Medicare Advantage

Before December 7: how to vet a brand-new Reno plan

People in Reno can choose from 42 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 47 this year. Twelve of this year’s plans are gone, 7 are new to Washoe County, and 23 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 11 of them under a new name.

RENO, Nev. — Fall 2026 brings a fresh set of Medicare Advantage choices to Washoe County. According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for plan year 2027, seven plans new to the county will be on offer alongside the ones that are renewing. If one of them catches your eye during the Annual Enrollment Period that runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, there is a specific way to check it before you sign up — because a brand-new plan has no local track record yet.

What Medicare Advantage plans are new in Reno for 2027?

Seven Medicare Advantage plans are new to Washoe County — the county Reno sits in — for the 2027 plan year, out of the 42 total being offered there. Five carriers are bringing them in: Aetna (CVS Health) with 2, Centene (WellCare) with 1, Kaiser Permanente with 1, Prominence Health Plan with 1, and UnitedHealthcare with 2.

Listed alphabetically by carrier, the new plans are:

• Aetna Medicare Full Dual (HMO D-SNP) — Aetna (CVS Health); with drug coverage
• Aetna Medicare Partial Dual (HMO D-SNP) — Aetna (CVS Health); with drug coverage
• Wellcare SilverSummit Healthplan Dual Liberty (HMO-POS D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare); with drug coverage
• KP Medicare Value H2960 028 (HMO) — Kaiser Permanente; with drug coverage
• Prominence Meridian (HMO-POS) — Prominence Health Plan; with drug coverage
• UHC Dual Complete NV-Q3 (PPO D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare; with drug coverage
• UHC Dual Complete NV-S6 (PPO D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare; with drug coverage

The table on this page lists every 2027 plan in the county, including these.

Which of the new Reno plans are Special Needs Plans, and do they include drug coverage?

Six of the seven new plans for Washoe County are Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), designed for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. The seventh, KP Medicare Value H2960 028, is a general HMO.

All seven include Part D prescription drug coverage. D-SNPs have their own eligibility rules — you must have both Medicare and Nevada Medicaid, and the plan must coordinate those benefits. If you are not sure whether you qualify, 1-800-MEDICARE and Nevada Medicaid can confirm it before you apply.

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

A new plan has no Star Rating yet. CMS calculates Star Ratings from a plan's performance data — things like member experience, customer service and clinical outcomes — and a plan needs enough history to be scored. For 2027, a brand-new contract will not have local ratings next to it on the Medicare Plan Finder.

That is a program fact, not a reason to pick or skip a new plan. A renewing plan comes with the ratings and the reputation it built in the county; a new plan comes with the carrier's record elsewhere and the specifics in its own documents. For 2027, Washoe County also has 11 plans that have been renamed and 12 that are not returning, so even "familiar" names deserve a second look.

How do I check a new Medicare Advantage plan against my doctors and prescriptions before December 7?

Use the official Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), both of which are open 24/7. The Plan Finder lets you enter your ZIP code, your prescriptions and your preferred pharmacies, and shows how each 2027 plan handles them.

A practical order of operations:

1. List your doctors, hospitals and specialists. For each new plan you are considering, confirm in writing — on the plan's own provider directory, or by calling the plan's member services number — that each one will be in-network for 2027. Networks for next year are what matter, not this year's. 2. Enter your prescriptions in the Plan Finder. The tool pulls each plan's 2027 formulary and shows the tier, any restrictions (prior authorization, step therapy, quantity limits) and your estimated yearly drug cost at your pharmacy. 3. Check your pharmacy's status. A plan may cover your drug but treat your pharmacy as standard rather than preferred, which can change what you pay. 4. Read the plan's Summary of Benefits and, if you want more detail, the Evidence of Coverage. These are the controlling documents.

If you are happy with your current plan, you do not need to do anything. It will renew for 2027 with the changes described in its Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which plans mail by the end of September.

What else should Reno readers know for the 2027 plan year?

A few CMS figures for 2027 are already set. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). The Part D maximum deductible is $700 for 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 — a formula input used in late-enrollment calculations, not a price any plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS typically publishes those in the fall, usually in November. Watch medicare.gov for the official numbers rather than estimates.

The Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage runs October 15 through December 7, 2026. If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan during that window and change your mind, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 through March 31, 2027 gives you one chance to switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.