Medicare Advantage

Buffalo's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup: 11 new plans, 21 not coming back

Erie County has 60 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 21 plans are not coming back, 11 are new, and 18 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 3 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Buffalo, not which plan to pick.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — As fall 2026 opens the yearly window to change Medicare coverage, the lineup of Medicare Advantage plans in Erie County is shifting again. For plan year 2027, CMS records show 11 brand-new plans entering the Buffalo market, 21 plans leaving after Dec. 31, 2026, and three plans continuing under new names. For people who like the plan they already have, most options are still on the shelf — 46 plans are continuing. For people whose plan is leaving, the Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026) is the time to pick a replacement.

What is changing about Medicare Advantage in Buffalo for 2027?

For 2027, Erie County sees 11 new Medicare Advantage plans enter the market and 21 plans leave. Buffalo sits inside Erie County, which is the geography Medicare uses to set plan availability, so the same lineup applies across the city and the rest of the county.

Alongside the arrivals and departures, three plans are being renamed and about 15 continuing plans have a change to their premium, deductible, plan type or name. The remaining 46 plans continue into 2027. Your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), mailed by your current plan in late September, is where to find those details for your own plan.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are new in Buffalo for 2027?

Eleven Medicare Advantage plans are new to Erie County for 2027, spread across six carriers. In alphabetical order by carrier, they are:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP); Aetna Medicare Chronic Care Total (HMO C-SNP); Aetna Medicare Elite (PPO)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Fidelis Dual Access (HMO D-SNP); Wellcare Fidelis Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP)
• Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield: Community Blue Medicare HMO 651 (HMO); Community Blue Medicare HMO Standard (HMO)
• Humana: Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H3533-036 (HMO D-SNP)
• Independent Health: Independent Health's Encompass 65 RED 045 (HMO)
• MVP Health Care: MVP Medicare WellValue with Part D (HMO-POS)
• UnitedHealthcare: UHC Dual Complete NY-S002 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

Several of these are Special Needs Plans (SNPs), which only accept members who meet specific rules — a qualifying chronic condition (C-SNP), both Medicare and Medicaid (D-SNP), or a nursing-home-level care need (I-SNP). The table on this page lists each plan with its type and whether it includes Part D drug coverage.

Which Buffalo Medicare Advantage plans are not returning in 2027?

Twenty-one Medicare Advantage plans sold in Erie County in 2026 are not being offered for 2027. In alphabetical order by carrier:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Partial Dual (HMO D-SNP)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Advantage Enhanced (PFFS); Wellcare Advantage Simple (PFFS); Wellcare Dual Access (HMO D-SNP); Wellcare Fidelis Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP); Wellcare Patriot Simple (HMO-POS); Wellcare Premium Enhanced (PFFS); Wellcare Premium Ultra (PFFS); Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS)
• Excellus Health Plan (Univera): Univera SeniorChoice Core (PPO); Univera SeniorChoice Extra (HMO)
• Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield: Community Blue Medicare HMO Merit (HMO); Forever Blue 751 (PPO); Forever Blue Value (PPO); Senior Blue 651 (HMO)
• Humana: Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H3533-002 (HMO D-SNP); HumanaChoice Giveback H5970-030 (PPO); HumanaChoice SNP-DE H5970-020 (PPO D-SNP)
• Independent Health: Independent Health's Encompass 65 RED 043 (HMO)
• MVP Health Care: MVP Medicare WellSelect with Part D (PPO)
• UnitedHealthcare: UHC Dual Complete NY-S002 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

A note on the two Wellcare and UHC names that appear on both the "leaving" and "new" lists: in CMS data, those plan IDs are being retired and a different plan is launching under a similar name. Treat them as a new plan with its own documents, not a continuation.

What happens if my Medicare Advantage plan is leaving Buffalo?

If your plan is on the list above, you get a Special Enrollment Period that runs from Dec. 8, 2026 through Feb. 28, 2027 to make a new choice. During that window you can join another Medicare Advantage plan, enroll in a stand-alone Part D drug plan, or go back to Original Medicare — and in some cases buy a Medigap policy with guaranteed-issue rights.

You should also receive a non-renewal notice from your current plan by early October 2026. Keep it: it documents your eligibility for the Special Enrollment Period. If you prefer to pick a replacement during the regular Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026), you can — your new coverage then starts Jan. 1, 2027 with no gap.

Which plans are being renamed for 2027?

Three Buffalo-area plans are keeping their coverage but changing their names for 2027:

• Aetna Medicare Enhanced (PPO) — was Aetna Medicare Premier (PPO)
• Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align Unity (HMO D-SNP) — was Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align (HMO D-SNP)
• UHC Dual Complete NY-YL (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete NY-Y001 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

If you are in one of these plans, you do not need to do anything to stay enrolled — but the name on your member ID card and your mail will change. Check your ANOC for any benefit or cost changes that come with the rename.

What does the full 2027 Buffalo lineup look like by carrier and plan type?

For plan year 2026 (the baseline the 2027 changes are built from), Erie County has 70 Medicare Advantage plans from 11 carriers: 27 HMO, 18 HMO-POS, 21 PPO and 4 PFFS. Of those, 24 are Special Needs Plans and 58 include Part D drug coverage. The 2027 lineup reflects the arrivals, departures and renames described above.

The 11 carriers serving Erie County are Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Excellus Health Plan Community Care LLC, Excellus Health Plan Inc. (Univera), Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana, Independent Health, MVP Health Care, Nascentia Health Plus, UnitedHealthcare and VNS Health Medicare. The table below lists every plan by carrier, with plan type and whether Part D is included.

What else is changing in Medicare for 2027?

Beyond the Buffalo plan lineup, two Part D numbers are confirmed for 2027. The out-of-pocket cap on covered Part D drugs rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). The maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge is $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). CMS has also set the 2027 Part D national base beneficiary premium at $41.33 — that is a formula used in pricing, not what any specific plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS typically releases them in November. Until then, do not rely on projections for your 2027 Part B costs.

The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan — the optional program that spreads your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year — continues in 2027, and you can opt in through your Part D or Medicare Advantage drug plan.