Medicare Advantage

Columbus Medicare Advantage 2027: every plan on offer in Franklin County, by carrier

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.

Medicare AdvantageColumbus, OH

Columbus, Ohio — If you are shopping for a Medicare Advantage plan this fall, it helps to see the full field before you start comparing. For plan year 2027, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shows a list of Advantage plans available to people who live in Columbus, sold by a mix of national names and Ohio-based insurers.

Columbus sits in Franklin County, and Medicare plan availability is set at the county level. That means the plans listed here are the ones a Columbus resident can choose from during the Annual Enrollment Period, which runs from October 15 to December 7. The full roster — every plan by carrier, with its plan type and whether it includes drug coverage — is in the table below.

What is on the Columbus menu for 2027

Franklin County has 92 Medicare Advantage plans for 2026 from 12 carriers. Every plan on the list includes prescription drug coverage, so Columbus residents who pick a Medicare Advantage plan will not need a separate stand-alone Part D plan.

The 12 carriers offering MA-PD plans in the county are Aetna (CVS Health), CareSource MyCare Ohio, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Medical Mutual of Ohio, MediGold, Molina Healthcare of Ohio, Perennial Advantage, The Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare. The full list of plans, spelled as CMS lists them, appears in the table below.

The plan types you will see

Medicare Advantage plans come in a few flavors, and Columbus has most of them:

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization): You typically use a set network of doctors and hospitals and often need a referral to see a specialist.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service): An HMO with a limited option to go out of network for certain services.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization): More flexibility to see out-of-network providers, usually at a higher cost.
• PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service): You can generally see any Medicare provider who agrees to the plan's payment terms.

In Franklin County, the 2026 mix is 37 HMOs, 17 HMO-POS plans, 37 PPOs, and 1 PFFS plan. The plan type is a good first filter — if you travel often or split time between homes, a PPO or PFFS may fit your life; if you prefer a coordinated local network, an HMO or HMO-POS may make sense.

Special Needs Plans in the mix

Out of the 92 plans available, 30 are Special Needs Plans (SNPs). SNPs are Medicare Advantage plans built for people who meet specific criteria:

• D-SNP (Dual Eligible): For people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.
• C-SNP (Chronic Condition): For people with certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes or heart conditions.
• I-SNP (Institutional): For people who live in a nursing home or need a similar level of care.

You have to qualify to enroll in an SNP. If you are not sure whether you qualify, Ohio's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (OSHIIP) offers free counseling.

How to narrow the list

With 92 plans on the table, most people do not compare all of them. A workable approach:

1. Start with your doctors and hospitals. Check which plans include the providers you already use. 2. Add your prescriptions. Every 2027 Columbus MA plan includes drug coverage, but formularies (the plan's drug list) and pharmacy networks differ. 3. Think about how you use care. If you rarely leave central Ohio, a local HMO may fit. If you travel, a PPO or PFFS may fit better. 4. Match your situation. If you have Medicaid, a chronic condition, or live in a nursing facility, an SNP may be worth a look. 5. Compare on Medicare Plan Finder. This is where you can see each plan's actual premiums, deductibles, copays, and star rating — details that we cannot list here.

A few 2027 program facts to keep in mind

These rules apply no matter which plan you choose:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap on covered drug costs is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615 for 2026 and $700 for 2027.
• The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the year in monthly payments if you choose.
• IRMAA (higher premium surcharges for Part B and Part D) begins above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Key dates

• October 15 – December 7: Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).