Medicare Advantage

Winston-Salem's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup: what's new, what's leaving, what's renamed

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. — As Annual Enrollment 2027 opens on October 15, 2026, Medicare shoppers in Forsyth County will see a reshuffled Medicare Advantage menu: 13 plans are new for 2027, 15 are not coming back, and 16 are being offered under new names. The deadline to make a change for coverage that starts January 1, 2027 is December 7, 2026.

If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews into 2027 — as long as it is still offered. The changes you need to know about are in your plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), the packet your insurer mailed in September.

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

Winston-Salem is in Forsyth County, where 13 carriers currently offer Medicare Advantage. For 2026 the county has 99 Advantage plans listed — a mix of HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and one PFFS, with 39 Special Needs Plans in the group and 87 of the plans including drug coverage. For 2027, 13 brand-new plans join the lineup and 15 plans leave, so the overall shape of the market is similar but the specific choices in front of you have changed.

The full table on this page lists every plan available in the county by carrier and type. Use it alongside the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, which shows the premium, deductible, drug list and provider network for each plan — details we are not permitted to publish here.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are new in Forsyth County for 2027?

Thirteen plans are new for 2027 in Forsyth County. In alphabetical order by carrier, they are:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC): HealthSpring Achieve (HMO C-SNP)
• Devoted Health: DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 032 NC (HMO C-SNP); DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 038 NC (HMO)
• HealthTeam Advantage: HealthTeam Advantage Thrive Plan (HMO)
• Humana: Humana Gold Plus Giveback H1036-343 (HMO-POS); Humana Gold Plus H1036-137 (HMO-POS); HumanaChoice H7617-122 (PPO)
• Provider Partners Health Plans: Provider Partners North Carolina Community Plan (HMO I-SNP); Provider Partners North Carolina Essential Plan (HMO I-SNP)
• PruittHealth Premier: PruittHealth Premier (HMO I-SNP)
• UnitedHealthcare: UHC Dual Complete NC-Q2 (HMO-POS D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete NC-S3 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

Several of these are Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans (C-SNPs), built for people with conditions like diabetes or heart disease, or Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) for people living in a nursing facility. SNPs have eligibility rules, so you cannot simply enroll because the plan is new.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are leaving Winston-Salem after 2026?

Fifteen plans will not be offered in Forsyth County in 2027. In alphabetical order by carrier:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Signature Care (HMO)
• Alignment Health Plan: Alignment Health Platinum (HMO)
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina: Blue Medicare Choice (HMO)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC): HealthSpring Preferred Plus (HMO); HealthSpring Preferred Select (HMO)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP); Wellcare Giveback Open (PPO)
• HealthTeam Advantage: HealthTeam Advantage Diabetes & Heart Care (HMO C-SNP)
• Humana: HumanaChoice H5525-050 (PPO); HumanaChoice H5525-083 (PPO)
• Provider Partners Health Plans: Provider Partners North Carolina Community Plan (HMO I-SNP); Provider Partners North Carolina Essential Plan (HMO I-SNP)
• UnitedHealthcare: AARP Medicare Advantage Access from UHC NC-23 (PPO); UHC Dual Complete NC-D001 (HMO-POS D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete NC-S3 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

A quick note: Provider Partners' Community and Essential plans and UHC Dual Complete NC-S3 appear on both the "leaving" and "new" lists. That typically means the plan contract is being replaced with a reorganized version carrying the same name — treat the ANOC as your source of truth.

What happens if my Medicare Advantage plan is leaving Winston-Salem?

If your plan is on the "leaving" list, Medicare gives you a Special Enrollment Period so you are not stuck. You can switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan) between December 8, 2026 and the end of February 2027, without waiting for a later window. Your insurer must send a non-renewal notice explaining this.

Two things are worth doing now. First, check whether your doctors, hospital and regular prescriptions are covered under any plan you are considering — the plan name alone does not tell you that. Second, if you want a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy instead, be aware that outside your initial Medigap window, insurers in North Carolina can use medical underwriting. Call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit medicare.gov to walk through your options.

Which Winston-Salem plans are just getting a new name for 2027?

Sixteen plans in Forsyth County are being renamed for 2027 — the plan itself continues, but the name on your card and paperwork is different. A few examples: Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO) was Aetna Medicare Eagle Giveback (PPO); Alignment Health Smart 006 (HMO) was Alignment Health smartHMO (HMO); several Wellcare "Dual" plans are now "Wellcare Carolina Complete Dual" plans; and UHC Dual Advantage NC-V1 (HMO-POS D-SNP) was UHC Dual Complete NC-V001 (HMO-POS D-SNP).

Separately, CMS data flags 25 continuing plans in the county as having a change on premium, deductible, type or name for 2027. The specifics live in each plan's ANOC — read yours before you decide to stay put.

What else is changing for 2027 that affects my choice?

Two program-wide numbers are confirmed for 2027. The Part D out-of-pocket cap — the most you pay in a calendar year for covered prescriptions — rises to $2,400, up from $2,100 in 2026. The maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge rises to $700, up from $615 in 2026. The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") remains eliminated, so Part D has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not yet been announced. CMS typically releases those figures in the fall, so check medicare.gov before locking in a decision that depends on them.