Medicare Advantage

If you do nothing, January 1 moves you to Original Medicare

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. Twelve Medicare Advantage plans sold this year in Washoe County, the county Reno sits in, will not be back on January 1, 2027, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape files for the current and coming plan years. If one of them is yours, the mail you get this fall and the choice you make before February will shape your coverage for all of 2027.

This article walks through how to tell if your plan is on that list, what happens if you do nothing, and the extra time Medicare gives you to pick something else.

Which Reno-area Medicare Advantage plans are not returning for 2027?

Twelve Medicare Advantage plans available in Washoe County in 2026 are not in CMS's 2027 Landscape file for the county. Reno is in Washoe County, so these are the Reno-area plans that will end December 31, 2026:

• Aetna Medicare Dual (HMO D-SNP) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• Aetna Medicare Signature (HMO) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (HMO) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• Alignment Health Platinum + Instacart (HMO) — Alignment Health Plan
• Alignment Health smartHMO (HMO) — Alignment Health Plan
• Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS) — Centene (WellCare)
• Champion Select (HMO-POS C-SNP) — Champion Health Plan
• Renown Preferred Plan by Senior Care Plus (HMO) — Kaiser Permanente
• Senior Care Plus Essential plan (HMO) — Kaiser Permanente
• Senior Care Plus Select Plan (HMO) — Kaiser Permanente
• Molina Medicare Complete Care (HMO D-SNP) — Molina Healthcare of Nevada
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC NV-0009 (PPO) — UnitedHealthcare

The table on this page lists every 2027 Medicare Advantage plan the county will have. If your plan is not on the ending list above, it is expected to be back in 2027 — but your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) will spell out what is different next year.

How do I know if my Medicare Advantage plan is ending in Reno?

If your plan is leaving for 2027, your carrier is required to mail you a non-renewal notice by early October 2026. This is the single clearest way to tell.

The letter will say your plan will not be offered next year, give the date your coverage ends (December 31, 2026), and explain your options. It is sometimes called a "plan non-renewal notice" or a "notice of plan termination." Open it when it arrives and save it — you may need it to prove you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

A couple of other clues: there will be no 2027 Annual Notice of Change for a plan that is ending, and the plan will not appear when you look up 2027 coverage on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov.

What happens if I do nothing when my Reno plan ends?

If your Medicare Advantage plan is not returning for 2027 and you make no choice, you will be moved to Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) on January 1, 2027. You will not be left without hospital and medical coverage.

But two things to know. First, Original Medicare does not include prescription drug coverage, so if your current plan has a drug benefit, you would lose it unless you also enroll in a standalone Part D plan. Second, Original Medicare has no yearly out-of-pocket cap, which is why many people pair it with a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy.

Doing nothing is a choice — just make sure it is the one you want, not one that happens by default.

What are my choices if my Reno Medicare Advantage plan is not returning?

You have three main paths for 2027:

1. Pick another Medicare Advantage plan. Washoe County will have 42 Medicare Advantage plans from 9 carriers available for 2027. Many include drug coverage; some are Special Needs Plans for people with Medicaid or specific chronic conditions. 2. Return to Original Medicare and add a standalone Part D plan. This keeps your drug coverage in place and lets you see any provider that accepts Medicare. 3. Return to Original Medicare, add Part D, and add a Medigap policy. Medigap helps with the out-of-pocket costs Original Medicare does not cover.

Compare total costs — premium, deductible, copays, drug list, and provider network — not just the premium. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov is the official tool for side-by-side comparisons.

What is the Special Enrollment Period if my plan is non-renewed?

When your Medicare Advantage plan is terminated by the carrier, Medicare gives you a Special Enrollment Period that runs from December 8, 2026 through the end of February 2027. That is longer than the standard Annual Enrollment Period, which closes December 7, 2026.

During this Special Enrollment Period you can join another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare and pick up a standalone Part D plan. A plan choice made in December takes effect January 1; a choice made in January or February takes effect the first of the following month.

There is also a Medigap "guaranteed issue" right tied to a plan termination. At the program level, this means certain Medigap policies must sell to you without medical underwriting for a limited window. The exact Medigap plans available and the Nevada-specific rules are set by the state — check with the Nevada Division of Insurance for details that apply to you.

What else is changing for Medicare in 2027?

A few program-level 2027 figures CMS has already confirmed:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026.
• The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027, up from $615 in 2026.
• The Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 for 2027 — a formula input used to calculate certain charges, not what any specific plan charges.

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.

For Washoe County specifically, in addition to the 12 plans ending, 7 plans are new for 2027 and 11 are being renamed. Renamed plans may look unfamiliar on paper even though the underlying coverage is a continuation — your ANOC will spell out what changed.