Medicare Advantage

Plan dropped? Reno has until Feb. 28 to switch

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. — As the Annual Enrollment Period opens Oct. 15, 2026, people on Medicare in and around Reno are opening their mail to a shifting lineup for 2027. In Washoe County, where Reno sits, seven Medicare Advantage plans are new for the coming year, 12 won't be back, and one carrier — Molina Healthcare of Nevada — is pulling out of the county entirely.

That doesn't mean anyone has to scramble. If you do nothing and your current plan is still offered next year, it renews on Jan. 1, 2027 with whatever updates are described in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your insurer mailed in September. But if your plan is on the leaving list, you'll need to make a choice — and you have extra time to make it.

Here's what the 2027 picture looks like for Reno.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Reno for 2027?

Reno is in Washoe County, where 2026's lineup includes 47 Medicare Advantage plans from 10 carriers. For 2027, the mix shifts: 12 plans are leaving, seven are new, 11 have been renamed, and 24 continue in some form (with another 12 continuing but changing on premium, deductible, type or name). CMS sets Medicare Advantage availability at the county level, so these counts apply to every ZIP code in Washoe County, not just the city of Reno.

The table below lists every plan available for the current year by carrier and plan type — HMO, HMO-POS and PPO — along with which ones include Part D drug coverage and which are Special Needs Plans (SNPs) for people with specific conditions, dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility, or certain chronic illnesses.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are new in Washoe County for 2027?

Seven plans are entering the Washoe County market for 2027. In alphabetical order by carrier, they are:

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

Five of the seven new plans are Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), designed for people enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. The other two are a general HMO and a general HMO-POS.

As with every plan in the county, specifics on premiums, networks, drug formularies and extra benefits live in each plan's own 2027 documents and in the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are leaving Reno after 2026?

Twelve plans will not be offered in Washoe County in 2027. By carrier:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Dual (HMO D-SNP); Aetna Medicare Signature (HMO); Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (HMO)
• Alignment Health Plan: Alignment Health Platinum + Instacart (HMO); Alignment Health smartHMO (HMO)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS)
• Champion Health Plan: Champion Select (HMO-POS C-SNP)
• Kaiser Permanente: Renown Preferred Plan by Senior Care Plus (HMO); Senior Care Plus Essential plan (HMO); Senior Care Plus Select Plan (HMO)
• Molina Healthcare of Nevada: Molina Medicare Complete Care (HMO D-SNP) — this is Molina's only Washoe County plan, so the carrier is leaving the county entirely
• UnitedHealthcare: AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC NV-0009 (PPO)

If you're in one of these plans, your insurer is required to send you a non-renewal notice. Keep that letter — it's what documents your Special Enrollment Period.

What happens if my Medicare Advantage plan is not returning in 2027?

If your Washoe County plan is on the leaving list, you have a two-month Special Enrollment Period that runs from Dec. 8, 2026 through Feb. 28, 2027 to:

• Join a different Medicare Advantage plan, or
• Return to Original Medicare (Parts A and B) and sign up for a stand-alone Part D drug plan.

You can also use the regular Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026) to make the switch for a Jan. 1 start date — many people prefer that so there's no gap in how their coverage feels in January.

A separate note for anyone considering a return to Original Medicare: in Nevada, Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policies are medically underwritten outside of a guaranteed-issue window, so it's worth checking what you qualify for before making the switch. Medicare.gov's Plan Finder and 1-800-MEDICARE can walk you through the options.

Which plans have been renamed for 2027?

Eleven plans in Washoe County kept operating but changed names between 2026 and 2027. If a plan you recognize isn't on the 2027 roster, check this list before assuming it's gone:

• Alignment Health the ONE (HMO D-SNP) is now Alignment Health Duals+ 005 (HMO D-SNP)
• Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes NVPlus (HMO C-SNP) is now Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes Plus 006 (HMO C-SNP)
• Wellcare Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP) is now Wellcare SilverSummit Healthplan Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• HumanaChoice Giveback H5216-194 (PPO) is now Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO)
• Humana Gold Plus H6622-075 (HMO) is now Humana Total Complete (HMO)
• HumanaChoice H5216-039 (PPO) is now Humana Value Choice (PPO)
• Senior Care Plus Extensive Duals Plan (HMO D-SNP) is now KP Medicare Duals H2960-024 (HMO D-SNP)
• Senior Care Plus Patriot Plan (HMO) is now KP Medicare Liberty H2960-009 (HMO)
• Prominence Diabetes and Heart Giveback (HMO C-SNP) is now Prominence Diabetes and Heart (HMO C-SNP)
• UHC Dual Complete NV-S001 (HMO-POS D-SNP) is now UHC Dual Complete NV-Q1 (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• UHC Dual Complete NV-S002 (PPO D-SNP) is now UHC Dual Complete NV-Q2 (PPO D-SNP)

A rename doesn't automatically mean the benefits are the same, so your ANOC is still the document to read.

What's changing for Medicare drug coverage in 2027?

Two Part D program figures are confirmed for 2027 and apply to every Medicare drug plan, including the drug coverage built into most Medicare Advantage plans:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026. Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs hits that amount, you pay $0 for covered prescriptions the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027, up from $615 in 2026. Plans can set a lower deductible or none at all.

The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan — the option to spread drug costs over monthly installments across the year — continues for 2027. You can opt in through your plan.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS typically publishes those figures in the fall, usually in November.

When do I need to decide for 2027 coverage in Reno?

The Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026. A change made in that window takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. If you take no action and your plan is being offered again, it renews automatically with the changes described in your ANOC.

Two other windows to know:

• The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027. If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1, you can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (with a Part D plan) one time during this window.
• The Special Enrollment Period for a non-renewed plan runs Dec. 8, 2026 – Feb. 28, 2027.