Medicare Advantage

Got a non-renewal letter? Here's your Durham deadline

For 2027, Durham is looking at 60 Medicare Advantage plans from 11 carriers: 6 new, 11 gone since 2026, and 16 continuing plans that change something in their terms, with 9 plans renamed. Below, how the lineup shifted in Durham County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Medicare AdvantageDurham, NC

DURHAM, N.C. — As the Annual Enrollment Period runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, Durham County residents on Medicare Advantage will see a shifting lineup for the 2027 plan year. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Landscape Source Files, 11 plans available in Durham County this year will not be offered in 2027, six new plans are joining, nine are being renamed, and one carrier — Experience Health — will not offer plans in the county next year. If your plan is on the leaving list, you have a special window to switch — and you should get your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) in the mail before it starts.

What "leaving," "new" and "renamed" actually mean

A plan that is leaving — CMS calls this "non-renewed" — will not be sold in Durham County in 2027. If you are enrolled, your coverage ends Dec. 31, 2026, and you need to pick something else or you will be moved back to Original Medicare on Jan. 1.

A new plan is one a carrier is offering in Durham County for the first time in 2027. You can only enroll during a valid election period.

A renamed plan is the same plan with a different name on paperwork. You do not have to do anything, but the plan will look different in the Medicare Plan Finder and on your new ID card.

Plans not returning to Durham County in 2027

Based on the CMS 2026 and 2027 Landscape files, these 11 Medicare Advantage plans available in Durham County this year will not be offered next year:

• Aetna Medicare Signature Care (HMO) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• HealthSpring Preferred Plus (HMO) — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC)
• HealthSpring Preferred Select (HMO) — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC)
• Wellcare Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare)
• Wellcare Giveback Open (PPO) — Centene (WellCare)
• Experience Health Medicare Advantage (HMO) — Experience Health
• HumanaChoice H5525-050 (PPO) — Humana
• HumanaChoice H5525-083 (PPO) — Humana
• AARP Medicare Advantage Access from UHC NC-23 (PPO) — UnitedHealthcare
• UHC Dual Complete NC-D001 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare
• UHC Dual Complete NC-S3 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare

Experience Health, which offered one HMO plan in Durham County this year, is exiting the county entirely.

If your plan is on the leaving list, here is your window

When your Medicare Advantage plan is not renewed, CMS gives you a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). It runs from Dec. 8 through the end of February. During that time you can:

• Enroll in a different Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage, per your situation), or
• Return to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Part D drug plan.

You should also receive a non-renewal letter from your current insurer. Keep it. It documents your right to the SEP.

If you would rather act during the Annual Enrollment Period, you can — Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 works for anyone.

New plans in Durham County for 2027

Six plans are joining the Durham County market for 2027:

• Humana Gold Plus Giveback H1036-343 (HMO-POS) — Humana
• Humana Gold Plus H1036-137 (HMO-POS) — Humana
• HumanaChoice H7617-122 (PPO) — Humana
• PruittHealth Premier (HMO I-SNP) — PruittHealth Premier
• UHC Dual Complete NC-Q2 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare
• UHC Dual Complete NC-S3 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare

Some of these are Special Needs Plans (SNPs) with specific eligibility rules — for example, dual-eligible (Medicare and Medicaid) or nursing home residents. A licensed agent, your local SHIP office, or medicare.gov can confirm whether you qualify.

Renamed plans — same plan, different name

These nine plans are being renamed for 2027. If one is yours, you do not need to switch to keep it:

• Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO) — was Aetna Medicare Eagle Giveback (PPO)
• Aetna Medicare Full Dual (HMO D-SNP) — was Aetna Medicare Dual (HMO D-SNP)
• 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)

Even so, read the ANOC. A rename can come alongside other changes.

Plans that are continuing but changing

Of the 54 plans continuing in Durham County, 16 are changing in some combination of premium, deductible, plan type, or name for 2027. CMS's file shows a change exists — the specifics live in your Annual Notice of Change, which insurers mail by the end of September. That is the single most important document to read this fall. Compare the 2027 numbers to what you paid and used in 2026, and check that your doctors, hospitals and prescriptions are still covered.

Program-wide, a few figures are worth knowing as you compare drug coverage: the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027, and the maximum Part D deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. The old "donut hole" is gone (drug coverage now has three phases), and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year if you choose.

How to decide, step by step

1. Watch the mail in September and October for your ANOC and, if applicable, a non-renewal letter. 2. Make a short list of what matters: your doctors, your hospital, your prescriptions, and whether you travel. 3. Run those against the plans available in Durham County using medicare.gov's Plan Finder. The full table below lists every 2027 plan. 4. If you are on a plan that is leaving, decide before Feb. 28, 2027 — but ideally before Dec. 7, 2026, so coverage is seamless on Jan. 1. 5. Get free, unbiased help from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). In North Carolina it is called SHIIP, part of the state Department of Insurance.