Medicare Advantage

Six carriers are adding Medicare Advantage plans in Lincoln for 2027 — here is the roster

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. — When the Annual Enrollment Period opens on October 15, 2026, Lincoln shoppers will see 18 Medicare Advantage plans that were not sold here a year ago. The additions come from six carriers, including one — Devoted Health — that is new to the Lancaster County market and is launching eight plans at once. Everything in this article is drawn from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Landscape Source Files for plan years 2026 and 2027.

What Medicare Advantage plans are new in Lincoln for 2027?

Eighteen Medicare Advantage plans are new in Lancaster County — the county Lincoln is in — for plan year 2027, according to the CMS Landscape Source Files. They come from six carriers. The full table on this page lists every 2027 plan sold in the county; the names below are only the ones that are new.

In alphabetical order by carrier:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 2 new plans: Aetna Medicare Enhanced Extra (PPO), with drug coverage; Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO), with drug coverage.
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska — 2 new plans: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska MA Assure (HMO-POS), with drug coverage; Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska MA Protect (PPO), with drug coverage.
• Devoted Health — 8 new plans: DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE ENHANCED 009 NE (PPO C-SNP); DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE GIVEBACK EXTRAS 010 NE (PPO C-SNP); DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE PLUS 006 NE (PPO C-SNP); DEVOTED CHOICE 001 NE (PPO); DEVOTED CHOICE GIVEBACK 002 NE (PPO); DEVOTED CHOICE GIVEBACK EXTRAS 011 NE (PPO); DEVOTED DUAL CHOICE 004 NE (PPO D-SNP); DEVOTED DUAL CHOICE FULL 008 NE (PPO D-SNP). All eight include drug coverage.
• Great Plains Medicare Advantage — 2 new plans: Great Plains Medicare Advantage (HMO I-SNP) and Great Plains Medicare Advantage Gold (HMO I-SNP), both with drug coverage.
• Molina Healthcare of Nebraska — 1 new plan: Molina Medicare Complete Care (HMO D-SNP), with drug coverage.
• UnitedHealthcare — 3 new plans: AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx NE-MA2 (HMO-POS), without drug coverage; UHC Dual Complete NE-QV1 (HMO-POS D-SNP), with drug coverage; UHC Dual Complete NE-S4 (HMO-POS D-SNP), with drug coverage.

What plan types and Special Needs Plans are among Lincoln's new 2027 offerings?

The 18 new plans in Lancaster County for 2027 span three plan types: PPO, HMO-POS, and HMO (several of the HMO entries are structured as HMO Institutional-SNPs). Most of the newcomers are PPOs, and most include Part D drug coverage; only two of the 18 — Aetna Medicare Eagle is unchanged from last year, so this applies to the newcomers — do not include drug coverage: Humana USAA Honor Giveback is renewing, while among the new plans, AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx NE-MA2 is the only one without a drug benefit.

Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are a big part of this year's crop. SNPs are built for specific groups: D-SNPs for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, C-SNPs for people with certain chronic conditions, and I-SNPs for people who live in an institutional setting (such as a nursing home) or need that level of care at home. Among the 18 new plans:

• D-SNPs (dual-eligible): Molina Medicare Complete Care (HMO D-SNP); DEVOTED DUAL CHOICE 004 NE (PPO D-SNP); DEVOTED DUAL CHOICE FULL 008 NE (PPO D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete NE-QV1 (HMO-POS D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete NE-S4 (HMO-POS D-SNP).
• C-SNPs (chronic condition): DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE ENHANCED 009 NE (PPO C-SNP); DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE GIVEBACK EXTRAS 010 NE (PPO C-SNP); DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE PLUS 006 NE (PPO C-SNP).
• I-SNPs (institutional): Great Plains Medicare Advantage (HMO I-SNP); Great Plains Medicare Advantage Gold (HMO I-SNP).

You generally need to meet the eligibility rules for an SNP before you can enroll.

How is a brand-new plan different from one that is renewing?

A new plan is one CMS did not list for Lancaster County in 2026 but will list for 2027. The practical difference is that there is no track record yet to look at. CMS Star Ratings — the 1-to-5 scores on quality and member experience — are calculated from past-year data, so a plan in its first year does not have its own rating. (A new plan from an established carrier may be assigned a rating based on the parent organization's other contracts, but it is not the same as a rating earned by that specific plan over time.)

That is a fact to be aware of, not a reason to pick or avoid a new plan. What it does mean is that your own homework matters more. For a brand-new plan, read the 2027 Summary of Benefits, check the current year's provider directory, and look at the drug formulary before you decide. For a plan you already have, the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) you receive by late September spells out what is changing on January 1, 2027.

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

The fastest way is the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. You can enter your Lincoln ZIP code, add the names of your prescription drugs with doses, and compare plans side by side. The tool will show you which plans cover each drug, what tier it sits on, and the plan's pharmacy network. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For doctors and hospitals, the Plan Finder links to each plan's online provider directory, but the most reliable step is to call the plan directly — or ask your doctor's billing office — and confirm the provider is in the 2027 network for the specific plan you are considering. Networks can change at the start of a plan year, and a provider who is in-network for one plan from a carrier is not automatically in-network for another plan from the same carrier.

A simple pre-December 7 checklist:

1. Pull out your current plan's ANOC and read what is changing for 2027. 2. List your doctors, specialists, preferred hospital, and pharmacy. 3. List every prescription with the exact dose and how often you take it. 4. Run that list through the Medicare Plan Finder for each plan you are weighing. 5. If a plan is new for 2027, call the plan to confirm your providers and drugs for the 2027 contract year, not 2026.

What else is changing about Medicare for 2027?

Two Part D figures are already confirmed for 2027. The annual out-of-pocket cap on covered Part D drugs rises to $2,400 (it is $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026). The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 — 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 and surcharges, have not been announced yet. CMS usually publishes those in the fall, often in November.

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing and your current plan is being offered again, it renews automatically.