Medicare Advantage

Highmark's Medicare Advantage plans in Buffalo for 2027: what's changing in Erie County

BUFFALO — Fall 2026. If you have a Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage plan in Buffalo, your 2027 lineup looks a little different than it did this year. Highmark is offering six Medicare Advantage plans in Erie County for 2027 — down from eight in 2026 — with two new plans joining the roster and four not returning. The Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, which is your window to compare, switch or stay.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site. We are not Highmark, and Highmark is not the only carrier in the county: 10 other carriers also offer Medicare Advantage plans in Erie County for 2027, for a county-wide total of 60 plans.

What Highmark Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Buffalo for 2027?

Buffalo is in Erie County, where Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is offering 6 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. By type, that is 5 HMOs and 1 PPO. Four of the six include Part D prescription drug coverage; two do not. Highmark is not offering any Special Needs Plans (D-SNP, C-SNP or I-SNP) in the county for 2027.

The table below lists every Highmark plan available in Erie County next year, in alphabetical order, with its plan type and whether it includes drug coverage. In alphabetical order, the 2027 plans are:

• Community Blue Medicare HMO 651 (HMO) — with drug coverage — new for 2027
• Community Blue Medicare HMO Distinct (HMO) — with drug coverage
• Community Blue Medicare HMO Signature (HMO) — with drug coverage
• Community Blue Medicare HMO Standard (HMO) — with drug coverage — new for 2027
• Freedom Valor (PPO) — without drug coverage
• Senior Blue 601 (HMO) — without drug coverage

If a plan does not include drug coverage, you generally need a stand-alone Part D plan to be covered for prescriptions — though PPO rules and HMO rules differ, so check with Medicare before adding one.

What is new or not returning from Highmark in Erie County for 2027?

Highmark has two new Medicare Advantage plans in Erie County for 2027: Community Blue Medicare HMO 651 and Community Blue Medicare HMO Standard. Both are HMOs with drug coverage.

Four Highmark plans offered in 2026 are not returning for 2027. If you are enrolled in a plan that is not continuing, Highmark will send you a non-renewal notice this fall explaining your options and the special enrollment rights that come with a plan ending. You will not lose Medicare — only this specific plan — and you can pick another Medicare Advantage plan, return to Original Medicare, or add a stand-alone Part D plan during the Annual Enrollment Period.

How do I check a Highmark plan against my doctors and drugs before December 7?

Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Those are the official, personalized tools — they let you type in your prescriptions and compare how each plan treats them, and they link to each plan's provider directory so you can confirm your doctors and hospitals are in-network.

A few things worth doing before December 7, 2026:

• Read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). Highmark mails it in September. It lists what is changing for your current plan in 2027 — premium, copays, drug tiers, network and benefits.
• Make a list of your prescriptions, including dose and quantity.
• Make a list of the doctors, specialists and hospitals you want to keep.
• If you take expensive drugs, ask about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread Part D out-of-pocket costs across the year.

Plan-specific details — premiums, copays, deductibles, drug tiers, provider networks and star ratings — come from Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or the plan's own Evidence of Coverage and directories. We do not publish them here.

What are the 2027 Medicare numbers I should know?

A few program-level figures for 2027 are already confirmed by CMS:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• Part D national base beneficiary premium: $41.33 for 2027 — this is a formula input, not what any plan actually charges you.

The 2026 Part D rules still apply through December 31, 2026. The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") has been gone since 2025, and Part D now has three phases.

Two numbers readers often ask about are not yet announced: the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets. CMS typically publishes those in the fall, usually in November. We will not estimate them.

What happens if I do nothing by December 7?

Nothing dramatic. If your current Highmark plan is offered again in 2027, you stay in it automatically — with whatever changes are described in your ANOC. If your plan is one of the four not returning, Highmark's non-renewal notice will explain your special enrollment rights and the deadline to pick a new plan.

You also have a second chance: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 – March 31, 2027. During that window, if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to a different one or go back to Original Medicare.