Medicare Advantage

Charlotte Medicare Advantage for 2027: who's arriving, who's leaving, and what stays

People in Charlotte can choose from 89 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 94 this year. 19 of this year’s plans are gone, 14 are new to Mecklenburg County, and 28 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 10 of them under a new name.

Charlotte, N.C. — October 2026. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in the Charlotte area, this fall's mail is heavier than usual. Mecklenburg County's 2027 lineup brings a new carrier to town, retires 19 current plans, adds 14 new ones, and renames another 10. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any choice you make during that window takes effect January 1, 2027.

Here is what the data from CMS's Medicare Advantage Landscape files shows for next year in Mecklenburg County, where Charlotte sits — and what it means for how you decide.

What Charlotte's 2027 lineup looks like

Charlotte is in Mecklenburg County, and Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level. For 2026, Mecklenburg County has 94 Medicare Advantage plans from 11 carriers. By plan type, that is 32 HMOs, 26 HMO-POS plans, 35 PPOs and 1 PFFS plan. Thirty-eight are Special Needs Plans (for people with Medicaid, certain chronic conditions, or who live in an institutional setting), and all 94 include prescription drug coverage.

For 2027, the carrier list grows by one: Alignment Health Plan is new to the county. The other carriers offering plans here — Aetna (CVS Health), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, HealthTeam Advantage, Humana, Liberty Medicare Advantage, Longevity Health Plan, Provider Partners Health Plans, and UnitedHealthcare — all return. The table below lists every 2026 plan by carrier.

What's new for 2027

Fourteen plans are being added in Mecklenburg County for 2027. Alignment Health Plan arrives with its first five plans in the county: Alignment Health Duals+ 004 (HMO-POS D-SNP), Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes 011 (HMO C-SNP), Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes Plus 009 (HMO-POS C-SNP), Alignment Health Platinum 012 (HMO), and Alignment Health Smart 013 (HMO).

Returning carriers are also adding plans. Devoted Health is adding DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 031 NC (HMO C-SNP), DEVOTED CORE 037 NC (HMO), and DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 039 NC (HMO). Humana is adding Humana Gold Plus Giveback H1036-343 (HMO-POS) and HumanaChoice H7617-122 (PPO). Provider Partners Health Plans is adding Provider Partners North Carolina Community Plan (HMO I-SNP) and Provider Partners North Carolina Essential Plan (HMO I-SNP). UnitedHealthcare is adding UHC Dual Complete NC-Q2 (HMO-POS D-SNP) and UHC Dual Complete NC-S3 (HMO-POS D-SNP).

New doesn't mean better or worse — it means a plan you could not pick last year is on the shelf now. Compare it the same way you would any other option.

Plans that aren't returning

Nineteen plans currently sold in Mecklenburg County will not be offered in 2027. If you are on one of these, your carrier is required to send you a non-renewal notice, and you have a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new Medicare Advantage plan or go back to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan. That SEP runs from December 8, 2026 through the end of February 2027, which is longer than the regular Annual Enrollment window.

The plans leaving are:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Signature Care (HMO)
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina: Blue Medicare Choice (HMO)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC): HealthSpring Preferred Plus (HMO), HealthSpring Preferred Select (HMO)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP), Wellcare Giveback Open (PPO)
• Humana: HumanaChoice H5525-050 (PPO), HumanaChoice H5525-083 (PPO)
• Provider Partners Health Plans: Provider Partners North Carolina Community Plan (HMO I-SNP), Provider Partners North Carolina Essential Plan (HMO I-SNP)
• UnitedHealthcare: AARP Medicare Advantage Access from UHC NC-23 (PPO); Erickson Advantage Champion (HMO-POS C-SNP), Freedom (HMO-POS), Guardian (HMO-POS I-SNP), Liberty (HMO-POS), Liberty no Rx (HMO-POS), and Signature (HMO-POS); UHC Dual Complete NC-D001 (HMO-POS D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete NC-S3 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

If your plan is on this list, read the non-renewal letter and act during the AEP or your SEP so you are not left with gaps in coverage on January 1.

Renamed, and otherwise changed

Ten plans in Mecklenburg County are being renamed for 2027. The plan itself is continuing, but the name on your ID card may change. These include Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO), formerly Aetna Medicare Eagle Giveback (PPO); Aetna Medicare Full Dual (HMO D-SNP), formerly Aetna Medicare Dual; three WellCare D-SNPs that are now branded "Wellcare Carolina Complete" (Dual Liberty, Dual Liberty Open, and Dual Reserve); DEVOTED C-SNP ENHANCED 016 NC, formerly PREMIUM; Humana Full Access (Regional PPO), formerly H5525-005; AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC NC-15 (HMO-POS); UHC Dual Advantage NC-V1 (HMO-POS D-SNP); and UHC Dual Complete NC-Q1 (PPO D-SNP).

Another 18 plans are continuing but changing on something — premium, deductible, plan type or name. The specifics live in your plan's Annual Notice of Change. Sixty-five plans are continuing with no such flagged change.

How to decide this fall

Four quick steps most Charlotte-area readers can use:

1. Open the ANOC. The Annual Notice of Change is the single most important piece of paper you'll get this fall. It tells you what is different about your plan for 2027. 2. Confirm your doctors and drugs. Networks and formularies change every year. Check that your providers are in-network and your prescriptions are still covered at the pharmacies you use. 3. Factor in the 2027 Part D numbers. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum Part D deductible rises to $700 (from $615). The 2027 Part B premium and deductible, and the IRMAA brackets, are published by CMS later in the fall. 4. Use Medicare Plan Finder. At medicare.gov/plan-compare you can enter your ZIP code and drug list and see what every Charlotte-area plan would actually cost you. That is the only tool that attaches real numbers to the plan names above.