Medicare Advantage

Before you renew in Omaha: a step-by-step way to size up 2027 Medicare Advantage plans

For 2027, Omaha is looking at 39 Medicare Advantage plans: 11 new, 17 gone since 2026, and 12 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 5 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Douglas County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

OMAHA — If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in the Omaha area, this is the season to open the mail from your insurer, pour a cup of coffee, and read it slowly. Plans for 2027 are set, the Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026, and anything you change now takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Omaha is in Douglas County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set. For 2027, the county has 39 Medicare Advantage plans from 8 carriers, with 11 new plans and 17 plans not returning from 2026. That alone is a reason to compare before the deadline — even if you love your current plan, it may look different next year, or it may not be offered at all.

What Omaha's 2027 lineup looks like

In Douglas County for 2027, the 39 Medicare Advantage plans break down this way: 7 HMO, 11 HMO-POS, and 21 PPO. All 39 include prescription drug coverage. There are 15 Special Needs Plans — 10 D-SNPs (for people with both Medicare and Medicaid), 3 C-SNPs (for people with certain chronic conditions), and 2 I-SNPs (for people living in an institution such as a nursing home).

The 8 carriers offering Medicare Advantage in the county 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, and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan by carrier.

What is new for 2027

Three things are worth knowing before you compare:

• 11 plans are new in the county for 2027. If a friend recommends their plan, double-check the exact name — it may be a brand-new plan from the same carrier.
• 17 plans are not returning. If yours is one of them, your insurer must notify you, and you have the Annual Enrollment Period (and a Special Enrollment Period that runs into early 2027) to pick a new plan.
• Some plans were renamed. A new name does not necessarily mean a new network or drug list — your ANOC will say what actually changed.

A few program-level numbers also change in 2027. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (from $2,100 in 2026). The Part D maximum deductible a plan can charge rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026). CMS has not yet announced the 2027 Part B standard premium, the 2027 Part B deductible, or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets; those usually come out in November.

A step-by-step way to compare

You do not need a spreadsheet. You need about an hour and five pieces of paper or screens.

1. Pull out your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). Every Medicare Advantage and Part D plan sends one by late September. It compares your 2026 benefits to your 2027 benefits — premium, deductible, copays, drug tier changes, and any network changes. Read the sections marked "changes" first.

2. List your doctors and hospitals. Write down every provider you want to keep: primary care, specialists, and the hospital you prefer. For each plan you are considering, check the plan's online provider directory, or call the plan directly, to confirm the provider is in-network for 2027. Networks can change from one year to the next.

3. List your prescriptions. Write down each drug, the exact dose, and how often you take it. On the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, you can enter your drug list once and see what each plan will cover and what tier the drug sits on. This is usually where the biggest cost differences show up.

4. Check your pharmacy. The same drug can cost different amounts at different pharmacies within the same plan. Plan Finder lets you pick a preferred pharmacy — try your usual one, and try a mail-order option, to see the difference.

5. Look at total cost, not just the premium. A plan with a low premium can have a higher deductible or higher copays, and the reverse is also true. Plan Finder shows an estimated yearly cost based on the drugs and pharmacy you entered. That number is a better guide than any single line item.

If you want personalized help, 1-800-MEDICARE is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

HMO, HMO-POS, PPO — what the labels mean

Before you compare plans, it helps to know what the plan type labels mean, because they shape how you use the plan:

• HMO plans usually require you to use in-network providers and get a referral to see a specialist.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service) plans are HMOs that let you go out of network for certain services, usually at a higher cost.
• PPO plans let you see out-of-network providers, usually at a higher cost, without a referral.
• D-SNP, C-SNP, I-SNP plans are Special Needs Plans. You must meet the eligibility rules (dual Medicare/Medicaid, a qualifying chronic condition, or living in a qualifying institution) to join.

Which type is "right" depends entirely on your doctors, your drugs, your travel, and your budget — not on which letters sound best.

If you do nothing

Nothing dramatic happens. If your current plan is being offered again in 2027, you stay in it, with the changes listed in your ANOC. If your plan is one of the 17 not returning in Douglas County, your insurer will notify you and you will have time to choose a new plan without a gap in coverage. Either way, the quiet choice to do nothing is still a choice — make it on purpose, after you have read the ANOC.