Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage changes in Cary for 2027: 19 plans leaving, 5 new

Wake County has 48 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 19 plans are not coming back, 5 are new, and 35 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.

Cary, N.C. — If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in Cary, your mail this fall deserves a careful look. According to CMS's 2027 Landscape Source File, 19 Medicare Advantage plans offered in Wake County this year will not return for 2027, five new plans are joining the lineup, and 15 more are keeping their coverage but changing names. Two carriers — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC) and Experience Health — will not offer Medicare Advantage plans in Wake County next year.

Cary is in Wake County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set. That means the changes below apply to Cary residents along with everyone else in the county.

Which plans are leaving Wake County after 2026

Nineteen Medicare Advantage plans will not be renewed for 2027. In alphabetical order by carrier, they are:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Signature Care (HMO)
• Alignment Health Plan: Alignment Health Platinum (HMO)
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina: Blue Medicare Choice (HMO)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC): HealthSpring Courage (HMO), HealthSpring Preferred (HMO), HealthSpring Preferred Plus (HMO), HealthSpring Preferred Savings (HMO), HealthSpring Preferred Select (HMO), HealthSpring TotalCare (HMO D-SNP), HealthSpring TotalCare Plus (HMO D-SNP), HealthSpring True Choice (PPO)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP), Wellcare Giveback Open (PPO)
• Experience Health: Experience Health Medicare Advantage (HMO)
• Humana: HumanaChoice H5525-050 (PPO), HumanaChoice H5525-083 (PPO)
• UnitedHealthcare: AARP Medicare Advantage Access from UHC NC-23 (PPO), UHC Dual Complete NC-D001 (HMO-POS D-SNP), UHC Dual Complete NC-S3 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

Two carriers — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), which offered the HealthSpring plans, and Experience Health — are leaving Wake County entirely.

If your plan is on this list, you should have received a non-renewal letter from your insurer. You have options — see below.

New Medicare Advantage plans for 2027

Five plans are new to Wake County next year:

• Humana Gold Plus Giveback H1036-343 (HMO-POS)
• Humana Gold Plus H1036-137 (HMO-POS)
• PruittHealth Premier (HMO I-SNP)
• UHC Dual Complete NC-Q2 (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• UHC Dual Complete NC-S3 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

The last plan on that list reuses a plan ID that was in use in 2026 — different plan behind the same identifier, so treat it as new. The full 2027 roster appears in the table below on this page.

Fifteen plans are keeping coverage but changing names

Some renamed plans are the same coverage under a new label — but the name on your ID card and your paperwork will look different in January. According to CMS's 2027 file, these plans are renamed for next year:

• Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO) — was Aetna Medicare Eagle Giveback (PPO)
• Aetna Medicare Full Dual (HMO D-SNP) — was Aetna Medicare Dual (HMO D-SNP)
• Alignment Health AVA 001 (PPO) — was Alignment Health AVA (PPO)
• Alignment Health Duals+ 004 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was Alignment Health NC Duals (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes 011 (HMO C-SNP) — was Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes Care (HMO C-SNP)
• Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes Plus 009 (HMO-POS C-SNP) — was Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes NCPlus (HMO-POS C-SNP)
• Alignment Health Platinum 010 (HMO) — was Alignment Health Platinum Select (HMO)
• Alignment Health Smart 006 (HMO) — was Alignment Health smartHMO (HMO)
• Wellcare Carolina Complete Dual Liberty (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was Wellcare Dual Liberty (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Wellcare Carolina Complete Dual Liberty Open (PPO D-SNP) — was Wellcare Dual Liberty Open (PPO D-SNP)
• Wellcare Carolina Complete Dual Reserve (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was Wellcare Dual Reserve (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Humana Full Access (Regional PPO) — was Humana Full Access R0110-005 (Regional PPO)
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC NC-15 (HMO-POS) — was AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC NC-0015 (HMO-POS)
• UHC Dual Advantage NC-V1 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete NC-V001 (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• UHC Dual Complete NC-Q1 (PPO D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete NC-S001 (PPO D-SNP)

If your plan is on this list, no action is required just because of the new name — but you should still read the ANOC, since other details may change too.

Plans that are "changing" — what that means

CMS's file flags 20 plans in Wake County as changing on premium, deductible, plan type or name from 2026 to 2027. That does not mean they are worse or better — just that something is different. Forty-three plans are continuing without those changes.

The document that tells you exactly what is changing on your specific plan is the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). It should have arrived in September. If you have not seen yours, call your plan or check your online account.

What to do if your plan is leaving

If your plan is on the non-renewal list, you have two ways to pick something else:

• Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7): Choose any Medicare Advantage plan, Part D plan, or return to Original Medicare with a standalone drug plan. Coverage starts January 1.
• Special Enrollment Period for non-renewals: Members of a plan that is not being renewed get a special window that runs through the end of February to make a change. This is separate from the general Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31), which lets current MA members switch once.

A few things to keep in mind as you compare:

• Check that your doctors, hospitals and pharmacies are in the new plan's network.
• Look at your prescriptions on the new plan's drug list (formulary).
• Remember the Part D changes still apply: the out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027, the maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027, and you can spread drug costs monthly through the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan.

Where to get personal help

• medicare.gov — the Plan Finder lets you compare 2027 plans side by side using your ZIP code and prescriptions.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• North Carolina SHIIP (the state's Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program) — free, unbiased one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers. Call 1-855-408-1212.