Medicare Advantage

Aetna Medicare Advantage in North Carolina for 2027: 21 Plans, County by County

RALEIGH — For the 2027 plan year, Aetna (which CMS groups as Aetna (CVS Health)) is offering 21 Medicare Advantage plans across North Carolina, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for CY2027. The mix includes HMO and PPO options, plans built for people with certain chronic conditions, and plans built for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. This explainer is published by an independent Medicare education site; we are not the government, not affiliated with any government agency, and not Aetna or any other carrier.

What Aetna offers in North Carolina for 2027

Statewide, Aetna's 2027 lineup breaks down as 12 HMO plans and 9 PPO plans, for a total of 21. All 21 include prescription drug coverage, so Part D is built in rather than purchased separately.

Among those 21, Special Needs Plans account for a defined slice: 2 Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) for people enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, and 3 Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans (C-SNPs) for people living with qualifying chronic conditions. There are no Institutional Special Needs Plans (I-SNPs) from Aetna in North Carolina for 2027.

For context on the broader market, 15 other carriers are also offering Medicare Advantage plans in North Carolina for 2027, and across all carriers the state has 179 plans available. Aetna is one piece of that larger picture.

Aetna's plans with the widest county reach

Because every Medicare Advantage plan is approved county by county, "statewide" availability varies plan to plan. Among Aetna's 2027 lineup, the plans with the broadest reach in North Carolina — by number of counties where they are offered — are:

• Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO) — offered in 96 counties; renamed from Aetna Medicare Eagle Giveback (PPO).
• Aetna Medicare Full Dual (HMO D-SNP) — offered in 96 counties; renamed from Aetna Medicare Dual (HMO D-SNP).
• Aetna Medicare Value Plus (HMO) — offered in 92 counties.
• Aetna Medicare Signature Giveback (PPO) — offered in 86 counties.

Other plans — including several Aetna Medicare Signature (HMO and PPO) variants, Aetna Medicare Enhanced (HMO and PPO), Aetna Medicare Prime (HMO), Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (PPO), Aetna Medicare Full Dual Care (HMO D-SNP), and the Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP) and Chronic Care Value (HMO C-SNP) plans — are offered in smaller sets of counties. The full plan-by-plan county counts are shown in the tables on this page, so we won't repeat the whole list in prose. The point to remember: a plan listed statewide may not be sold in your county, even if it's on Aetna's North Carolina roster.

What's new, what's renamed, and what's not returning

Year-over-year, the CMS Landscape files show three kinds of changes worth knowing about:

• New for 2027: Aetna is introducing 3 new plans in North Carolina. The new entries include an Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP) offered in 6 counties and two Aetna Medicare Signature (HMO) plans — one offered in 7 counties and one offered in 4 counties.
• Renamed: Two plans carry new names but continue in the market. Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO) was previously Aetna Medicare Eagle Giveback (PPO), and Aetna Medicare Full Dual (HMO D-SNP) was previously Aetna Medicare Dual (HMO D-SNP). If you were enrolled in one of these, you should see communication from the plan about the change.
• Not returning: 1 Aetna plan from 2026 is not being offered in 2027. If you are in a plan that is not returning, your plan will send a non-renewal notice, and you can use the Annual Enrollment Period to choose another option.

Checking your county, your doctors, and your prescriptions

Before deciding anything, confirm three things for any plan you're considering:

1. Is the plan offered in your county? Statewide availability does not mean countywide availability. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov will show you only the plans available at your ZIP code. 2. Are your doctors and hospitals in the plan's network? HMO and PPO plans handle networks differently, and provider participation can change. Check the plan's own provider directory, or call the plan. 3. Are your prescriptions on the plan's formulary? Each plan has its own drug list and its own pharmacy rules. The plan's Evidence of Coverage and formulary documents are the source of truth.

The Medicare Plan Finder lets you enter your drugs and preferred pharmacy and will show plan-specific details that this article cannot and will not estimate.

What to do before December 7

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

• Read the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) from your current plan if you have one; it describes what is changing for 2027.
• Make a list of your doctors, your prescriptions, and the pharmacies you use.
• Use medicare.gov to compare plans available in your county, including Aetna's and those from the 15 other carriers in North Carolina.
• If something is not returning or has been renamed, note it so you are not surprised in January.

There is no need to rush. The deadline is December 7, 2026, and the tools below are available throughout the window.

Where to get free help

• medicare.gov — the official Medicare Plan Finder, with county-level plan availability, formularies, and provider lookup tools.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for help comparing plans and confirming what is offered where you live.
• The plan's own Evidence of Coverage, Summary of Benefits, provider directory, and formulary — the authoritative source for any specific plan's details.