Kan. — If you have a Wellcare Medicare Advantage plan in Wichita, your 2027 lineup looks different than it did this year. For plan year 2027, Wellcare (listed by CMS under Centene) is offering three Medicare Advantage plans in Sedgwick County, down from six in 2026. Two of the returning plans have new names, and three 2026 plans are not coming back. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site. We are not Wellcare, not Medicare, and not selling a plan. This article walks through what Wellcare is offering in the county next year so you can check it against your own doctors and prescriptions before the deadline.

What Medicare Advantage plans does Wellcare offer in Wichita for 2027?

Wellcare is offering three Medicare Advantage plans in Sedgwick County, which is the county Wichita sits in, for plan year 2027. All three are HMO-POS plans, and all three include Part D prescription drug coverage. Two of the three are Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), which are built for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.

In alphabetical order, Wellcare's 2027 plans in the county are:

• Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS)
• Wellcare Sunflower Health Plan Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP) — renamed; was Wellcare Dual Access Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP) in 2026
• Wellcare Sunflower Health Plan Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP) — renamed; was Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP) in 2026

The table below lists every Wellcare plan with its type and drug coverage. We can't publish premiums, copays, networks or star ratings here — those live on the plan's own documents and on Medicare's Plan Finder.

What is new or not returning from Wellcare in Sedgwick County?

Wellcare is not adding any new Medicare Advantage plans in Sedgwick County for 2027, is renaming two existing plans, and is not bringing back three plans it offered in 2026. The 2026 lineup included PPO options as well as HMO-POS; the 2027 lineup is HMO-POS only.

If you are enrolled in a Wellcare plan that is not returning, you should receive a non-renewal notice from the plan. You then have options during the Annual Enrollment Period (through December 7, 2026) and a Special Enrollment Period that follows a plan termination. If you are enrolled in a plan that was renamed, it is still largely the same plan on paper, but the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mails you lists what is different for 2027 — benefits, cost sharing, drug list, pharmacy network.

How do I check a Wellcare plan against my doctors and prescriptions before December 7?

Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Plan Finder lets you enter your ZIP code, your prescriptions and your pharmacy, and see how each plan handles them.

A simple checklist before you enroll or stay put:

1. Pull out your prescription bottles and list the drug name, dose and how often you take it. 2. List the doctors, clinics and hospitals you want to keep using. 3. Open your current plan's ANOC (mailed in late September) and note anything that changed for 2027. 4. In the Plan Finder, enter your drugs and pharmacy, then compare the plans you are considering side by side. 5. Confirm each doctor is in-network by checking the plan's own provider directory or calling the plan. 6. If a plan is a D-SNP, confirm you qualify based on your Medicaid status.

What else should Wichita residents know about 2027 Medicare?

Five other carriers also offer Medicare Advantage in Sedgwick County for 2027, and across all carriers the county has 31 Medicare Advantage plans. So Wellcare's three are one slice of a bigger menu.

A few program-level facts for the year ahead that CMS has confirmed:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (it is $2,100 in 2026).
• The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (it is $615 in 2026).
• The Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 for 2027. That is a formula input, not what any specific plan charges.
• The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS typically publishes them in the fall, usually in November.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is still available if you want to spread drug costs across the year in level monthly payments.

What happens if I do nothing by December 7, 2026?

Nothing happens to you automatically — your current plan simply renews for 2027 if it is still offered, with whatever changes are in the ANOC. If your plan is one of the three Wellcare plans not returning, you will get a notice and you will need to choose another plan (or go back to Original Medicare) to keep coverage in place. If you miss the Annual Enrollment Period, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31, 2027, and lets you switch Medicare Advantage plans or move back to Original Medicare once.