Medicare Advantage

Blue Cross NC's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Durham: how to check them against your doctors

Durham, N.C. — Fall 2026. With Annual Enrollment 2027 underway through December 7, 2026, Durham-area readers who have — or are considering — a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Medicare Advantage plan now have the full 2027 lineup to review. Durham is in Durham County, where Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is offering seven Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File. This article walks through what that lineup looks like, what is (and is not) changing, and how to check any plan against your own doctors and prescriptions before the deadline.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site. We are not Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, and we are not Medicare. Ten other carriers also sell Medicare Advantage plans in Durham County for 2027 — 69 plans in all — so the Blue Cross NC lineup is one option among many.

What Blue Cross NC Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Durham for 2027?

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is offering 7 Medicare Advantage plans in Durham County for 2027. By plan type, that breaks down as 1 HMO, 4 HMO-POS and 2 PPO plans. Five of the seven include Part D prescription drug coverage; two do not. One of the seven is a Special Needs Plan — a D-SNP designed for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid.

The table below lists every Blue Cross NC plan available in the county for 2027, in alphabetical order, with its plan type and whether it includes drug coverage:

• Blue Medicare Enhanced (HMO-POS) — HMO-POS, with drug coverage
• Blue Medicare Essential (HMO) — HMO, with drug coverage
• Blue Medicare Essential Plus (HMO-POS) — HMO-POS, with drug coverage
• Blue Medicare Freedom+ (PPO) — PPO, without drug coverage
• Blue Medicare Medical Only (HMO-POS) — HMO-POS, without drug coverage
• Blue Medicare PPO Enhanced (PPO) — PPO, with drug coverage
• Healthy Blue + Medicare (HMO-POS D-SNP) — HMO-POS D-SNP, with drug coverage

We cannot publish premiums, copays, networks, drug lists or star ratings here. Those details live on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov and in each plan's Evidence of Coverage.

What is new or not returning from Blue Cross NC in Durham County for 2027?

In Durham County, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is not launching any new Medicare Advantage plans for 2027 and is not discontinuing any of its current plans. The same seven plans that were available in 2026 are being offered again.

That does not mean everything is the same. Each plan is required to send an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) by late September describing what will be different in 2027 — including any changes to premiums, deductibles, copays, provider networks, the formulary (covered drugs), and extra benefits like dental, vision or hearing. If you are already in a Blue Cross NC plan, the ANOC is the single most important document to read before December 7.

What are the Special Needs Plans and drug coverage options from Blue Cross NC in Durham?

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is offering 1 Special Needs Plan in Durham County for 2027 — a D-SNP (Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan) for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. There are no C-SNPs (chronic condition) or I-SNPs (institutional) from this carrier in the county for 2027. If you are not dually eligible, a D-SNP is not an option for you.

Of the carrier's 7 plans, 5 include Part D prescription drug coverage built in and 2 do not. If you choose a Medicare Advantage plan without drug coverage, Medicare's rules limit when you can add a standalone Part D plan, so it is worth confirming how drug coverage will work before you enroll.

A few program-level numbers to keep in mind as you compare drug coverage for next year:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and rises to $2,400 in 2027.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") has been eliminated since 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs over the calendar year in monthly installments, at no extra charge.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, had not been announced as of early fall 2026. CMS usually publishes them in November.

How do I check a Blue Cross NC plan against my doctors and prescriptions before December 7?

The most reliable way is to use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, which lets you enter your ZIP code, your prescriptions and your preferred pharmacies, and then shows how each plan would handle them. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A simple checklist for Durham residents:

1. Pull your ANOC. If you are already in a Blue Cross NC plan, read the Annual Notice of Change for what is different in 2027. 2. List your doctors and hospitals. For each plan you are considering, confirm they are in-network for 2027 — call the provider's billing office, not just the online directory, since directories can lag. 3. List your prescriptions, doses and pharmacy. Enter them in the Medicare Plan Finder to see how each plan's formulary and preferred pharmacies would price them for 2027. 4. Check plan type rules. HMO plans generally require you to use in-network providers and may require referrals. HMO-POS plans allow some out-of-network care. PPO plans give you more out-of-network flexibility, usually at a higher cost share. 5. Confirm D-SNP eligibility if you are considering Healthy Blue + Medicare — you must have both Medicare and Medicaid. 6. Finish by December 7, 2026. Changes made during Annual Enrollment take effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan renews with the changes in the ANOC, if the plan is still offered.

If you miss the deadline, Medicare Advantage members have a second window — the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 through March 31, 2027 — to switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.