Medicare Advantage

13 new Medicare Advantage plans arrive in Louisville for 2027: here's the list

Jefferson County has 67 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 13 plans are not coming back, 13 are new, and 23 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 9 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Louisville, not which plan to pick.

LOUISVILLE — As the Annual Enrollment Period opens for 2027 coverage, Jefferson County residents will see 13 Medicare Advantage plans that were not sold here for 2026. They sit alongside dozens of returning plans, and because they are brand new, they come without a Star Ratings history and without a year of local member experience to look back on. That makes them worth a careful look before December 7, 2026 — the last day to pick a plan that starts January 1, 2027.

What "new for 2027" actually means

Louisville sits in Jefferson County, where Medicare plan availability is set. For plan year 2026, 67 Medicare Advantage plans from 10 carriers are offered countywide. For 2027, CMS's Landscape files show 13 of the plans on next year's menu are brand new — meaning they were not sold in Jefferson County in 2026.

A new plan differs from a renewing one in a few concrete ways. A renewing plan has an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) you can compare to this year's coverage, a provider network you may already know, and a Star Rating built from prior-year data. A new plan has none of that history. It still has a Summary of Benefits, an Evidence of Coverage, a provider directory and a drug formulary — those documents exist on day one. What it does not have yet is a track record.

The 13 new plans, by carrier

Listed alphabetically by carrier, exactly as filed with CMS. Plan types and drug coverage are noted; every plan below includes Part D drug coverage.

• Aetna (CVS Health) — Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP)
• American Health Advantage of Indiana — American Health Advantage of Kentucky (HMO I-SNP)
• Devoted Health — DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE GIVEBACK EXTRAS 008 KY (PPO C-SNP); DEVOTED CHOICE GIVEBACK EXTRAS 011 KY (PPO)
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — Anthem Chronic Care Advantage (HMO C-SNP); Anthem Medicare Advantage 2 (HMO-POS)
• Humana — Humana Dual QMB Only (HMO D-SNP); Humana Gold Plus H5619-188 (HMO); Humana Senior Living Plan (PPO I-SNP); Humana Together in Health (PPO I-SNP)
• UnitedHealthcare — AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx KY-MA2 (HMO-POS); UHC Dual Complete KY-Q2 (HMO-POS D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete KY-S4 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

Of the 13 new plans, several are Special Needs Plans (SNPs). SNPs are built for people in a specific situation: a Dual Eligible SNP (D-SNP) is for people with both Medicare and Medicaid; a Chronic Condition SNP (C-SNP) is for people with a qualifying chronic illness such as diabetes, heart conditions or chronic kidney disease; an Institutional SNP (I-SNP) is for people who live in — or need the level of care typically provided in — a long-term care facility. You must meet the eligibility rules to enroll in a SNP.

How to vet a new plan against your doctors and prescriptions

Because a new plan has no local history, the documents and tools below are how you check whether it will actually fit your life.

1. Make a list first. Write down the doctors and specialists you want to keep, the hospital system you prefer, and every prescription you take — name, dose and how often. 2. Use the Medicare Plan Finder. At medicare.gov, enter your ZIP code and your drug list. Plan Finder will show which plans in Jefferson County cover each drug, what tier it is on, and what the plan's pharmacy network looks like. 3. Check the provider directory. Open the plan's own online directory, or call the plan, and search each doctor by name and address. "In network" at one location does not always mean in network at another. 4. Read the Summary of Benefits and the Evidence of Coverage. These are the plan's own documents and spell out what is covered, what referrals are needed, and how out-of-network care is handled (PPOs allow it at a higher cost; HMOs generally do not). 5. Call to confirm. If you have any doubt, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) or call the plan directly. A doctor's office can also tell you which plans they are contracted with for 2027.

What about Star Ratings on a new plan?

CMS Star Ratings are calculated from past performance data — things like member experience surveys, customer service measures and clinical quality. A plan that did not exist in Jefferson County in 2026 has no local performance to measure, so it will not carry a Star Rating of its own in its first year. That is a program fact, not a reason to pick or skip a plan; it simply means you cannot use ratings as a shortcut and have to rely on the plan's documents and your own checks.

The 2027 numbers worth knowing

For 2027, CMS has confirmed a few program-wide figures that apply no matter which plan you choose:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027: $41.33 (this is a formula input used across the program, not the premium any particular plan charges).

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the IRMAA income brackets, had not been announced as of early fall 2026; CMS typically publishes them later in the fall.

If you do nothing

Nothing automatic happens to you on December 7. If your current plan is being offered again for 2027, you stay in it, with the changes described in your ANOC — the notice your plan was required to send in September. If your plan is one of the ones not returning next year, your plan will have told you so in writing, and you have a Special Enrollment Period to choose a replacement. The full table below shows every Medicare Advantage plan available in Jefferson County for 2027, including the new ones.