Medicare Advantage

Before you renew: check Winston-Salem's 2027 plan list

Forsyth County has 97 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 15 plans are not coming back, 13 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 Winston-Salem, not which plan to pick.

Winston-Salem, N.C. — If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, fall 2026 is the one window each year when you can look at next year's lineup and decide whether to keep what you have or switch. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and whatever you pick takes effect January 1, 2027. Winston-Salem sits in Forsyth County, where plan availability is set — and for 2027 the county's lineup has shifted enough that a side-by-side review is worth the hour it takes.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Winston-Salem for 2027?

Forsyth County, where Winston-Salem sits, has 97 Medicare Advantage plans from 13 carriers for 2027, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File. That is down slightly from 99 plans in 2026, with 13 new plans joining the market and 15 not coming back.

By plan type for 2027, the county has 38 HMO plans, 22 HMO-POS plans, 36 PPO plans, and 1 PFFS plan. Of the 97 total, 85 include prescription drug coverage.

The 13 carriers serving the county for 2027, in alphabetical order: Aetna (CVS Health), Alignment Health Plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, HealthSpring, HealthTeam Advantage, Humana, Liberty Medicare Advantage, Longevity Health Plan, Provider Partners Health Plans, PruittHealth Premier, and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan by carrier.

What Special Needs Plans are available in Forsyth County for 2027?

Forsyth County has 41 Special Needs Plans (SNPs) for 2027: 23 Dual-Eligible (D-SNP) plans for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, 10 Chronic Condition (C-SNP) plans for people with specific conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, and 8 Institutional (I-SNP) plans for people who live in a nursing home or need that level of care.

If you qualify for a SNP, it is usually worth comparing against standard Medicare Advantage plans — SNPs are built around a specific group and often include extra support services. You can only enroll in a SNP if you meet its eligibility rules.

What is new in Winston-Salem's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup?

Three things are new for Forsyth County in 2027: 13 plans are new, 15 plans are not returning, and 16 plans have been renamed. Your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) — the booklet your plan mailed you in late September — spells out whether your specific plan is one of them and what else is changing in your coverage.

At the program level, two 2027 figures are set and worth knowing: the Part D out-of-pocket cap goes to $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible goes to $700 (up from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B standard premium, Part B deductible, and IRMAA income brackets are usually announced by CMS in November — check medicare.gov when they post.

How do I compare Medicare Advantage plans in Winston-Salem step by step?

A clear comparison for Winston-Salem residents takes about an hour and goes in this order:

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). Your current plan sent this by September 30, 2026. It tells you what changes January 1, 2027 — premium, deductible, copays, drug tier placements, extra benefits, and whether the plan is still being offered. If your plan is one of the 15 not returning in Forsyth County, the ANOC will say so.

2. List your doctors and hospitals. Write down every provider you want to keep seeing — your primary care doctor, specialists, and the Winston-Salem–area hospitals you prefer, such as those in the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Novant Health systems. Then check each plan's current provider directory to confirm they are in-network for 2027. Networks can change year to year.

3. List your prescriptions. Write down each drug's name, dose, and how often you take it. Then run that list through the plan's formulary (drug list) — plans move drugs between tiers every year, and a drug that was cheap in 2026 may sit on a different tier in 2027.

4. Check your pharmacy. Plans designate "preferred" and "standard" pharmacies, and your out-of-pocket cost at the counter can depend on which bucket your pharmacy is in. If you use a specific Winston-Salem pharmacy or get drugs by mail, verify its status under each plan.

5. Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. Enter your ZIP code, your drug list, and your preferred pharmacy. The tool shows every plan available in Forsyth County, estimates your yearly drug cost under each one, and lets you sort and compare. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7, for help walking through it.

What happens if I do nothing by December 7, 2026?

If you take no action by December 7, 2026, and your current plan is still offered in Forsyth County for 2027, you stay enrolled in it — with whatever changes the ANOC describes. If your plan is not returning, your coverage ends December 31, 2026, and you have a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new plan.

There is also a second window: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 – March 31, 2027. During that window, if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan once or go back to Original Medicare.