Medicare Advantage

Wichita's 2027 Medicare Advantage shake-up: one carrier exits, five new plans arrive

People in Wichita can choose from 31 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 37 this year. Eleven of this year’s plans are gone, 5 are new to Sedgwick County, and 16 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 7 of them under a new name.

WICHITA, Kan. — Fall 2026. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in Wichita, this year's Annual Notice of Change packet is worth a careful read. The 2027 lineup in Sedgwick County looks different from 2026: one carrier, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, is not offering Medicare Advantage plans here next year, five brand-new plans are coming in, and several familiar plans have been renamed. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any choice you make takes effect January 1, 2027.

The 2027 lineup in Sedgwick County

Wichita is in Sedgwick County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set. For the 2026 plan year, residents here can choose from 37 Medicare Advantage plans offered by 7 carriers. By type, that breaks down to 4 HMO plans, 15 HMO-POS plans, 17 PPO plans and 1 PFFS plan. Twelve of those are Special Needs Plans (for people with certain chronic conditions, who are dual-eligible for Medicaid, or who live in an institutional setting), and all 37 include drug coverage.

The carriers currently serving the county are Aetna (CVS Health), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Kansas Health Advantage, and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan by carrier.

What's not returning in 2027

Eleven plans available in Sedgwick County in 2026 will not be offered in 2027. The biggest piece of that is Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, which is leaving the Medicare Advantage market in this county entirely — all four of its Blue Medicare Advantage PPO plans are going.

The full list of plans leaving after 2026:

• Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• Aetna Medicare Value Plus (HMO) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• Blue Medicare Advantage (PPO) — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
• Blue Medicare Advantage Choice (PPO) — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
• Blue Medicare Advantage Comprehensive (PPO) — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
• Blue Medicare Advantage Freedom (PPO) — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
• Wellcare Dual Access Sync Open (PPO D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare)
• Wellcare Patriot Giveback Open (PPO) — Centene (WellCare)
• Wellcare Simple Open (PPO) — Centene (WellCare)
• Healthy Blue Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) — Elevance Health (Anthem)
• UHC Dual Complete KS-S002 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare

If one of these is your plan, you should receive a non-renewal notice from your insurer. That notice gives you a Special Enrollment Period to pick another Medicare Advantage plan, join a stand-alone Part D plan, or go back to Original Medicare — generally running from December 8, 2026 through the end of February 2027. You do not have to wait for the next Annual Enrollment Period.

What's new for 2027

Five plans are joining the Sedgwick County lineup for 2027:

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

A note on how to read that list: a Chronic Condition SNP (C-SNP) is for people with certain qualifying chronic illnesses, an Institutional SNP (I-SNP) is for people who live in a nursing facility or similar setting, and a Dual-Eligible SNP (D-SNP) is for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. Not everyone is eligible for an SNP. The costs, benefits and provider networks for every new plan are in the plan's own documents and in the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov.

Plans that have been renamed or changed

Seven plans continuing in Sedgwick County are coming back under a new name for 2027. The name change does not necessarily mean anything else is different, but it does mean the plan you see on medicare.gov may not match what is printed on your current card:

• 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)

Beyond the renames, CMS data show nine plans in the county are changing on at least one of premium, deductible, type or name for 2027, and 19 are continuing without that kind of change. Your Annual Notice of Change, which should arrive by the end of September, lays out exactly what is different about your plan.

How to decide during the enrollment window

A few practical steps for the next few weeks:

1. Read your ANOC. Even if you love your plan, the premium, deductible, drug tiers, out-of-pocket maximum or provider network can change. The ANOC compares 2026 to 2027 side by side. 2. Check your doctors and your drugs. On medicare.gov's Plan Finder, you can enter your prescriptions and your preferred pharmacy and see how each plan handles them. Networks also change year to year. 3. Know the 2027 Part D rules. The out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs is $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum Part D deductible is $700 (up from $615). The optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year instead of paying them at the pharmacy. 4. Watch for the Part B figures. CMS has not yet announced the 2027 Part B standard premium, deductible or IRMAA income brackets; those usually come out in November. 5. If your plan is leaving, use your SEP. Do not feel rushed into the first replacement offer you see. You have time past December 7 to choose.

Doing nothing is a valid choice if your plan is renewing — it will simply continue with the changes in the ANOC. Doing nothing when your plan is not renewing means losing Medicare Advantage coverage on January 1 and defaulting back to Original Medicare without a drug plan.