Medicare Advantage

If your Cincinnati Medicare Advantage plan sent a non-renewal letter, here is your playbook

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 — This fall, some Medicare Advantage members in and around Cincinnati are opening a letter they did not expect: a notice that their plan will not be offered in 2027. In Hamilton County, the county Cincinnati sits in, 30 Medicare Advantage plans listed for 2026 are not in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2027 file. If you got that letter, you have time, you have choices, and you have a Special Enrollment Period most people do not know about.

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

Your plan has to tell you in writing. CMS requires every Medicare Advantage carrier to mail a non-renewal notice to affected members by early October 2026, before the Annual Enrollment Period opens on October 15. The letter will say your plan will not be offered in 2027 and that your coverage ends December 31, 2026.

That notice is different from the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which goes to members whose plan is continuing with updates for next year. If you got an ANOC instead, your plan is renewing — read it for the 2027 changes. If you got a non-renewal letter, keep it. It is the document that unlocks your Special Enrollment Period.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are not returning to Hamilton County for 2027?

Thirty plans from seven carriers in Hamilton County are in CMS's 2026 Landscape file but not the 2027 file. Listed in alphabetical order by carrier, exactly as CMS spells them:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Dual Care (HMO D-SNP); Aetna Medicare Enhanced (HMO-POS); Aetna Medicare Partial Dual (HMO D-SNP); Aetna Medicare Signature (HMO-POS)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Assist (HMO-POS); Wellcare Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP); Wellcare Dual Reserve (HMO-POS D-SNP); Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS)
• Communicare Advantage: CommuniCare Advantage CSNP (HMO C-SNP)
• Devoted Health: DEVOTED DUAL 011 OH (HMO D-SNP); DEVOTED DUAL PLUS 010 OH (HMO D-SNP)
• HealthSpring: HealthSpring TotalCare (HMO D-SNP); HealthSpring TotalCare Plus (HMO D-SNP)
• Humana: Humana Dual Select H5525-046 (PPO D-SNP); Humana Gold Choice H8145-032 (PFFS); Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H6622-015 (HMO D-SNP); Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H6622-087 (HMO D-SNP); Humana USAA Honor Giveback with Rx (PPO); Humana USAA Honor Giveback with Rx (PPO); Humana Value Plus H5525-041 (PPO); HumanaChoice Giveback H5216-309 (PPO); HumanaChoice Giveback H7617-003 (PPO)
• MediGold: Mount Carmel MediGold Plus (HMO); Mount Carmel MediGold Premium Choice (PPO)
• UnitedHealthcare: AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC OH-0003 (HMO-POS); AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC OH-0015 (PPO); UHC Dual Complete OH-D001 (HMO D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete OH-D1 (PPO D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete OH-S2 (HMO D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete OH-V001 (HMO D-SNP)

If your plan is not on that list, it is scheduled to return in 2027 — but read your ANOC anyway, because premiums, drug lists, provider networks and extras can change year to year. The table below lists every plan offered in the county.

What happens if I do nothing after my plan ends?

If your Medicare Advantage plan is on the non-renewal list and you make no change by December 31, 2026, you will be returned to Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) on January 1, 2027. Your Medicare card still works, and you can see any provider in the country that accepts Medicare.

Here is the catch: Original Medicare does not include prescription drug coverage. If your current plan includes Part D (most Medicare Advantage plans in Hamilton County do), you will not have drug coverage on January 1 unless you actively enroll in a stand-alone Part D plan or a new Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage. Original Medicare also does not have an annual out-of-pocket limit for Part A and Part B services, which is why many people pair it with a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy.

What are my choices and what is the Special Enrollment Period for a non-renewed plan?

You have three paths, and more time than the regular deadline:

1. Pick a new Medicare Advantage plan for 2027. In Hamilton County, 82 Medicare Advantage plans from 14 carriers are offered for 2027. 2. Switch to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Part D drug plan. 3. Switch to Original Medicare, add a Part D plan, and apply for a Medigap policy.

Because your plan is non-renewing, you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period that runs from December 8, 2026 through February 28, 2027. During that window you can join a different Medicare Advantage plan or a stand-alone Part D plan without waiting for the next Annual Enrollment Period. You can still use the regular Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 – December 7, 2026, for a January 1 start.

A non-renewal also triggers a Medigap guaranteed-issue right at the federal level, meaning certain Medigap plans must sell you a policy without medical underwriting within a set window around your plan's end date. The specific plans available and any added state protections are set by the Ohio Department of Insurance, so confirm the rules there before you apply.

What is changing for Medicare itself in 2027?

A few program-wide numbers are already set for 2027. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 — that is a formula input, not what any specific plan charges.

CMS has not yet published the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets; those usually come out in November. The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") remains gone, and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan — which lets you spread drug costs over the year in monthly installments — is still available for 2027.

What should I do next if I live in Cincinnati?

Start with the letter in your hand. If it is a non-renewal notice, mark your calendar for February 28, 2027 as your outer deadline, not December 7. Then compare plans on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov using your ZIP code, your doctors, and your prescription list. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for personalized help. For Medigap questions specific to Ohio, contact the Ohio Department of Insurance.