Medicare Advantage

Wellcare's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Cincinnati: three new, one renamed, four gone

CINCINNATI — As Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period opens for 2027 coverage, Wellcare is reshaping what it sells in Hamilton County. The carrier is offering four Medicare Advantage plans here next year, three of them new, one renamed from a 2026 plan, and four 2026 plans not returning. If you are a Wellcare member in Cincinnati, that mix is the reason to open your mail this fall.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent news and education site. We are not Wellcare, not Medicare, and not selling anything. Wellcare is one of 14 carriers offering Medicare Advantage in Hamilton County for 2027; together those carriers list 82 plans.

What Wellcare Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Cincinnati for 2027?

Wellcare is offering 4 Medicare Advantage plans in Hamilton County, the county Cincinnati sits in, for the 2027 plan year. All 4 are HMO Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) and all 4 include prescription drug coverage. There are no non-SNP HMO or HMO-POS plans in Wellcare's 2027 Hamilton County lineup.

The table below lists every Wellcare plan available in the county for 2027. In alphabetical order, they are Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Access (HMO D-SNP), Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Reserve (HMO D-SNP), Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align (HMO D-SNP), and Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align Unity (HMO D-SNP).

D-SNPs are designed for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. If you are not dually eligible, these plans are not a match for you — and that is a meaningful change from 2026, when Wellcare's Hamilton County lineup also included general-market HMO-POS options.

What is new or not returning from Wellcare in Hamilton County?

Three of Wellcare's four 2027 plans are new for next year: Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Access (HMO D-SNP), Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Reserve (HMO D-SNP), and Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align (HMO D-SNP). One plan has been renamed: Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align Unity (HMO D-SNP) was called Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align (HMO D-SNP) in 2026.

Four Wellcare plans sold in Hamilton County in 2026 are not being offered in 2027. If you are enrolled in a plan that is leaving, Wellcare is required to send you a notice this fall. Your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and plan non-renewal letter will tell you what, specifically, is happening to your plan and what your options are.

What should I do if my Wellcare plan is not returning in 2027?

Read the mail Wellcare sends you in September and October — the ANOC for a continuing plan, or a non-renewal notice for a plan that is ending. Those documents are the authoritative source for what your coverage looks like next year, including any premium, deductible, copay, drug list and network changes.

If your plan is not returning, you have the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026) to pick a different Medicare Advantage plan or move back to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan. A plan non-renewal also opens a Special Enrollment Period that extends past December 7; medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE can confirm your exact window.

If you do nothing and your current plan is renewing, it simply continues on January 1, 2027, with the changes listed in the ANOC.

How do I check a plan against my doctors and prescriptions before December 7?

Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. You can enter your ZIP code, add your prescriptions and preferred pharmacies, and see each plan's drug coverage and estimated yearly cost. To check doctors and hospitals, use the plan's own online provider directory or call the number on the plan's materials — networks change year to year, and a provider in-network in 2026 may not be in-network in 2027.

Before you switch, it is worth confirming three things for 2027: that your prescriptions are on the plan's formulary at a tier you can afford, that your primary care doctor and any specialists you see are in network, and that your preferred pharmacy is a preferred (not just standard) pharmacy if that matters to your drug costs. For a D-SNP specifically, you also need to confirm you still qualify as dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

What 2027 Medicare numbers are already set, and what is still coming?

Two Part D figures are confirmed for 2027. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). CMS has also set the 2027 Part D national base beneficiary premium at $41.33 — that is a formula input, not the premium any specific plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS typically publishes those in the fall, usually in November. Do not rely on projections you see online; wait for the official CMS release.

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7, 2026 for coverage that begins January 1, 2027. A separate Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 – March 31, 2027 for people already on a Medicare Advantage plan.