Medicare Advantage

14 new Medicare Advantage plans land in Columbus for 2027 — and how to vet one before Dec. 7

People in Columbus can choose from 79 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 92 this year. 27 of this year’s plans are gone, 14 are new to Franklin County, and 28 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 5 of them under a new name.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Shoppers in Franklin County will see 14 Medicare Advantage plans on the 2027 lineup that were not sold here this year, spread across seven carriers. The new names show up alongside renewing plans during the Annual Enrollment Period, which runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, with any change taking effect January 1, 2027.

A "new" plan is exactly what it sounds like: it is being offered in Franklin County for the first time in 2027. That matters when you shop, because a brand-new plan does not yet have a Star Rating or a local track record you can look up. Everything else — the doctor network, the drug list, the copays — is published by the carrier and shown on the Medicare Plan Finder once the 2027 details go live.

What "new" means on the 2027 lineup

Columbus is in Franklin County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set. For 2027, CMS's Landscape file shows 14 of the plans offered here are new — meaning the carrier did not sell them in this county in 2026. That is different from a plan that is simply renewing (your current plan, if it is returning, will send an Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC, laying out what is different for 2027) and different again from a plan that has been renamed.

A new plan carries no history you can compare: no prior-year Star Rating, no member reviews tied to this county, no previous formulary to look back on. That is not a reason to avoid one — plenty of established carriers launch new designs each year — it just means the homework shifts to the current-year documents: the Summary of Benefits, the provider directory and the drug formulary.

New plans in Columbus for 2027, by carrier

The table below lists every plan available in Franklin County. Here are the 14 new entrants for 2027, in alphabetical order by carrier:

Aetna (CVS Health) — 1 new plan

• Aetna Medicare Prime Care (HMO-POS) — with drug coverage

Centene (WellCare) — 3 new plans, all D-SNPs

• Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) — with drug coverage
• Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Reserve (HMO D-SNP) — with drug coverage
• Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align (HMO D-SNP) — with drug coverage

Devoted Health — 2 new plans

• DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 023 OH (HMO C-SNP) — with drug coverage
• DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 028 OH (HMO) — with drug coverage

Elevance Health (Anthem) — 2 new plans, both D-SNPs

• Anthem Dual Advantage Plus (HMO D-SNP) — with drug coverage
• Anthem I MyCare Ohio Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) — with drug coverage

Humana — 2 new plans

• Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO) — with drug coverage
• HumanaChoice Giveback H5216-481 (PPO) — with drug coverage

Molina Healthcare of Ohio — 1 new plan

• Molina Complete Care Connect for MyCare Ohio (HMO D-SNP) — with drug coverage

UnitedHealthcare — 3 new plans

• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC OH-19 (HMO-POS) — with drug coverage
• AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx OH-MA2 (HMO-POS) — with drug coverage
• UHC Complete Care Support OH-1A (HMO-POS C-SNP) — with drug coverage

Every new plan on the Franklin County list includes Part D drug coverage. Several are Special Needs Plans — a mix of D-SNPs (for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid) and C-SNPs (for people with specific chronic conditions). SNPs have eligibility rules on top of the usual Medicare rules, so if you are considering one, confirm you qualify before you enroll.

New vs. renewing: what to check differently

If you are weighing a new 2027 plan against the plan you already have:

• For a renewing plan, read the ANOC that arrives in late September. It tells you what is changing for 2027 — premium, copays, drug tiers, extra benefits — so you can decide whether to stay put.
• For a new plan, there is no ANOC and no Star Rating. Rely on the 2027 Summary of Benefits, the provider directory and the formulary, all available through the Plan Finder on medicare.gov when the 2027 data goes live in October.

For context, Franklin County has 92 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 carriers on the 2026 lineup, which is the lineup still in force until January 1. For 2027, 27 plans are not returning, 14 are new, and 5 are renamed. If your current plan is among those not returning, your carrier is required to tell you.

How to vet a plan against your doctors and prescriptions

Four steps, in order:

1. List your doctors and your prescriptions (name, dose, how often). Keep the list beside you. 2. Go to medicare.gov/plan-compare, enter your ZIP code and your drugs. The tool shows which plans cover each drug, at what tier, and what you would pay through the year. 3. Check the network for every doctor and hospital you use. Phone the plan or the provider's office to confirm — directories can lag. 4. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (24/7) if anything is unclear. They can walk through plan details with you.

A few 2027 program numbers worth keeping in mind as you compare drug coverage: 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 is $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B standard premium and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets have not been announced yet — CMS typically publishes them later in the fall.

The dates that matter

• October 15 – December 7, 2026: Annual Enrollment Period. Any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027.
• January 1 – March 31, 2027: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, when people already in an MA plan can switch once.
• Do nothing and your current plan simply renews for 2027 — assuming it is being offered — with the changes in its ANOC.