Medicare Advantage

If your Greensboro Medicare Advantage plan is ending, here is the Dec. 7 playbook

Guilford County has 97 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 15 plans are not coming back, 14 are new, and 41 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 16 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Greensboro, not which plan to pick.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — This fall, 15 Medicare Advantage plans sold in Guilford County in 2026 are not on the list for 2027, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape files. If you are enrolled in one of them, the insurer is required to tell you by mail — and you have more time than the regular deadline to decide what comes next.

How do I know if my Greensboro Medicare Advantage plan is ending in 2027?

Watch the mail. Every Medicare Advantage plan that is leaving the market has to send members a written non-renewal notice in the fall, usually in early October. The letter will say the plan will not be offered in 2027 and explain your right to pick a new plan or go back to Original Medicare.

That letter is important paperwork. It is both your proof and your ticket to a Special Enrollment Period, so put it somewhere safe. If you think your plan is ending but you have not received a letter, call the member services number on the back of your plan card.

Members whose plans are continuing get a different letter called the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). That one keeps you in the plan for 2027 with any new costs or rules it describes.

Which Medicare Advantage plans in Guilford County are not returning for 2027?

Fifteen plans sold in Guilford County — the county Greensboro is in — in 2026 are not in CMS's 2027 Landscape file for the county. The table below lists every plan, but here are the ones leaving, in alphabetical order by carrier:

• Aetna Medicare Signature Care (HMO) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• Alignment Health Platinum (HMO) — Alignment Health Plan
• Blue Medicare Choice (HMO) — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
• Wellcare Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare)
• Wellcare Giveback Open (PPO) — Centene (WellCare)
• HealthSpring Preferred Plus (HMO) — HealthSpring
• HealthSpring Preferred Select (HMO) — HealthSpring
• HealthTeam Advantage Diabetes & Heart Care (HMO C-SNP) — HealthTeam Advantage
• HumanaChoice H5525-050 (PPO) — Humana
• HumanaChoice H5525-083 (PPO) — Humana
• Provider Partners North Carolina Community Plan (HMO I-SNP) — Provider Partners Health Plans
• Provider Partners North Carolina Essential Plan (HMO I-SNP) — Provider Partners Health Plans
• 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

Being on this list only means the exact plan is going away. The carrier itself may still offer other plans in Guilford County next year — those appear as separate plans in the 2027 lineup, with their own costs and rules you would need to compare.

What happens if I do nothing after my plan ends on Dec. 31, 2026?

If your Medicare Advantage plan ends and you do not pick a new one, Medicare automatically returns you to Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) starting Jan. 1, 2027. You will not be dropped from Medicare.

There are two catches to know. First, Original Medicare does not include prescription drug coverage, so you would need to join a standalone Part D plan to keep drug coverage without a late-enrollment penalty. Second, Original Medicare has no yearly cap on what you pay out of pocket for doctor and hospital services — that is one reason many people pair it with a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy.

Doing nothing is a choice, not a disaster. But it is worth making on purpose.

What Special Enrollment Period do I get, and how long does it last?

When your plan is non-renewed, Medicare gives you a Special Enrollment Period that runs from Dec. 8, 2026 through Feb. 28, 2027. During that window, you can:

• Join a different Medicare Advantage plan offered in Guilford County for 2027.
• Join a standalone Part D prescription drug plan if you move to Original Medicare.
• Switch to Original Medicare with a Part D plan.

You can also use the regular Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026) to make a change that starts Jan. 1, 2027. Many people do it then so there is no gap between plans.

On the Medigap side, losing your Medicare Advantage plan this way generally gives you a federal "guaranteed-issue" right to buy certain Medigap policies without medical underwriting, within set time limits. The exact Medigap plans and timing in North Carolina are set by state rules — the N.C. Department of Insurance can walk you through what applies to you.

How do I compare my 2027 choices in Greensboro?

For 2027, Guilford County will have 97 Medicare Advantage plans from 13 carriers to choose from, based on CMS's 2027 Landscape file. That is a lot to sort through, so start with what matters most to you: your doctors and hospitals, the prescriptions you take, and the total you expect to pay (premium plus what the plan charges when you use care).

A few tools make this easier:

• The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you enter your drugs and pharmacies and see every plan available at your ZIP code.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) is open 24/7 and can walk you through plans by phone.
• Each plan's Evidence of Coverage and provider and pharmacy directories, available from the plan itself, are the official sources for benefits and networks.

A couple of 2027 program-wide numbers to keep in mind as you compare drug coverage: the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). CMS will publish the 2027 Part B premium and deductible later this fall.