Medicare Advantage

If your Buffalo Medicare Advantage plan is ending, here is how to tell and what to do

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 — This fall, some Medicare Advantage members in Erie County are opening envelopes with news they did not expect: their plan will not be offered in 2027. Twenty-one plans sold here in 2026 are not on CMS's 2027 list for the county, which means the people enrolled in them need to make a choice before the year ends — or Original Medicare will take over on January 1.

Here is what the letter looks like, what happens if you do nothing, and the extra time you get to pick a new plan.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are not returning in Buffalo for 2027?

Twenty-one Medicare Advantage plans sold in Erie County in 2026 are not in CMS's 2027 landscape file for the county. Erie County, where Buffalo sits, will have 60 Medicare Advantage plans from 11 carriers available for 2027, down from 70 plans this year.

Here are the plans that are not returning, listed alphabetically 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, Inc: 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)

If your plan is on this list, keep reading. If it is not, your plan is likely renewing — but you should still read the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your insurer mailed in September, because premiums, drug lists and networks can shift year to year.

How can I tell if my Buffalo Medicare Advantage plan is ending in 2027?

Your insurer is required to mail you a non-renewal notice if your plan is leaving. In most years that letter goes out by early October 2026 — so if your plan is on the list above, it should already be in your mailbox or arriving soon.

The letter will say plainly that your current plan "will not be offered" or "will not be renewed" for 2027. It usually arrives in a separate envelope from the ANOC and the plan's regular mail, and it will mention the January 1, 2027 end date. If you are not sure whether something you received counts, call the number on the back of your member card or 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048).

What happens if I do nothing after my plan ends?

If your Medicare Advantage plan is non-renewed and you do not pick a new plan, Medicare automatically moves you to Original Medicare (Part A hospital and Part B medical) on January 1, 2027. You keep Medicare — you do not lose coverage — but a few things change:

• You will not have prescription drug coverage unless you join a stand-alone Part D plan.
• Extra benefits your Advantage plan included (such as dental, vision or hearing allowances) end.
• You can see any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare, with no network, but there is no yearly out-of-pocket limit on Parts A and B.

For many people this default is a backstop, not a plan. It is worth making an active choice before the clock runs out.

What are my choices if my Buffalo Medicare Advantage plan is leaving?

You have three paths, and you can take any of them:

1. Pick a new Medicare Advantage plan for 2027. Erie County will have 60 plans from 11 carriers next year. The table on this page lists every plan returning or new to the county; use medicare.gov's Plan Finder to compare them against your doctors and prescriptions. 2. Switch to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Part D drug plan. You can also consider a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy to help with Part A and B cost sharing. 3. Do nothing and accept Original Medicare on January 1, 2027, as described above.

Because your plan is being discontinued, you have a federal guaranteed-issue right to buy certain Medigap policies without medical underwriting. New York has its own Medigap rules that are more generous than the federal minimum; the New York State Department of Financial Services is the right place to confirm what applies to you.

What is the Special Enrollment Period if my plan is non-renewed?

People whose Medicare Advantage plan is leaving get a Special Enrollment Period that runs from December 8, 2026 through February 28, 2027. That is on top of the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026), when anyone with Medicare can change plans for a January 1 start.

Two useful points to know:

• If you pick a new plan during the Annual Enrollment Period, coverage starts January 1, 2027.
• If you use the Special Enrollment Period after January 1, your new coverage generally starts the first of the month after you enroll — so acting early avoids a gap.

Either way, you will not be left without Medicare. The question is only what kind of coverage you want on top of it.

What else is changing for Part D in 2027?

Two Part D figures are confirmed for 2027: the out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs rises to $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum Part D deductible a plan may charge rises to $700 (up from $615 in 2026). The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33; that is a formula input, not what any specific plan charges.

CMS has not yet announced the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets. Those are usually published in November. Watch medicare.gov for the official numbers.