Medicare Advantage

Got a plan non-renewal letter? Read this first.

New York County has 61 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 20 plans are not coming back, 6 are new, and 13 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 2 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for New York City, not which plan to pick.

NEW YORK CITY — If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in New York City, this fall's mail may look different than last year's. According to CMS's 2027 Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File, 20 plans offered in New York County this year will not return for 2027, six brand-new plans are joining the market, and two plans are keeping the same product but changing their name. One carrier, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), will not offer a Medicare Advantage plan in the county next year.

Here is what those changes mean, what your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) is telling you, and the deadlines you should have on the fridge.

What's changing in New York County for 2027

New York City sits across five counties, and Medicare Advantage plan availability is set at the county level. This snapshot uses New York County (Manhattan) as the reference. If you live in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island, your specific plan list may differ — but the same carriers operate across much of the city, so the trends usually rhyme.

Comparing CMS's 2026 and 2027 Landscape files for New York County:

• 20 plans leaving after 2026
• 6 plans new for 2027
• 2 plans renamed (same plan, new name on the card)
• 11 continuing plans with a change to premium, deductible, plan type or name
• 53 plans continuing unchanged in those fields

The one carrier fully exiting the county is Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC). Every other carrier that offered plans this year is offering plans again in 2027, though several are trimming or reshuffling their lineups.

Plans that will not be offered in 2027

If you are enrolled in one of these plans, you will receive a non-renewal notice from your insurer. The plans not returning to New York County next year are:

• Aetna Medicare Elite (PPO), Aetna Medicare Enhanced (PPO), and Aetna Medicare Partial Dual Care (HMO D-SNP) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• HealthSpring True Choice (PPO) — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC)
• Wellcare Assist (HMO-POS), Wellcare Dual Access (HMO D-SNP), Wellcare Dual Access Open (PPO D-SNP), Wellcare Fidelis Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP), and Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS) — Centene (WellCare)
• Elderplan Extra Help (HMO-POS) and Elderplan Flex (HMO-POS) — Elderplan
• Anthem HealthPlus Full Dual Advantage LTSS (HMO D-SNP) and Anthem Veteran (HMO-POS) — Elevance Health (Anthem)
• EmblemHealth VIP Dual (HMO D-SNP), EmblemHealth VIP Dual Enhanced (HMO D-SNP), and EmblemHealth VIP Dual Reserve (HMO D-SNP) — EmblemHealth
• Humana Direct Choice Giveback (PPO), Humana Gold Plus Giveback H3533-027 (HMO), and Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H3533-034 (HMO D-SNP) — Humana
• UHC Dual Complete NY-S002 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare

A note on that last one: UnitedHealthcare is discontinuing a plan called UHC Dual Complete NY-S002 and, separately, filing a new plan for 2027 that uses the same product ID. CMS treats these as two different plans. If you are in it, read your ANOC.

New plans and renamed plans for 2027

Six plans are new to the county for 2027:

• Aetna Medicare Chronic Care Total (HMO C-SNP) and Aetna Medicare Elite (PPO) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• Wellcare Fidelis Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) and Wellcare Fidelis Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare)
• Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H3533-036 (HMO D-SNP) — Humana
• UHC Dual Complete NY-S002 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare

Two plans are simply being renamed:

• Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align Unity (HMO D-SNP) — previously Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align (HMO D-SNP)
• UHC Dual Complete NY-YL (HMO-POS D-SNP) — previously UHC Dual Complete NY-Y001 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

If you are in one of the renamed plans, you don't have to do anything to stay enrolled, but the name on your new card and mailings will look different.

The table below lists every plan offered in the county so you can see the full lineup.

If your plan is leaving: your Special Enrollment Period

When a Medicare Advantage plan is not renewed for the coming year, CMS gives affected members a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) that runs from December 8 through the end of February. During that window you can:

• Join a different Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage), or
• Return to Original Medicare and, if you want drug coverage, sign up for a standalone Part D plan.

Your insurer's non-renewal letter — required to arrive before the Annual Enrollment Period — is your proof of eligibility for the SEP. Keep it. If you take no action, and your carrier does not automatically move you to another one of its plans, you could end up back on Original Medicare without a drug plan on January 1.

The two enrollment windows to know

Even if your plan is continuing, this is the season to review it.

• Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): October 15 – December 7. Anyone with Medicare can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Choices made now take effect January 1.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you get one chance to switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or drop back to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).

Read your ANOC — especially if your plan is "changing"

CMS flagged 11 continuing plans in New York County as changing on premium, deductible, plan type or name for 2027. We are not allowed — and honestly, not able — to tell you what changed on any specific plan; the ANOC your insurer mailed in September does that, side by side with your 2026 coverage.

A few program-level facts to keep in mind while you read:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the year in monthly installments at no extra charge; it's optional and you have to opt in.
• IRMAA income surcharges start above $109,000 for a single filer (2026).

What to do this fall — a short checklist

1. Open every envelope from your plan, especially the ANOC and any non-renewal letter. 2. Check that your doctors, hospitals and pharmacies are still in-network for 2027. 3. Run your prescriptions through the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. 4. If your plan is leaving, mark December 8 – end of February on the calendar as your SEP. 5. If you want unbiased help, call your local SHIP (Statewide Health Insurance Assistance Program). In New York, that is HIICAP, reachable through the NY State Office for the Aging.