Medicare Advantage

Before you enroll in a new Cincinnati plan, read this

For 2027, Cincinnati is looking at 82 Medicare Advantage plans: 16 new, 30 gone since 2026, and 26 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 5 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Hamilton County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Cincinnati, Ohio — Fall 2026. When the Annual Enrollment Period opens Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7, Cincinnati-area shoppers will see 16 Medicare Advantage plans in Hamilton County that were not offered in 2026. They come from eight carriers, and because they are brand new, none of them has a track record in this market yet. That changes how you should kick the tires before you enroll.

What is new about Medicare Advantage in Cincinnati for 2027?

Cincinnati is in Hamilton County, where CMS's 2027 Landscape file shows 16 Medicare Advantage plans that were not sold in the county for 2026. For context, 82 Medicare Advantage plans are offered in the county for 2027 overall. The new plans come from eight carriers: Centene (WellCare) with three, Communicare Advantage with one, Devoted Health with two, Elevance Health (Anthem) with two, Humana with two, MediGold with one, Molina Healthcare of Ohio with one, and UnitedHealthcare with four.

The table below lists every plan available in the county. The 16 marked as new for 2027 are the ones this article focuses on.

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

Here are the 16 new plans, in alphabetical order by carrier, with plan type and whether they include drug coverage:

• Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare); with drug coverage
• Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Reserve (HMO D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare); with drug coverage
• Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align (HMO D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare); with drug coverage
• CommuniCare Advantage CSNP (HMO C-SNP) — Communicare Advantage; with drug coverage
• DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 025 OH (HMO C-SNP) — Devoted Health; with drug coverage
• DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 027 OH (HMO) — Devoted Health; with drug coverage
• Anthem Dual Advantage Plus (HMO D-SNP) — Elevance Health (Anthem); with drug coverage
• Anthem I MyCare Ohio Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) — Elevance Health (Anthem); with drug coverage
• Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO) — Humana; with drug coverage
• HumanaChoice Giveback H5216-481 (PPO) — Humana; with drug coverage
• Mount Carmel MediGold Plus (HMO) — MediGold; with drug coverage
• Molina Complete Care Connect for MyCare Ohio (HMO D-SNP) — Molina Healthcare of Ohio; with drug coverage
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC OH-19 (HMO-POS) — UnitedHealthcare; with drug coverage
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC OH-23 (PPO) — UnitedHealthcare; with drug coverage
• AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx OH-MA2 (HMO-POS) — UnitedHealthcare; without drug coverage
• UHC Complete Care Support OH-1A (HMO-POS C-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare; with drug coverage

Fifteen of the 16 include Part D drug coverage. One, AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx OH-MA2, is a medical-only plan.

Which of the new 2027 plans are Special Needs Plans?

Nine of the 16 new plans in Cincinnati's county are Special Needs Plans (SNPs). SNPs are limited to people who meet specific eligibility rules — not every shopper can enroll.

• D-SNPs (dual-eligible), for people with both Medicare and Medicaid: Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Access, Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Reserve, Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align, Anthem Dual Advantage Plus, Anthem I MyCare Ohio Full Dual Advantage, and Molina Complete Care Connect for MyCare Ohio.
• C-SNPs (chronic condition), for people with a qualifying chronic condition: CommuniCare Advantage CSNP, DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 025 OH, and UHC Complete Care Support OH-1A.

If you are not dual-eligible or do not have the specific chronic condition a C-SNP targets, you will not qualify for these particular plans.

How is a new Medicare Advantage plan different from one that is renewing?

A plan that is renewing in Cincinnati for 2027 has a history: a provider network you may already know, a drug list your pharmacist has filled from, and prior CMS Star Ratings based on members' past experience. A plan new for 2027 does not yet have any of that history in this market. CMS assigns Star Ratings based on actual plan performance, and a brand-new contract has no measured years to rate.

That is not a reason to pick a new plan or to avoid one. It just means the usual year-over-year comparison — "what changed from last year" — does not exist for these 16 plans. The questions you would normally ask a renewing plan ("Is my doctor still in network? Is my drug still on the formulary? What is the copay now?") still apply, you just can't check them against a prior year's version.

For renewing plans, the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your current insurer mailed in September spells out what is different for 2027. For 2027, CMS data also show 30 plans in the county are not returning and 5 have been renamed.

How do I check a new plan against my doctors and prescriptions before Dec. 7?

Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. It is the one place that pulls each plan's 2027 provider network, drug list and cost-sharing straight from the insurer. Here is a sensible order:

1. Make a list of your prescriptions — exact name, dose and how often — and your pharmacy. 2. List the doctors and hospitals you want to keep, including specialists and any home-health or dialysis providers. 3. Enter your ZIP code and drugs on medicare.gov and filter to the plan or plans you want to compare. Each new plan listed above will appear with its 2027 formulary and network. 4. Confirm each doctor by searching the plan's own online provider directory and, if there is any doubt, calling the office to ask if they will accept that plan in 2027. 5. Confirm each drug by looking it up on the plan's 2027 formulary — check the tier, any prior authorization, and whether your pharmacy is "preferred." 6. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) if you want help walking through the comparison. It is open 24/7.

For a SNP, also confirm you are eligible: Medicaid status for a D-SNP, or a qualifying diagnosis for a C-SNP.

What else is changing about Medicare in 2027?

A few program-level numbers are already set for 2027 and apply to everyone, regardless of which plan you choose:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• The Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• The Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 for 2027. That is a formula input CMS uses, not the premium any specific plan charges.
• The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not yet been announced. CMS typically releases them later in the fall.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") remains eliminated, as it has been since 2025.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is still available to spread drug costs across the year in level monthly payments.

Enrollment windows are the same as always. The Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026, with any change taking effect Jan. 1, 2027. If you join a Medicare Advantage plan and change your mind, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027, and lets you switch once.

If you do nothing and your current plan is offered again next year, it renews automatically — but the ANOC will tell you what is changing.