Medicare Advantage

Got a Non-Renewal Letter in Omaha? Do This Next

For 2027, Omaha is looking at 34 Medicare Advantage plans from 8 carriers: 11 new, 17 gone since 2026, and 7 still here but changed on their terms, with 5 plans showing up under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Douglas County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

OMAHA — The 2026 Annual Enrollment Period is the window when Medicare Advantage members in Douglas County will find out whether their plan is coming back for 2027, changing, or going away. The federal government's new plan data shows real movement in this market: 17 plans are leaving after 2026, 11 new plans are arriving for 2027, five are being renamed, and two carriers — Medica and Molina Healthcare of Illinois — will not offer Medicare Advantage plans in the county next year. A new carrier, Molina Healthcare of Nebraska, is coming in.

If you get a letter this fall that says your plan is being discontinued, you are not stuck. You have protected time to switch, and you have more than one way to do it. Here is how to read what is happening in Omaha and what to do about it.

What's changing in Douglas County for 2027

Under the county-level data Medicare publishes each fall, 45 Medicare Advantage plans from 9 carriers were offered in Douglas County for 2026. For 2027, the county has 34 plans from 8 carriers. Comparing the 2026 file to the 2027 file shows the following:

• 17 plans will not be offered in 2027
• 11 plans are new for 2027
• 5 plans are keeping the same basic setup but changing names
• 7 plans have a change on file (in premium, deductible, plan type or name) that only your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letter will spell out
• 23 plans are continuing without those kinds of changes

Two carriers are exiting the county — Medica and Molina Healthcare of Illinois — while Molina Healthcare of Nebraska is entering. The table below lists every plan.

Plans that will not be offered in Omaha in 2027

If you are enrolled in one of these plans today, you should have received (or will soon receive) a non-renewal notice from your carrier. The 17 plans leaving after 2026 are:

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska MA Access (PPO)
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska MA Core (HMO)
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska MA Secure (PPO)
• Wellcare Assist Open (PPO)
• Wellcare Dual Access Sync Open (PPO D-SNP)
• Wellcare Patriot Giveback Open (PPO)
• Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
• Great Plains Medicare Advantage (HMO I-SNP)
• Great Plains Medicare Advantage Gold (HMO I-SNP)
• Humana Full Access H5216-411 (PPO)
• Medica Advantage Preferred (PPO)
• Medica Advantage Select (PPO)
• Medica Advantage Solution H8889-009 (PPO)
• Medica Advantage Value (PPO)
• Molina Medicare Complete Care (HMO D-SNP) — the Molina Healthcare of Illinois version
• UHC Dual Complete NE-S001 (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• UHC Dual Complete NE-V001 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

A quick note on the Great Plains and Molina names: both appear on the "leaving" list and the "new" list. That is because the plan contract as filed with CMS is changing (in Molina's case, the plan is moving to a new state-based carrier, Molina Healthcare of Nebraska). If you are in one of these plans, treat the letter you get in the mail as the definitive word on your enrollment.

New plans for 2027

Eleven plans are entering the Douglas County market for 2027:

• Aetna Medicare Enhanced Extra (PPO)
• Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO)
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska MA Assure (HMO-POS)
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska MA Protect (PPO)
• DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE GIVEBACK EXTRAS 010 NE (PPO C-SNP)
• DEVOTED CHOICE GIVEBACK EXTRAS 011 NE (PPO)
• Great Plains Medicare Advantage (HMO I-SNP)
• Great Plains Medicare Advantage Gold (HMO I-SNP)
• Molina Medicare Complete Care (HMO D-SNP) — from Molina Healthcare of Nebraska
• AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx NE-MA2 (HMO-POS)
• UHC Dual Complete NE-QV1 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

Plans that are being renamed

Five plans are keeping their identity but showing up on your paperwork with a new name for 2027:

• Aetna Medicare Enhanced Classic Extra (PPO) was Aetna Medicare Enhanced Extra (PPO)
• Aetna Medicare Signature Classic (PPO) was Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (PPO)
• Aetna Medicare Signature Classic Extra (PPO) was Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO)
• Wellcare Nebraska Total Care Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP) was Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE ENHANCED 009 NE (PPO C-SNP) was DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE PREMIUM 009 NE (PPO C-SNP)

A rename by itself does not require you to re-enroll. But because Aetna is reusing some of its old plan names for what CMS treats as new plans, read the plan ID and effective date on your ANOC carefully.

What to do if your plan is leaving

If your plan is on the "leaving after 2026" list, you have two enrollment windows to work with.

Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026). During this window, anyone with Medicare can switch Medicare Advantage plans, join or drop Part D, or move between Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare. Choices you make here take effect January 1, 2027.

Special Enrollment Period for a non-renewed plan. If your Medicare Advantage plan is not being offered in 2027, you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period that runs through the end of February 2027. During that window you can pick a different Medicare Advantage plan, join a stand-alone Part D drug plan, or return to Original Medicare.

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment (January 1 – March 31, 2027). If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you can make one change during this window — for example, switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare and add a Part D plan.

A practical order of operations:

1. Open the ANOC when it arrives. It lists any changes to your current plan and tells you plainly if the plan is going away. 2. Write down the doctors, hospitals and prescriptions that matter to you before you shop. 3. Use the Plan Finder at medicare.gov, which lets you enter your ZIP code and drugs to compare the plans that will be sold in Douglas County next year. 4. Call your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), known in Nebraska as the Nebraska SHIIP, for free, unbiased one-on-one help.

What is not changing — and what to keep in mind for Part D

Some 2026 Part D rules that apply no matter which plan you land in:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for 2026.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") is gone; Part D has three phases now.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the year in monthly bills instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.