Medicare Advantage

Erie County Wellcare: 10 Plans, 2 New, 8 Not Back

BUFFALO — October 2026. If you have a Wellcare Medicare Advantage plan in Buffalo, the lineup you'll see when Annual Enrollment opens is not quite the one you had this year. In Erie County, Wellcare is offering 10 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Two are new, one has been renamed, and eight plans the carrier sold in 2026 are not returning. If you do nothing, your current plan renews for 2027 only if it is still being offered — otherwise you'll need to pick something else before the December 7, 2026 deadline.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent news and education site. We are not Wellcare, and we are not the only carrier here: 10 other companies also offer Medicare Advantage plans in Erie County for 2027, for a county total of 60 plans.

How many Wellcare Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Buffalo for 2027?

Buffalo is in Erie County, where Wellcare is offering 10 Medicare Advantage plans for plan year 2027, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File. By plan type, that breaks down to 3 HMOs, 3 HMO-POS plans, and 4 PPOs. Nine of the 10 include Part D prescription drug coverage; one does not.

Four of the 10 are Special Needs Plans — all of them Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. Wellcare is not offering a Chronic Condition SNP (C-SNP) or Institutional SNP (I-SNP) in the county for 2027.

The table below lists every 2027 Wellcare plan in Erie County by name, type, and whether it includes drug coverage.

What is new, renamed or not returning from Wellcare in Erie County for 2027?

Two Wellcare plans are new in Erie County for 2027: Wellcare Fidelis Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) and Wellcare Fidelis Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP). Both are Dual Special Needs Plans with drug coverage.

One plan has been renamed. Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align Unity (HMO D-SNP) is the 2027 name for what was sold in 2026 as Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align (HMO D-SNP). A rename does not necessarily mean the plan works the same way as before — the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mailed you in late September spells out exactly what is changing.

Eight plans Wellcare offered in Erie County in 2026 are not returning for 2027. If you are in a plan that is not being offered next year, you will get a non-renewal notice from the carrier and you have a Special Enrollment Period to choose a new plan. If you don't pick one, you'll go back to Original Medicare on January 1.

What are the Wellcare Special Needs Plans in Buffalo for 2027?

Wellcare's 4 Special Needs Plans in Erie County for 2027 are all D-SNPs, meaning they are designed for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. In the table below they appear as Wellcare Dual Access Open (PPO D-SNP), Wellcare Fidelis Dual Access (HMO D-SNP), Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align Unity (HMO D-SNP) and Wellcare Fidelis Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP).

To enroll in a D-SNP you must have active Medicaid or another qualifying level of Medicaid assistance in New York. If you are not sure whether you qualify, 1-800-MEDICARE or your local Medicaid office can confirm your status.

How do I check a Wellcare plan against my doctors and prescriptions before December 7?

The one tool that pulls together doctors, hospitals and drugs for every plan sold in your ZIP code is the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare. Enter your Buffalo ZIP, add your prescriptions (name, dose, how often), and add your preferred pharmacy. The tool will then show, for each plan, whether your drugs are on the formulary, what tier they sit on, and an estimated yearly drug cost.

For doctors and hospitals, the Plan Finder links to each plan's provider directory, but the most reliable step is to call the practice directly and ask whether they are in-network for the specific 2027 Wellcare plan you are considering — networks can shift between plan years, and front-desk staff see the current contracts.

A few more things worth checking before you decide:

• Read your current plan's Annual Notice of Change cover to cover; it is the official list of 2027 differences from your 2026 coverage.
• If drug coverage matters to you, confirm the plan is one of the 9 Wellcare plans in the county that include Part D. Two Wellcare plans in Erie County next year do not include drug coverage.
• Look at the Part D figures that apply to any Medicare drug plan in 2027: the out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026) and the maximum deductible is $700 (up from $615 in 2026).
• The 2027 Part B standard premium, Part B deductible and IRMAA income brackets have not been announced yet. CMS typically publishes them in the fall, usually November.

What are the Annual Enrollment dates for 2027 coverage?

Annual Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, 2026. Any change you make during that window — switching Advantage plans, moving between Advantage and Original Medicare, or picking up a stand-alone Part D plan — takes effect January 1, 2027.

If you don't do anything and your current plan is still being offered, it renews automatically with the changes listed in its ANOC. If your plan is one of the Wellcare plans that is not returning for 2027, you'll need to choose something else or you'll default to Original Medicare without Part D.

There is a second window — the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 through March 31, 2027 — but it is more limited. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you may make one change: to a different Advantage plan, or back to Original Medicare (with a stand-alone Part D plan if you want drug coverage).