Medicare Advantage

What’s Changing in Mississippi Medicare Advantage for 2027: 10 Plans Leaving, 25 Changing

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi's Medicare Advantage lineup is shifting again for the 2027 plan year, and every county in the state will feel some version of it. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files, the number of Medicare Advantage plans offered somewhere in Mississippi is moving from 93 in 2026 to 102 in 2027. Behind that top-line number, 10 plans are leaving, 25 are changing in at least one county, 19 are new, and 58 are continuing unchanged. All 82 Mississippi counties will see at least one plan either leave or change.

Two carriers — Molina Healthcare of Arizona and Patrius Health — have no Mississippi plans listed for 2027 in the CMS file.

Here is what the numbers mean for Mississippi members, and what to do between now and December 7, 2026.

What the statewide numbers mean

CMS publishes a Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File each year that lists every plan offered in every county. Comparing the 2026 file to the 2027 file, each plan is counted once statewide no matter how many Mississippi counties it serves.

A plan is counted as leaving if it was offered somewhere in Mississippi for 2026 but is offered nowhere in Mississippi for 2027. By that definition, 10 plans are leaving.

A plan is counted as changing if it is offered in both years but, in at least one county, something in the CMS file differs — the premium, the drug deductible, the plan type, or the plan name. By that definition, 25 plans are changing. For plans in this group, there is a change on file, and the Annual Notice of Change your plan mails you has the specifics.

The rest: 19 plans are new for 2027, and 58 are continuing unchanged.

If your plan is leaving

If your current Medicare Advantage plan is one of the 10 leaving Mississippi for 2027, your carrier is required to send you a non-renewal notice. Read it carefully — it will tell you the date your current coverage ends.

Members whose plan is not renewed get a Special Enrollment Period that runs through the end of February. That means you have time past December 7 to compare and choose a new Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare, and in most cases to pick up a stand-alone Part D drug plan.

If you do nothing, you will not automatically land in a comparable plan. A non-renewing plan ends; staying put is not an option. Use the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026) or your Special Enrollment Period to make an active choice.

If your plan is changing

If your plan is one of the 25 changing for 2027, it will still be there in January — but something in the CMS file is different in at least one county. We are not going to tell you what changed or by how much, because the authoritative document for your situation is the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan is required to send you, typically in late September. The ANOC lays out, side by side, what your plan looks like now and what it will look like on January 1, 2027.

If you do nothing, you will stay in your renewing plan with the changes described in the ANOC in effect. If the changes don't work for your budget, your doctors, or your prescriptions, the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026) is when you can switch; a choice made then takes effect January 1, 2027.

The counties seeing the most change

All 82 Mississippi counties see at least one plan leave or change for 2027. Among the counties called out in the CMS comparison:

• Hancock County: 14 leaving, 17 changing
• Desoto County: 5 leaving, 23 changing
• Rankin County: 8 leaving, 19 changing
• Hinds County: 7 leaving, 19 changing
• Coahoma County: 12 leaving, 13 changing
• Lauderdale County: 14 leaving, 11 changing
• Madison County: 8 leaving, 17 changing
• Tate County: 5 leaving, 20 changing

These are counts of plans, not members. A plan "leaving" a county means it was offered there for 2026 and is not offered there for 2027. A plan "changing" means it is offered in both years but differs on premium, drug deductible, plan type or name in that county's CMS record.

What to do before December 7

A simple checklist for Mississippi members this fall:

1. Watch the mail in September. Look for the Annual Notice of Change from your current plan, or a non-renewal notice if your plan is leaving. 2. Make a short list of what matters to you. Your prescriptions, your doctors and hospitals, and your typical year of care. 3. Compare on Medicare.gov. The Plan Finder lets you enter your ZIP code and medications and see every plan available in your county for 2027. 4. Decide during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026). Your choice takes effect January 1, 2027. 5. If your plan is not renewed, remember you also have a Special Enrollment Period that runs through the end of February.

Where to get free help

You do not have to figure this out alone, and you do not have to pay anyone to help you compare.

• Medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder for side-by-side plan comparisons in your county.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — available 24/7.
• Mississippi State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — free, one-on-one counseling for people with Medicare and their families.