Medicare Advantage

Wellcare Medicare Advantage in New York for 2027: 12 Plans, County by County

NEW YORK — For the 2027 plan year, Wellcare (which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services groups under Centene (WellCare)) is offering 12 Medicare Advantage plans across New York, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files for CY2027. That lineup mixes HMO, HMO-POS and PPO options, including several Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. This explainer is published by an independent Medicare education site; we are privately owned and are not Medicare, not a government agency and not Wellcare.

A plan that appears on a statewide list is still sold county by county. That means a plan named here may or may not be available where you live, so the county check matters as much as the plan name.

What Wellcare offers statewide for 2027

Across New York, Wellcare's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup breaks down this way: 5 HMO plans, 3 HMO-POS plans and 4 PPO plans, for a total of 12. All 12 include prescription drug coverage.

Six of those 12 are Special Needs Plans, and all six are D-SNPs — designed for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. Wellcare does not list any Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) or Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) in New York for 2027.

For context, 23 other carriers also offer Medicare Advantage plans in New York for 2027, and all carriers together list 224 plans statewide. The table on this page shows the full Wellcare lineup side by side.

Wellcare plans with the widest county reach

County reach varies plan by plan. Based on the CMS Landscape file for 2027, the Wellcare plans available in the most New York counties are:

• Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align Unity (HMO D-SNP) — offered in 60 counties (renamed from Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align (HMO D-SNP))
• Wellcare Fidelis Assist (HMO-POS) — offered in 58 counties
• Wellcare Fidelis Patriot Simple (HMO-POS) — offered in 58 counties
• Wellcare Fidelis Simple (HMO-POS) — offered in 58 counties
• Wellcare Fidelis Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) — offered in 52 counties (new for 2027)
• Wellcare Fidelis Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP) — offered in 52 counties (new for 2027)
• Wellcare Dual Access Open (PPO D-SNP) — offered in 50 counties
• Wellcare Assist Open (PPO), Wellcare Giveback Open (PPO) and Wellcare Simple Open (PPO) — each offered in 48 counties

Two additional D-SNPs — a second Wellcare Fidelis Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) and a second Wellcare Fidelis Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP) — are listed with narrower footprints (8 and 9 counties respectively). "Widest reach" is only about how many counties a plan is offered in; it does not say anything about cost, benefits or quality, and it is not a ranking of which plan is better for any individual.

What is new, what is renamed, and what is not returning

Four Wellcare plans are new in New York for 2027:

• Wellcare Fidelis Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) — two separate listings, one in 52 counties and one in 8
• Wellcare Fidelis Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP) — two separate listings, one in 52 counties and one in 9

One plan has been renamed: Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align Unity (HMO D-SNP) was previously called Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align (HMO D-SNP). If you were in that plan in 2026, the new name on your paperwork refers to the same plan line.

Eleven Wellcare plans that were offered in 2026 are not returning for 2027. If you are currently in a Wellcare plan, read the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mails in the fall. It will tell you whether your plan continues, is renamed, or is ending — and what happens to your coverage on January 1, 2027 if it is ending.

Check whether a plan is offered in your county — and covers your doctors and drugs

The statewide list is a starting point, not the final word. Because availability is set county by county, the next step is to confirm three things for any plan you are considering:

1. Is the plan offered in your county for 2027? Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov and enter your ZIP code, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 2. Are your doctors, hospitals and other providers in the plan's network for 2027? Check the plan's own provider directory, which Wellcare publishes for each plan. 3. Are your prescriptions on the plan's 2027 formulary, and at what tier? Check the plan's drug list and Evidence of Coverage (EOC).

HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and D-SNP plans each handle networks, referrals and out-of-network care differently, so the plan type matters alongside the plan name.

What to do before December 7, 2026

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7, 2026. A choice you make during that window takes effect January 1, 2027. A simple checklist:

• Read your current plan's ANOC and compare it to your 2027 options.
• List your doctors, pharmacies and medications before you shop.
• Use the Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare plans in your county.
• Confirm anything important in writing — in the Summary of Benefits, EOC or provider directory.
• If you want to make a change, do it on or before December 7, 2026.

If you take no action and your plan is renewing, you generally stay enrolled. If your plan is one of the 11 Wellcare plans not returning, you will need to choose something else to have Medicare Advantage coverage on January 1, 2027.

Where to get free help

Two no-cost, non-sales resources are available to every person with Medicare in New York:

• Medicare.gov — the official Medicare Plan Finder lets you compare 2027 plans by ZIP code, check formularies and look up provider networks.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) — available 24/7 for questions about enrollment, plan availability and coverage rules.

For plan-specific details, the plan's own Evidence of Coverage, Summary of Benefits, provider directory and drug list are the controlling documents.