Medicare Advantage

Lincoln Medicare review for 2027: the checklist to run before Dec. 7

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. — It is fall 2026, and the mail from your Medicare plan is getting thicker. The Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026, and any change you make now takes effect Jan. 1. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews next year — but it may not be the same plan it was this year. That is why the next few weeks are for reading, not panicking.

Lincoln sits in Lancaster County, where, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape file for plan year 2026, 41 Medicare Advantage plans are offered by 9 carriers. The 2027 lineup publishes on Medicare.gov in October. Here is a plain checklist to work through before Dec. 7.

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

The Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) is the letter your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan sent in September that spells out what is different for 2027 — premium, deductible, drug tiers, copays, extra benefits, and the provider and pharmacy networks. It is the single most important piece of mail you will get this fall.

Open it next to a cup of coffee and a highlighter. Mark anything that changed, especially the drug list (formulary), the primary care copay, the specialist copay, and the maximum out-of-pocket. If nothing important changed and you are happy, you can let the plan renew. If something did change, keep reading — this is why the enrollment window exists.

How do I check my doctors and hospitals for 2027 in Lincoln?

Pull up next year's provider directory for any plan you are considering and search by name for each doctor you see regularly, plus the Lincoln-area hospital system you prefer. Networks are set plan by plan, and a hospital or clinic that is in-network in 2026 is not automatically in-network in 2027.

Two tips that save grief later: call the clinic directly and ask, "Are you in-network for [plan name] for 2027?" — front-desk staff deal with this every October. And remember that plan types behave differently. The Lancaster County roster for 2026 includes 8 HMO plans, 12 HMO-POS plans and 21 PPO plans; HMOs generally require you to stay in network except for emergencies, while PPOs allow out-of-network care at a higher cost.

How do I check my prescriptions against next year's drug list?

Make a written list of every prescription you take — name, dose, how often — and run it through the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare. The tool will show each plan's 2027 formulary, the tier your drug sits on, and the estimated yearly cost at the pharmacy you use.

Two program-level numbers to know for next year, both confirmed by CMS: the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). Once you hit the cap, covered Part D drugs cost you nothing for the rest of the calendar year. If paying drug costs in one lump is hard, ask your plan about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which spreads what you owe across monthly bills.

How many Medicare Advantage plans and carriers does Lancaster County have for 2027?

For plan year 2026, Lancaster County residents can choose from 41 Medicare Advantage plans across 9 carriers, per the CMS Landscape Source File. Of those, 36 include drug coverage and 12 are Special Needs Plans (for people with Medicaid, certain chronic conditions, or who live in an institution). The 2027 counts post on Medicare.gov when the Plan Finder opens for the new year in October.

The 9 carriers serving Lancaster County for 2026, in alphabetical order, are Aetna (CVS Health), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, Centene (WellCare), Great Plains Medicare Advantage, Humana, Medica, Molina Healthcare of Illinois, MyAdvocate Medicare Advantage, and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan each carrier offers.

What about my Part B premium and IRMAA for 2027?

CMS has not yet announced the 2027 standard Part B premium or deductible, or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets. Those numbers typically publish in November — watch medicare.gov. For context, in 2026, IRMAA surcharges begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

If a Social Security "benefit verification" letter arrives in late fall quoting your 2027 Part B amount, that is the official source. Don't rely on numbers you see in an email or an unsolicited phone call.

What happens on Dec. 7 if I don't do anything?

Nothing dramatic. If your current plan is being offered again in 2027, it renews automatically with the terms described in the ANOC. You keep your coverage with no gap on Jan. 1.

If your plan is being discontinued in Lancaster County, your plan will tell you in writing, and Medicare gives you a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new one. People who have Medicare Advantage also get a second window — the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027 — to switch to a different Advantage plan or go back to Original Medicare one time.