Medicare Advantage

Columbus Medicare Advantage for 2027: a plain six-step way to compare your options

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 — The Annual Enrollment Period is open through Dec. 7, 2026, and the plan you pick (or keep) will take effect Jan. 1, 2027. For Columbus residents, this is the window to look at what is changing next year, read the mail your current plan sent, and compare the Medicare Advantage options side by side before the deadline.

Columbus sits in Franklin County, and that is where Medicare measures plan availability. For 2027, Franklin County has 79 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 carriers, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape file. That is down from 92 plans in 2026 — 27 plans are not returning, 14 are new, and a handful have been renamed. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews for 2027 if it is still offered, with whatever changes its Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) describes.

What Columbus's 2027 lineup looks like

Of the 79 Medicare Advantage plans available in Franklin County for 2027, 34 are HMOs, 15 are HMO-POS, and 30 are PPOs. All 79 include prescription drug coverage. For people with specific needs, there are 24 Special Needs Plans: 11 Dual-Eligible (D-SNP) for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, 8 Chronic Condition (C-SNP) for conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, and 5 Institutional (I-SNP) for people in long-term care settings.

The 12 carriers offering plans in the county for 2027 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 table below lists every plan by carrier and type.

What is new or different for 2027

Three things to know before you compare:

• Plans leaving. 27 plans that were offered in Franklin County in 2026 are not returning in 2027. If yours is one of them, you will get a non-renewal letter. You can pick a new Medicare Advantage plan during AEP, and if you are losing coverage you also have a Special Enrollment Period into early 2027.
• Plans arriving. 14 Medicare Advantage plans are new in Franklin County for 2027. New plans are worth a look, but check the network and drug list carefully — these change plan to plan.
• Part D cost structure. For 2027, the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum Part D deductible rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B premium and the IRMAA income brackets have not yet been announced; CMS usually releases those figures in the fall.

A six-step way to compare

Here is a straightforward way to work through your choices before Dec. 7.

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). If you already have a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, the carrier mailed (or emailed) an ANOC in September. It spells out what is changing in 2027 — premium, deductible, copays, drug tiers, extra benefits, and network. Skim the summary page and highlight anything different from today.

2. List your doctors and hospitals. Write down the providers you want to keep seeing: primary care, specialists, your preferred hospital system in Columbus (for example, Ohio State Wexner, OhioHealth, Mount Carmel, or Nationwide Children's for a dependent). Then check each plan's provider directory, or call the office and ask which 2027 plans they will accept. Networks can change year to year.

3. List your prescriptions. Write down each drug, the dose, and how often you take it. Each plan has its own formulary (drug list) and tier structure, which affects what you pay. The Plan Finder lets you enter your medicines and shows the projected yearly drug cost for each plan.

4. Check the pharmacy. Many plans have "preferred" pharmacies where your copays are lower, and some use mail-order for 90-day fills. Make sure the pharmacy you actually use is in-network, and preferred if possible.

5. Decide on the plan type. HMOs typically require you to stay in-network except for emergencies and often need referrals. HMO-POS plans allow some out-of-network care. PPOs let you see out-of-network providers, usually at a higher cost. If you split time outside Ohio, a PPO or a plan with national coverage may fit better.

6. Compare on medicare.gov. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov is the official side-by-side tool. Enter your ZIP code, your drugs, and your pharmacy. You can save plans to compare, and you can enroll directly from the site. Prefer a person? Call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

About Special Needs Plans

If you qualify, a Special Needs Plan can be a good fit because the benefits and drug list are built around a specific group. For 2027, Franklin County has 11 D-SNPs for people enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, 8 C-SNPs for people with qualifying chronic conditions, and 5 I-SNPs for people living in a nursing facility or who need that level of care at home. You need to meet the eligibility rules to join, and D-SNPs usually have a specific enrollment process coordinated with Ohio Medicaid.

If you do nothing

Nothing bad happens. If your current plan is being offered again in 2027, you stay in it — just with the changes in your ANOC. If your plan is not returning, you will get a letter, and you have a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new one. You also have the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2027, when you can make one change if your January choice is not working out.