Medicare Advantage

What’s Changing in New Jersey Medicare Advantage for 2027: 26 Plans Leaving, 14 Changing

TRENTON, N.J. — The federal Medicare Advantage lineup for New Jersey is shifting again for the 2027 plan year, and every one of the state's 21 counties will see at least one plan leave or change. According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files for CY2026 and CY2027, the number of Medicare Advantage plans offered somewhere in New Jersey falls from 85 for 2026 to 71 for 2027. Behind that smaller number is a bigger story: 26 plans are leaving, 14 that stay are changing in at least one county, 12 are new, and 45 continue unchanged.

Medicare AdvantageNew Jersey

Here is what the two Landscape files say, what the key dates are, and what a New Jersey member can do between now and December 7, 2026.

What the statewide numbers mean

The two CMS Landscape files are a year-over-year snapshot of what carriers have filed to offer in each county. Counting each plan once statewide — no matter how many counties it serves — New Jersey has 85 Medicare Advantage plans for 2026 and 71 for 2027.

Within that, CMS treats a plan as "leaving" when it was offered somewhere in New Jersey for 2026 and is offered nowhere in the state for 2027. That describes 26 plans. A plan is counted as "changing" when it is offered in both years but differs on premium, drug deductible, plan type or plan name in at least one county between the 2026 and 2027 files. That describes 14 plans. Another 45 plans are continuing unchanged on those fields, and 12 are new for 2027.

At the carrier level, the Landscape files show Braven Health with no New Jersey plans listed for 2027, and Devoted Health new to New Jersey for 2027.

If your plan is leaving

If your current Medicare Advantage plan is one of the 26 not being offered in New Jersey for 2027, your carrier is required to send you a non-renewal notice. You will have two enrollment windows to use:

• The Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 – December 7, 2026. A choice made in it takes effect January 1, 2027.
• A Special Enrollment Period for members whose plan is not renewed, which runs through the end of February 2027.

If you do nothing, you cannot stay in a plan that no longer exists. In most cases a member whose Medicare Advantage plan is discontinued returns to Original Medicare unless they actively pick a new Medicare Advantage plan. Using the SEP in January or February 2027 gives you extra time, but acting during the Annual Enrollment Period keeps your coverage seamless on January 1.

If your plan is changing

Fourteen plans are offered in both 2026 and 2027 but differ on at least one of the fields CMS tracks — premium, drug deductible, plan type or plan name — in at least one county. "Changing" in the Landscape file does not tell you what changed; it only flags that something did.

The document that spells out the specifics is your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which your plan is required to send before the Annual Enrollment Period. Read it side by side with this year's materials. If you take no action, you stay enrolled in the renewing plan with whatever the ANOC describes taking effect January 1, 2027. If the changes don't work for you, the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026) is your window to switch.

The counties with the most change

Every one of New Jersey's 21 counties sees at least one plan leave or change. The counties the Landscape files flag with the highest counts are:

• Mercer County: 16 leaving, 10 changing
• Monmouth County: 16 leaving, 10 changing
• Union County: 16 leaving, 10 changing
• Atlantic County: 15 leaving, 9 changing
• Morris County: 13 leaving, 10 changing
• Burlington County: 13 leaving, 11 changing
• Gloucester County: 13 leaving, 11 changing
• Camden County: 11 leaving, 12 changing

These are plan counts, not member counts. One leaving plan in a county may affect many people, or very few — the Landscape files don't say. The point is simply that in those counties, more residents are likely to receive a non-renewal letter or an ANOC that flags a change.

What to do before December 7

A simple checklist based on the two Landscape files:

1. Watch your mail in September and October 2026. A non-renewal notice means your plan is one of the 26 leaving. An ANOC with changes flagged means your plan is one of the 14 changing. 2. Confirm your doctors, hospitals and pharmacies are in-network for whatever plan you'll be in on January 1, 2027. 3. Confirm your prescriptions are on the plan's formulary. 4. Make any change during the Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 – December 7, 2026, so coverage starts cleanly January 1. 5. If your plan is not renewed and you miss December 7, use the Special Enrollment Period that runs through the end of February 2027.

Where to get free help

You do not have to sort this out alone, and you do not have to pay anyone to help you.

• Medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder lets you compare every plan available in your ZIP code for 2027.
• 1-800-MEDICARE — available 24/7 for questions about enrollment windows and your specific situation.
• State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — New Jersey's SHIP offers free, one-on-one counseling with trained volunteers who do not sell insurance.