Medicare Advantage

Your Wichita ANOC checklist: what to confirm before Dec. 7 for 2027 coverage

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. — It is fall 2026, and the envelope that matters most this season has probably already landed in your mailbox. Every Medicare Advantage and Part D plan sends an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) each September, spelling out what will be different about your coverage on January 1, 2027. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and that window is your chance to compare, confirm or switch — before next year's plan takes effect.

If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews with the changes listed in its ANOC. That is fine for many people. But a quick review now can save a scramble in January, especially if your doctor, your hospital or one of your prescriptions no longer lines up with next year's version of the plan.

Start with the ANOC

The Annual Notice of Change is the single most important document in your mail this fall. It is a side-by-side look at what your plan charges and covers in 2026 and what it will charge and cover in 2027.

As you read, look for:

• Changes to the monthly premium, the medical deductible and the out-of-pocket maximum.
• Changes to copays for primary care, specialists, urgent care, emergency room visits and hospital stays.
• Changes to the drug deductible, the formulary (which drugs are covered) and which tier each drug sits on.
• Changes to extra benefits like dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter allowances and fitness.
• Any note that the plan is being discontinued or consolidated for 2027.

If you want more detail than the ANOC gives, ask the plan for its 2027 Evidence of Coverage — that is the full rulebook.

Check your doctors and Wichita hospitals

Networks change every year. A provider who is in-network in 2026 is not automatically in-network in 2027, and that includes big systems in Wichita like Ascension Via Christi, Wesley Healthcare and the clinics affiliated with each.

Two steps to take before December 7:

1. Pull up the plan's 2027 provider directory on its website (it posts in October) and search for each doctor you see regularly, by name. 2. Call the doctor's office directly and ask whether they will accept the specific 2027 plan you are considering. Front-desk staff see this question every fall.

If you are on a plan type that requires in-network care — most HMOs, for example — a network change can matter a lot. PPOs give you out-of-network options but typically at a higher cost share.

Check every prescription

Drug coverage changes more than any other part of a plan year to year. Pull your current medication list and run each drug through the 2027 formulary for the plan you are considering. Note:

• Whether the drug is still covered at all.
• What tier it sits on (that drives your copay).
• Whether it now requires prior authorization, step therapy or a quantity limit.
• Whether your usual pharmacy is still a preferred pharmacy on the 2027 plan.

Two Part D numbers are already confirmed for 2027: the out-of-pocket cap moves to $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum deductible a plan can charge rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026). If your drug costs are high, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread them across the year in monthly installments.

Know what Sedgwick County offers

Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level. Wichita is in Sedgwick County, where 37 Medicare Advantage plans from 7 carriers are offered for 2026, all of them including drug coverage. Twelve of those are Special Needs Plans, designed for people who qualify based on income, a chronic condition or an institutional setting.

The carriers offering plans in the county are, in alphabetical order: 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 on offer. The 2027 lineup will post to Medicare's Plan Finder in October 2026, and the counts can shift from one plan year to the next.

If you prefer Original Medicare plus a Medigap policy and a stand-alone Part D plan, that is a separate choice and uses a different set of rules; Original Medicare is accepted by any provider who takes Medicare, anywhere in the country.

What is not set yet for 2027

A few numbers you may be waiting on are not public yet. CMS has not announced the 2027 Part B standard premium or deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets (the surcharges higher earners pay on Part B and Part D) are not out either. Both are usually released in the fall, often in November. Do not act on projections — wait for the published figures.

A simple timeline for the next few weeks

• Now through October: read your ANOC and list your doctors, hospitals and prescriptions.
• October 15 onward: use medicare.gov/plan-compare to view 2027 plans side by side.
• Before December 7, 2026: make any change you want for a January 1, 2027 start.
• January 1 – March 31, 2027: if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you still get one chance to switch during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period.