Medicare Advantage

Wellcare's Omaha Medicare Advantage lineup shrinks for 2027: a plan-by-plan look

OMAHA — Wellcare is heading into the 2027 Annual Enrollment Period with a smaller Medicare Advantage lineup in Douglas County than it had this year, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files for 2026 and 2027.

For the coming plan year, Wellcare — which CMS lists under its parent, Centene (WellCare) — is offering three Medicare Advantage plans in the county that includes Omaha. That is down from seven in 2026. Four plans are not returning, no plans are new, and one plan is being renamed. The three plans returning for 2027 are all HMO-POS plans, all include prescription drug coverage, and one is a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP).

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent news and education site. We are not Wellcare, not Centene and not Medicare. Wellcare is one of eight carriers offering Medicare Advantage in Douglas County for 2027; across all carriers, Douglas County has 39 Medicare Advantage plans available next year.

What Wellcare is offering in Douglas County for 2027

The table below lists every Wellcare plan available in the county for next year. In plain terms, here is the shape of the lineup:

• Total Wellcare Medicare Advantage plans in Douglas County for 2027: 3
• By type: 3 HMO-POS, 0 PPO
• Special Needs Plans: 1 D-SNP (no C-SNP, no I-SNP)
• Plans that include Part D drug coverage: 3

The three plans returning, in alphabetical order, are Wellcare Giveback (HMO-POS), Wellcare Nebraska Total Care Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP) and Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS).

What is new, renamed or not returning

• New for 2027: none. Wellcare is not adding a new Medicare Advantage plan in Douglas County.
• Renamed for 2027: one. Wellcare Nebraska Total Care Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP) was previously offered as Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP). It is still a Dual Special Needs Plan, but the name on your mail and ID card will look different. The specific benefits, network and drug list for 2027 are in the plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and 2027 Evidence of Coverage.
• Not returning for 2027: four Wellcare plans that were offered in Douglas County in 2026 are not on the 2027 lineup. If you are currently enrolled in one of them, Wellcare is required to send you a non-renewal notice explaining your options. You will have a Special Enrollment Period to pick another plan if your plan is leaving.

The ANOC is the single most important piece of mail to open this fall. It spells out, in your plan's own words, what is changing for January 1, 2027.

PPO plans and the D-SNP piece

In 2026, Wellcare offered both HMO-POS and PPO Medicare Advantage plans in Douglas County. For 2027, the carrier's local lineup is HMO-POS only. If you are currently in a Wellcare PPO in Omaha, that is a change worth paying attention to during AEP.

The one D-SNP in the 2027 Wellcare lineup — Wellcare Nebraska Total Care Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP) — is only for people who qualify for both Medicare and Nebraska Medicaid. If you are not dual-eligible, you cannot enroll in a D-SNP, regardless of how its benefits are structured.

How to check a plan against your doctors and prescriptions

Before December 7, do these three things for any plan you are considering — Wellcare or otherwise:

1. Pull your prescription list. Write down every drug, the dose and how often you take it. On medicare.gov's Plan Finder, enter them exactly as prescribed. The tool shows you each plan's 2027 formulary tier, any prior authorization or step therapy, and your estimated yearly drug cost. 2. Check each doctor and hospital. Use the plan's 2027 provider directory (linked from Plan Finder, or on the carrier's own site). For an HMO-POS, confirm your primary care doctor is in network. If a specialist or hospital matters to you, confirm them individually — networks change year to year. 3. Look at the whole picture, not just one number. Premium is one line on a long page. Deductible, drug tiers, specialist cost-sharing and the plan's maximum out-of-pocket all matter.

If something on screen does not match what your doctor's office or pharmacy tells you, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and confirm before you enroll.

Dates and program figures worth knowing

• The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026. Any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027.
• If you do nothing and your current plan is returning, it renews automatically with the ANOC changes.
• For Part D in 2027, CMS has confirmed a $2,400 out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs (up from $2,100 in 2026) and a maximum deductible of $700 (up from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 — that is a formula input, not what any specific plan charges.
• The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") is gone; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the year in monthly amounts instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. You can opt in through your plan.
• The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets have not yet been announced. CMS typically publishes them later in the fall.
• After AEP, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31, 2027) lets people already in a Medicare Advantage plan make one change.