Medicare Advantage

Wellcare's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Louisville: two leaving, one renamed

Louisville, Ky. — Wellcare's Medicare Advantage lineup in Jefferson County is shifting a bit for 2027, and the window to compare it against your doctors and prescriptions is open now. From October 15 through December 7, 2026, people on Medicare can review next year's plans and make a change that takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews — with any changes spelled out in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mails each fall.

This article covers one carrier, Wellcare, in the county that includes Louisville. MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site and is not Wellcare or Medicare. Nine other carriers also offer Medicare Advantage plans in Jefferson County for 2027, for 67 plans in total across all carriers.

What Wellcare is offering in Jefferson County for 2027

For the 2027 plan year, Wellcare (which CMS lists under Centene) is offering 7 Medicare Advantage plans in Jefferson County, the county Louisville sits in. All 7 include prescription drug coverage. By type, there are 5 HMO-POS plans and 2 PPO plans. Four of the 7 are Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), designed for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. There are no C-SNPs (for specific chronic conditions) or I-SNPs (for people in institutional settings) from Wellcare in the county next year.

The table below lists every Wellcare plan in Jefferson County for 2027 with its plan type and whether it includes drug coverage. We're not listing premiums, copays, networks, or star ratings here, because those are specific to each plan and can change — the Plan Finder shows them for your ZIP code and your drugs.

What's new, what's not returning, and what's renamed

Compared with 2026, Wellcare's Jefferson County lineup has three kinds of changes to know about:

• Not returning: 2 Wellcare plans offered in the county this year will not be offered in 2027. If you're in one of them, you'll get a non-renewal notice from the plan and will need to pick a different plan during AEP or go back to Original Medicare.
• New for 2027: 0 brand-new Wellcare plans.
• Renamed: 1 plan has a new name — Wellcare Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP) was previously Wellcare Dual Access Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP). A rename on its own doesn't tell you whether benefits changed; your ANOC will.

The seven Wellcare plans available in the county for 2027, in alphabetical order, are:

• Wellcare Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP) — renamed from Wellcare Dual Access Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Wellcare Dual Access Sync Open (PPO D-SNP)
• Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Wellcare Dual Reserve (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Wellcare Giveback (HMO-POS)
• Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS)
• Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)

Plan types, in plain English

Wellcare's 2027 Louisville-area lineup includes two network shapes and a special category:

• HMO-POS plans use a network and usually ask you to pick a primary care doctor. The "POS" (point of service) piece means limited coverage for some services outside the network — the rules vary by plan.
• PPO plans let you see both in-network and out-of-network providers, usually at different cost levels.
• D-SNPs are a kind of plan built for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. Eligibility is tied to your Medicaid status, so a D-SNP isn't an option for everyone.

Which shape fits best depends on your doctors, your medications, and how often you travel — not on the label.

How to check a plan against your doctors and prescriptions

Before December 7, 2026, it's worth running your own check instead of guessing:

1. List your doctors and the pharmacies you use. Include specialists you see even once a year. 2. List your prescriptions — exact drug names, doses, and how often you fill them. 3. Go to the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. Enter your ZIP code, add your drugs and pharmacy, and filter to Medicare Advantage plans. You'll see each plan's monthly premium, deductible, drug costs, and provider network for your situation. 4. Confirm your doctors are in-network by checking the plan's own provider directory, and call the office if you're not sure — directories can lag. 5. Read the Evidence of Coverage (EOC) for any plan you're seriously considering. It's the long document that spells out what is and isn't covered. 6. If you already have a plan, read your ANOC. It compares this year's benefits with next year's, line by line.

If you'd rather talk to someone, 1-800-MEDICARE is available 24/7.

A few 2027 numbers worth knowing

These apply to Medicare drug coverage generally — in Medicare Advantage plans with Part D, or in standalone Part D plans — not to any one Wellcare plan:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026. Once your out-of-pocket drug spending hits that cap, you pay $0 for covered Part D drugs for the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027, up from $615 in 2026. Plans may charge less.
• The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• A Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is available if you want to spread your drug costs across the year in monthly payments.

CMS has not yet announced the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets and surcharges. Those usually come out in the fall — check medicare.gov for the latest.