Medicare Advantage

Wellcare's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Kansas City: all six, side by side

Kansas City, Mo. — As the Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 to December 7, 2026, Wellcare's full Medicare Advantage lineup for Jackson County is set: six plans, three of them for people who also have Medicaid, and three with new names on the same shelf. If you already have a Wellcare plan, nothing happens unless you act — your plan renews January 1, 2027 with whatever changes are listed in your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC).

This article walks through what Wellcare is offering in the county Kansas City sits in for the 2027 plan year, what counts as "new" versus simply "renamed," and how to check any plan against your own doctors and medicines before the December 7 deadline.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site. We are not Wellcare and not Medicare.

What Medicare Advantage plans does Wellcare offer in Kansas City for 2027?

Wellcare is offering 6 Medicare Advantage plans in Jackson County, Missouri (the county Kansas City is in) for the 2027 plan year. All 6 include Part D prescription drug coverage.

By plan type, the lineup splits evenly: 3 are HMO-POS plans and 3 are PPO plans. Three of the six are Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), designed for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid; Wellcare is not offering a Chronic Condition SNP (C-SNP) or Institutional SNP (I-SNP) in the county for 2027.

The table below lists every Wellcare plan in the county by name and type. Spelled exactly as CMS lists them, they are: Wellcare Home State Health Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP); Wellcare Home State Health Dual Access Open (PPO D-SNP); Wellcare Home State Health Dual Reserve (HMO-POS D-SNP); Wellcare Patriot Giveback Open (PPO); Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS); and Wellcare Simple Open (PPO).

What is new or not returning in Wellcare's 2027 lineup?

For 2027, Wellcare is not adding any brand-new plans in Jackson County and is not pulling any plans out of the county. The headline change is naming: 3 of the 6 plans have new names on the same shelf.

The three renamed plans are Wellcare Home State Health Dual Access (previously Wellcare Dual Access), Wellcare Home State Health Dual Access Open (previously Wellcare Dual Access Open), and Wellcare Home State Health Dual Reserve (previously Wellcare Dual Reserve). A rename does not automatically mean the plan's benefits or network are identical to last year — the Annual Notice of Change mailed to current members is where the specific updates for 2027 are spelled out.

How do Wellcare's Dual Special Needs Plans work in Jackson County?

In Jackson County for 2027, Wellcare offers 3 Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs). A D-SNP is only for people who have both Medicare and Missouri Medicaid; if you do not qualify for Medicaid, you cannot enroll in these plans.

D-SNPs are built to coordinate the two programs so you deal with one plan instead of juggling benefits separately. If you think you may qualify for Medicaid but are not sure, Missouri's Medicaid agency (MO HealthNet) is the place to confirm eligibility before you look at a D-SNP.

How do I check a Wellcare plan against my doctors and prescriptions before December 7?

The one reliable place to confirm whether a specific doctor is in-network and whether a specific drug is on a plan's formulary is the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A good order of operations before December 7, 2026:

1. Make a list of your current doctors, hospitals, and prescriptions (name, dose, and how often). 2. Go to medicare.gov/plan-compare, enter your ZIP code and your drug list, and filter to the plans you want to compare. 3. For each plan, check that your doctors appear in-network and your pharmacy is a preferred or standard network pharmacy. 4. Read the plan's Summary of Benefits and, if you are a current member, the ANOC that arrived in September.

If a plan or benefit sounds unclear, call the plan directly using the number on medicare.gov — that is where the Evidence of Coverage, provider directory and formulary come from.

What else is changing in Medicare for 2027?

A few program-level numbers are already set for 2027. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026). The Part D maximum deductible a plan can charge is $700 for 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). The Part D national base beneficiary premium — a technical input, not what any single plan charges — is $41.33 for 2027.

Not yet announced: the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets and surcharges. CMS typically publishes those later in the fall, usually in November. We will not estimate them.

What if I do nothing by December 7?

If you do nothing, your current Wellcare plan renews January 1, 2027 as long as it is still offered in the county — and all 6 of Wellcare's Jackson County plans are returning. The changes that take effect are the ones in your ANOC.

You will still have a second window — the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 through March 31, 2027 — to switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan one time, or to drop Medicare Advantage and go back to Original Medicare.

Who else offers Medicare Advantage in Jackson County for 2027?

Wellcare is one of 8 carriers offering Medicare Advantage plans in Jackson County for 2027. Across all carriers in the county, there are 65 Medicare Advantage plans for the 2027 plan year.

That matters because the right plan for you depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, and the way you like to use health care — not on the carrier's name. The Plan Finder lets you compare across all carriers side by side.