Medicare Advantage

Before you renew in Lincoln: a plain-English way to size up 2027 Medicare Advantage plans

For 2027, Lincoln is looking at 41 Medicare Advantage plans: 18 new, 18 gone since 2026, and 11 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 4 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Lancaster County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

LINCOLN, Neb. — The fall 2026 enrollment window for 2027 Medicare coverage is open through Dec. 7, and the Advantage lineup around Lincoln is shifting again. Lancaster County, where Lincoln sits, will have 41 Medicare Advantage plans from 9 carriers for 2027 — the same headline count as 2026, but with 18 plans new to the market, 18 not returning, and 4 renamed. That means even people who like their current plan have something to read this year.

Here is a calm, step-by-step way to compare what is on offer before the deadline.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Lincoln for 2027?

Lincoln is in Lancaster County, where 41 Medicare Advantage plans from 9 carriers are offered for 2027. By type, that breaks down as 7 HMO plans, 13 HMO-POS plans and 21 PPO plans. Thirty-seven of the 41 include Part D drug coverage; the rest are medical-only.

The nine carriers for 2027, in alphabetical order, are Aetna (CVS Health), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Great Plains Medicare Advantage, Humana, Molina Healthcare of Nebraska, MyAdvocate Medicare Advantage and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan by carrier.

What Special Needs Plans are available in Lancaster County for 2027?

Lancaster County has 15 Special Needs Plans for 2027: 10 Dual Eligible SNPs (D-SNPs) for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, 3 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) for people with certain qualifying conditions, and 2 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) for people living in a nursing facility or needing a similar level of care.

SNPs have their own eligibility rules on top of being enrolled in Medicare, so you cannot just pick one off the shelf. If you think a SNP fits your situation, confirm eligibility on the Medicare Plan Finder or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE before you apply.

What is new in Lincoln's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup?

For 2027, Lancaster County sees 18 Medicare Advantage plans new to the market, 18 plans not returning, and 4 that are being renamed. Devoted Health is listed as a carrier for 2027 with 8 plans; Medica, which offered plans in 2026, is not on the 2027 carrier list for the county.

The overall count — 41 plans from 9 carriers — matches 2026, but the mix underneath has changed a lot. If your plan is one of the 18 not returning, your insurer must send you a non-renewal notice and you have a Special Enrollment Period to choose a new plan. If it is simply being renamed, your coverage continues under the new name, with any benefit changes spelled out in your Annual Notice of Change.

What is the Annual Notice of Change, and why read it first?

The Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) is the packet your current Medicare Advantage or Part D plan mailed you in September. It compares your 2026 plan with the 2027 version — premium, deductible, copays, drug tier changes, pharmacy network, provider network and extra benefits.

Reading the ANOC is the single most useful step before Dec. 7. Many people assume "I'll just keep what I have," only to find a favorite drug moved to a higher tier or a clinic left the network. The ANOC tells you whether staying put still works for you.

How do I compare Lincoln Medicare Advantage plans step by step?

Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov as your main tool — it pulls directly from CMS data and lets you enter your drugs and pharmacies. Here is a sensible order:

1. Read the ANOC from your current plan. Note anything that changed about your premium, drugs or network. 2. List your doctors and hospitals. For each plan you are considering, check the plan's own provider directory (the Plan Finder links to it) and confirm with the clinic's billing office. For Lincoln-area care, that often means Bryan Health, CHI Health St. Elizabeth or Nebraska Medicine locations — ask each by plan name. 3. Enter your prescriptions. Type every drug, dose and quantity into the Plan Finder. It will show your estimated yearly drug cost under each plan's formulary. 4. Pick a pharmacy. The same drug can cost different amounts at different pharmacies within the same plan. Try a mail-order option and a nearby retail pharmacy and compare. 5. Check the plan type. HMOs usually require in-network care and referrals; HMO-POS plans allow some out-of-network use; PPOs offer the most flexibility but often at a higher cost. Lancaster County's 2027 mix is 7 HMO, 13 HMO-POS and 21 PPO. 6. Look at the full out-of-pocket maximum, not just the premium. A low premium with a high max can cost more in a heavy-use year. 7. If a SNP fits, confirm you qualify before you enroll.

If you want help talking through the choices, 1-800-MEDICARE is open 24/7.

What 2027 Medicare numbers are already confirmed?

CMS has confirmed several 2027 Part D figures you can plan around. The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026. The Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027, up from $615. The Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 for 2027 — that is a formula input CMS uses, not what any specific plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not yet been announced; CMS usually publishes those in November. The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.

What happens if I do nothing by Dec. 7?

If you do nothing, your current plan renews for 2027 — if it is being offered next year — with whatever changes are described in your Annual Notice of Change. If your plan is one of the 18 not returning in Lancaster County, you will get a non-renewal letter and a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new plan; otherwise, you can also use the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2027, to switch to a different Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.