Medicare Advantage

Aetna Medicare Advantage in North Dakota for 2027: 3 Plans, County by County

BISMARCK — For the 2027 plan year, Aetna (grouped by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as Aetna (CVS Health)) is offering three Medicare Advantage plans in North Dakota, all of them PPOs that include prescription drug coverage. The federal CMS Landscape files, which list every Medicare Advantage plan approved for sale in each county, show one of those three plans is new for 2027 and none of Aetna's prior plans are leaving the state. This explainer, published by an independent Medicare education site that is not affiliated with the government or with any insurance carrier, walks through what the files show statewide and how a North Dakota reader can check their own county.

How many Aetna Medicare Advantage plans are offered in North Dakota for 2027?

Aetna has 3 Medicare Advantage plans listed in North Dakota for the 2027 plan year, and all 3 are PPOs that include prescription drug coverage. According to the CMS Landscape file, Aetna is one of 5 carriers offering Medicare Advantage in North Dakota for 2027, and those carriers together offer 23 plans statewide. Aetna lists no Special Needs Plans in North Dakota for 2027: zero Dual Eligible SNPs (D-SNP), zero Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNP) and zero Institutional SNPs (I-SNP). Readers who need an SNP will want to look at other carriers in the broader Landscape table on this page. Because plans are approved county by county, the statewide count of 3 is a ceiling — the number actually available in any single North Dakota county may be lower.

Which Aetna Medicare Advantage plans have the widest county reach in North Dakota for 2027?

In North Dakota for 2027, Aetna's three plans — Aetna Medicare Elite (PPO), Aetna Medicare Signature Classic Extra (PPO) and Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (PPO) — are each listed in 29 counties, according to the CMS Landscape file. All three are PPOs and all three include prescription drug coverage. Having the same county footprint on paper does not mean the plans are interchangeable: provider networks, drug formularies, cost sharing and extra benefits differ plan by plan, and those details sit outside this article. The full plan-by-plan table on this page shows the names and county counts as CMS published them; this piece only names them, in the order the data lists them.

What is new or not returning from Aetna in North Dakota for 2027?

For 2027 in North Dakota, Aetna is adding 1 new Medicare Advantage plan and is not discontinuing any plans. The new entrant in the Landscape file is Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (PPO), listed as new for next year. The file also shows that Aetna Medicare Signature Classic Extra (PPO) is a renamed plan — it was previously called Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (PPO). That naming overlap matters: a plan a reader was enrolled in during 2026 may show up under a slightly different name for 2027, even though a separate, brand-new plan is now using the earlier name. The Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) that Aetna mails to current members is the document that explains, for each member, which plan they will roll into for 2027.

How do I check whether an Aetna plan is offered in my North Dakota county and covers my doctors and drugs?

The quickest way to confirm whether a specific Aetna plan is sold in your North Dakota county for 2027 — and whether it covers your doctors, hospitals and prescriptions — is to use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov or to call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Enter your ZIP code and county, then your prescriptions and preferred pharmacy. Medicare.gov will show only the plans actually approved for sale in that county for 2027 and will flag each plan's drug list and pharmacy network. For provider questions, check the plan's own online directory or the Evidence of Coverage, and call the provider's billing office to confirm they will accept that specific Aetna Medicare Advantage plan in 2027. The CMS Landscape file counts plans; it does not list which doctors are in network.

What should North Dakota Medicare beneficiaries do before December 7, 2026?

Before December 7, 2026, North Dakota beneficiaries who want their 2027 Medicare Advantage choice to take effect on January 1, 2027 should compare their current plan's 2027 version against the other options approved in their county. The Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage runs October 15 – December 7, 2026. During that window a beneficiary can join a Medicare Advantage plan, switch between Medicare Advantage plans, drop Medicare Advantage and return to Original Medicare, or add or change a stand-alone Part D drug plan if eligible. A good step-by-step is: read the ANOC that arrives in the fall, list your prescriptions and providers, run those through the Plan Finder, and only then decide whether to stay or switch. December 7, 2026 is a date on the calendar, not a cliff — but changes made after it generally wait for a later enrollment period.

Where can North Dakota readers get free help comparing Medicare plans for 2027?

North Dakota readers can get free, unbiased help with Medicare questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or by using the Medicare Plan Finder and plan comparison tools at medicare.gov. Those are the official federal channels, and they are the authoritative sources for which plans are offered in each county for 2027, what each plan covers, and how to enroll. For questions about Medicare eligibility and Part A and Part B enrollment itself, the Social Security Administration at ssa.gov or 1-800-772-1213 is the right first stop.