Medicare Advantage

Cary NC Medicare Advantage plans for 2027

Wake County has 48 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 19 plans are not coming back, 5 are new, and 20 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 15 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Cary, not which plan to pick.

Medicare AdvantageCary, NC

Cary sits inside Wake County, and Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level. For plan year 2027, Wake County residents can choose from 48 Medicare Advantage plans offered by 9 carriers, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape file. Every one of those plans includes prescription drug coverage.

What the 2027 lineup looks like in Cary

That's a lot to sort through, and the good news is you don't have to compare 77 plans one by one. Once you understand the handful of plan types that make up the list, the choice gets simpler.

The carriers offering plans in Wake County

Nine carriers file Medicare Advantage plans in the county for 2027. In alphabetical order:

• Aetna (CVS Health): 7 plans
• Alignment Health Plan: 7 plans
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina: 8 plans
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC): 8 plans
• Centene (WellCare): 9 plans
• Experience Health: 1 plan
• Humana: 18 plans
• Liberty Medicare Advantage: 3 plans
• Longevity Health Plan: 1 plan
• PruittHealth Premier: 1 plan
• UnitedHealthcare: 14 plans

The table below lists every plan by carrier. Some carriers offer a broad mix of HMO and PPO products; others focus on a single plan type or on Special Needs Plans. The number of plans a carrier files isn't a measure of quality — it just tells you how many distinct products they've registered with Medicare for the county.

HMO, HMO-POS and PPO: how the plan types actually differ

Of the 77 plans on the Wake County list, CMS categorizes 28 as HMO, 21 as HMO-POS and 28 as PPO. Here's what those labels mean in practice.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You use doctors and hospitals inside the plan's network, and you generally pick a primary care doctor who coordinates referrals to specialists. Out-of-network care is usually not covered except for emergencies.

HMO-POS (Point of Service). This is an HMO with a small door built into it. You still use the network for most care, but the "point of service" option lets you go out-of-network for certain services, usually at a higher cost.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). PPOs give you more flexibility to see out-of-network providers, though you'll typically pay more when you do. You generally don't need referrals to see specialists.

PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service). Medicare allows this plan type nationally, but no PFFS plans are offered in Wake County for 2027. In a PFFS plan, the insurer sets the payment terms and any provider who accepts them can treat you.

None of these plan types is universally better than the others. The right fit depends on which doctors and hospitals you want to keep using, whether you travel, and how much you value flexibility versus predictability.

Special Needs Plans (SNPs): built for a specific situation

Of the 77 plans in Wake County, 30 are Special Needs Plans. SNPs are Medicare Advantage plans limited to people who meet certain criteria. There are three kinds:

• D-SNP (Dual Eligible). For people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid.
• C-SNP (Chronic Condition). For people with a qualifying chronic condition, such as diabetes or heart conditions.
• I-SNP (Institutional). For people who live in a nursing home or need a similar level of care.

You can't just choose an SNP because you like the name — you have to meet the eligibility rules. If you do, the plan is tailored around that need, with drug coverage and care coordination geared toward it.

What's true about drug coverage in 2027

Every Medicare Advantage plan on the Wake County list for 2027 includes Part D drug coverage. A few program-level facts apply no matter which plan you pick:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your drug spending hits that ceiling, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027).
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy.
• Higher-income enrollees pay an IRMAA surcharge, starting above $109,000 for single filers in 2026.

Dates to keep on your calendar

The Annual Enrollment Period runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. That's the main window to join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage plan for the following year. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get a second chance from Jan. 1 through March 31 — the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period — to switch to another MA plan or move back to Original Medicare.