Medicare Advantage

Wichita Medicare Advantage shake-up for 2027: 11 plans leaving, 5 new, 7 renamed

People in Wichita can choose from 24 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 37 in 2026. Eleven of 2026's plans are gone, 5 are new to Sedgwick County, and 9 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 7 of them under a new name.

Wichita, Kan. — Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, and this year the mail arriving in Sedgwick County mailboxes looks different than it did a year ago. According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape files, 11 Medicare Advantage plans offered in Sedgwick County in 2026 will not return in 2027, five new plans are entering the county, and seven continuing plans are keeping their coverage but changing their names.

The biggest single change: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is not offering Medicare Advantage plans in Sedgwick County in 2027. Its four Blue Medicare Advantage PPO plans are among the 11 leaving. If you are enrolled in one of them, you have decisions to make — and a little extra time to make them.

What is changing in Sedgwick County for 2027

Wichita is in Sedgwick County, where Medicare Advantage plan availability is set. Comparing the 2026 and 2027 CMS Landscape files for the county:

• 11 plans leaving after 2026
• 5 new plans for 2027
• 7 plans renamed (same plan, new name on your card and paperwork)
• 9 continuing plans with a change to premium, deductible, plan type or name — the specifics are in each plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC)
• 19 plans continuing with no change flagged in the CMS file

The table on this page lists every plan available for the coming year.

The plans not returning in 2027

These 11 plans, listed in the CMS file as offered in Sedgwick County in 2026, will not be offered in 2027:

• Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO)
• Aetna Medicare Value Plus (HMO)
• Blue Medicare Advantage (PPO)
• Blue Medicare Advantage Choice (PPO)
• Blue Medicare Advantage Comprehensive (PPO)
• Blue Medicare Advantage Freedom (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)
• UHC Dual Complete KS-S002 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

If you are in one of these plans, you should receive a non-renewal notice from your carrier. Read it carefully — it explains that your coverage ends Dec. 31, 2026, and what your options are.

The new plans for 2027

Five plans are entering Sedgwick County for the 2027 plan year:

• Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP)
• Aetna Medicare Longevity (HMO I-SNP)
• Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (PPO)
• Aetna Medicare Value Plus (HMO)
• Healthy Blue Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP)

Several of these are Special Needs Plans, which have eligibility rules tied to a chronic condition, institutional status or dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid. If you are curious about one of them, ask the carrier or a licensed agent whether you qualify before you enroll.

Plans keeping their coverage but changing names

Seven plans are essentially continuing, just under a new name. If one of these is your plan, your card and paperwork for 2027 will say something different — even though the underlying plan is being carried forward:

• Aetna Medicare Signature Classic Extra (PPO) — was Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (PPO)
• Wellcare Sunflower Health Plan Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was Wellcare Dual Access Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Wellcare Sunflower Health Plan Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO) — was HumanaChoice Giveback H7617-015 (PPO)
• Humana Total Complete (HMO-POS) — was Humana Gold Plus H0028-054 (HMO-POS)
• Humana Value Choice (PPO) — was Humana Value Choice H5216-318 (PPO)
• UHC Dual Complete KS-QV1 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete KS-Q1 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

A rename does not automatically mean your doctors, drug list or costs are staying exactly the same. The ANOC your carrier sends each fall is where those details live. Nine other continuing plans have a change flagged in the CMS file to premium, deductible, plan type or name — again, the ANOC is the place to check.

What to do if your plan is leaving

If your Medicare Advantage plan is not renewed for 2027, you have two enrollment windows:

1. Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7). You can pick any Medicare Advantage or Part D plan available in Sedgwick County. Coverage starts Jan. 1, 2027. 2. Special Enrollment Period for plan non-renewal. Because your plan is leaving, Medicare gives you extra time — through the end of February — to choose a new Medicare Advantage plan or a stand-alone Part D plan, or to return to Original Medicare.

If you go back to Original Medicare, think about Part D drug coverage and whether you want a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy. Outside of your initial Medigap open enrollment window, Medigap insurers in Kansas can generally use medical underwriting — so the answer is not automatic.

A few 2027 program facts worth knowing

Some Medicare rules change every year at the program level. For 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old "donut hole" is gone; Part D now has three phases (deductible, initial, catastrophic).
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments, at no extra charge.
• IRMAA income-related surcharges for Part B and Part D begin above $109,000 for a single filer.

These figures apply everywhere, not just Sedgwick County.

Where to get personal help

• Medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder lets you enter your ZIP code and your prescriptions to compare plans side by side.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — available 24/7.
• Kansas SHICK (Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas) — this is Kansas's SHIP program, offering free, unbiased one-on-one counseling. You can reach SHICK at 1-800-860-5260.