Medicare Advantage

Worcester's 2026 Medicare Advantage menu: 12 carriers, plan types, and drug coverage at a glance

For 2027, Worcester is looking at 50 Medicare Advantage plans: 9 new, 17 gone since 2026, and 24 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 4 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Worcester County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Medicare AdvantageWorcester, MA

WORCESTER, Mass. — If you live in Worcester and you're sorting through Medicare Advantage options for 2027, here's the short version: eleven insurers are selling plans in the county, and every one of them bundles prescription drug coverage into the plan. The table below lists every plan by carrier, along with its plan type (HMO, HMO-POS or PPO) and whether it's a Special Needs Plan.

Because Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level, the same lineup that shows up for Worcester also applies across Worcester County. The counts and plan names on this page come from the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for plan year 2027. For the specific costs, benefits and provider networks tied to any plan, the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov and the plan's own documents are the sources to check.

What's in the Worcester lineup for 2027

Worcester is in Worcester County, where CMS lists 46 Medicare Advantage plans for the 2027 plan year. All 11 carriers offer MA-PD plans (Medicare Advantage with drug coverage built in). Every plan in the county roster carries drug coverage, so you don't need a separate stand-alone Part D plan if you enroll in one. Compared with 2026, 17 plans are not returning, 9 are new, 4 have been renamed, and 20 continuing plans change something in their terms — the details are in each plan's Annual Notice of Change. Mass Advantage is not offering plans in the county next year.

Fifteen of the 58 plans are Special Needs Plans (SNPs). Those are limited to people who qualify — most commonly by having both Medicare and Medicaid (D-SNP), living in an institutional setting, or having a specific chronic condition (C-SNP).

The carriers offering plans in Worcester County

Listed alphabetically, the 11 carriers with 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Worcester County are:

• Aetna (CVS Health): 4 plans (HMO-POS, PPO)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts: 7 plans (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO)
• Commonwealth Care Alliance Massachusetts: 1 plan (HMO; Special Needs)
• Commonwealth Care Alliance, Inc.: 1 plan (HMO; Special Needs)
• eternalHealth: 3 plans (HMO, PPO)
• Fallon Health: 5 plans (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• Humana: 5 plans (PPO)
• Mass Advantage: 4 plans (HMO, PPO)
• Mass General Brigham Health Plan: 4 plans (HMO-POS, PPO)
• Molina Healthcare of Massachusetts: 3 plans (HMO; all Special Needs)
• Tufts Health Plan: 12 plans (HMO, PPO; 4 Special Needs)
• UnitedHealthcare: 9 plans (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO; 5 Special Needs)

The full list of individual plan names is in the table below.

How to read the plan types

HMO plans generally ask you to use in-network doctors and hospitals and to pick a primary care physician who coordinates referrals. HMO-POS plans work like an HMO but include a "point of service" option that allows some out-of-network care, usually at a higher cost. PPO plans give you more flexibility to see out-of-network providers, often at a higher share of the cost than in-network care.

Special Needs Plans, whether they're marked D-SNP, C-SNP or SCO, are tailored to a specific group. They come with tighter eligibility rules but often coordinate benefits more closely for the people who qualify.

Drug coverage in 2027

Every Worcester County MA plan for 2027 includes prescription drug coverage. That means Part D rules apply inside the plan. The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. The annual out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025, leaving three phases of Part D coverage.

If your drug bills tend to be lumpy — a big cost in one month and less in others — you can opt into the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which spreads what you owe evenly across the calendar year. It doesn't change the total, just the timing.

Enrollment dates to keep on the calendar

The Annual Enrollment Period for Medicare runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. That's the main window each fall to join, drop or switch Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, with changes taking effect Jan. 1.

If you're already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1 and decide it isn't a fit, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 through March 31 lets you switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan if needed) one time.

Also worth knowing: higher-income enrollees may pay an income-related monthly adjustment (IRMAA) on Part B and Part D. For 2026, IRMAA surcharges begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Where to get personal answers

This page shows what's available. What's right for you depends on your doctors, your prescriptions and your budget — details this article can't give you.

• Compare plans and costs side by side at medicare.gov using the Plan Finder.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• For free, unbiased local help, contact Massachusetts's State Health Insurance Assistance Program, known as SHINE (Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone). SHINE counselors can walk through your options one-on-one.