Medicare Advantage

HealthSpring's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Charlotte: how to match them to your doctors and drugs

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Fall 2026. If you have a HealthSpring Medicare Advantage plan in Charlotte, or you are shopping and want to see what HealthSpring is putting on the shelf for 2027, this is the moment to look. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027. In Mecklenburg County — the county Charlotte sits in — HealthSpring will offer six Medicare Advantage plans next year, and two of its 2026 plans are not returning.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site. We are not HealthSpring, and we are not the only option here: 11 other carriers also sell Medicare Advantage plans in Mecklenburg County for 2027, for a total of 89 plans across all carriers.

What HealthSpring is offering in Charlotte for 2027

For plan year 2027, HealthSpring's Mecklenburg County lineup is six plans: five HMOs and one PPO. All six include Part D drug coverage. Two are Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), designed for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. There are no Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) or Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) from this carrier in the county next year.

A note on the name: CMS lists these plans under their parent organization, Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC). On your Medicare paperwork and on medicare.gov, you will see them as HealthSpring plans — that is how we refer to them here.

The table below lists every HealthSpring plan sold in Mecklenburg County for 2027. In alphabetical order, they are:

• HealthSpring Courage (HMO)
• HealthSpring Preferred (HMO)
• HealthSpring Preferred Savings (HMO)
• HealthSpring TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
• HealthSpring TotalCare Plus (HMO D-SNP)
• HealthSpring True Choice (PPO)

We can't publish premiums, copays, deductibles, networks, drug lists or star ratings here — those details come from the plan itself. We'll show you where to find them in a moment.

What is changing from 2026 to 2027

Two things to know if you are already in a HealthSpring plan:

• Two 2026 plans are not returning for 2027. If you are in a plan that is ending, you will get a non-renewal notice from the carrier. You then have the AEP window — through December 7, 2026 — to pick a different plan, or you can use a Special Enrollment Period that applies when a plan leaves the market.
• No plans are new in HealthSpring's Mecklenburg County lineup for 2027, and none have been renamed.

Even if your plan is returning, it will not be identical to this year's version. Every renewing plan sends an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) by late September. That is the document that spells out what is different for 2027 — premium, deductible, copays, the drug formulary, the provider network, extra benefits. Read it before December 7.

HMO, PPO, D-SNP: what the plan types mean

HealthSpring's 2027 Charlotte lineup includes three plan types. The differences matter more than the names.

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You generally use the plan's network of doctors and hospitals, and you usually need a referral to see a specialist. Out-of-network care is typically not covered except for emergencies.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). You can see out-of-network providers, usually at a higher cost. Referrals are generally not required.
• D-SNP (Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan). An HMO built for people who have both Medicare and full or partial Medicaid. If you do not have Medicaid, you are not eligible for these plans.

How to check a plan against your doctors and prescriptions

This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that prevents January surprises. Before you enroll in any plan — HealthSpring or otherwise — do these four things:

1. Go to medicare.gov/plan-compare. Sign in (or use it as a guest) and enter your ZIP code. 2. Add your prescriptions. Enter each drug, the dose, and how often you take it. The Plan Finder will show your estimated yearly drug cost under each plan. 3. Add your pharmacies. Prices can differ between a preferred pharmacy and a standard one in the same plan. 4. Check your doctors. Click into each plan and look up every provider you want to keep — primary care, specialists, your hospital system. Networks change every year, so a doctor who was in-network in 2026 may not be in 2027.

If you prefer the phone, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7. For plan-specific questions, call the number on the plan's Summary of Benefits or read its Evidence of Coverage.

2027 figures CMS has confirmed

A few program-level numbers for 2027 are already set:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs hits that amount, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). Plans can set a lower deductible, but not higher.
• Part D national base beneficiary premium: $41.33 for 2027. This is a formula input CMS uses — it is not what any particular plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets have not been announced yet. CMS typically publishes those in the fall, usually in November.

If you do nothing

Nothing dramatic happens. If your current plan is offered again in 2027, it renews automatically on January 1 with the changes listed in your ANOC. If your plan is one of the two HealthSpring plans not returning, you will be notified, and you have time to choose a replacement.