Medicare Advantage

Wellcare's 2027 Medicare Advantage slate in Columbus: 4 plans, all dual-eligible

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Fall 2026. If you have a Wellcare Medicare Advantage plan in Columbus, your 2027 lineup is going to look different. For the plan year that starts January 1, 2027, Wellcare is offering four Medicare Advantage plans in Franklin County — all of them Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), and all with drug coverage built in. Three are brand new for 2027, one has been renamed, and four plans the carrier offered this year are not coming back.

That is a sizable shuffle for one carrier, and it is the kind of change that shows up in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mails each fall. Here is what Wellcare is offering in Columbus next year, and how to check any plan against your own doctors and prescriptions before the December 7, 2026 deadline.

What Wellcare is offering in Columbus for 2027

Columbus is in Franklin County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set. For 2027, Wellcare (CMS lists the parent company as Centene (WellCare)) has four Medicare Advantage plans in the county. All four are HMO D-SNPs — Health Maintenance Organization plans designed for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid — and all four include Part D prescription drug coverage.

The full list, in alphabetical order:

• Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) — new for 2027
• Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Reserve (HMO D-SNP) — new for 2027
• Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align (HMO D-SNP) — new for 2027
• Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align Unity (HMO D-SNP) — renamed from Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align (HMO D-SNP)

The table on this page lists every one of these plans by name and type.

What is new, what is renamed, and what is not returning

Three of Wellcare's four 2027 plans in Franklin County are brand new: Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Access, Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Reserve, and Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align.

One plan is a rename: what is called Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align Unity for 2027 was offered this year as Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align. A renamed plan is still a different plan on paper — the ANOC will spell out whatever is actually changing underneath the new name.

Four Wellcare plans that were available in 2026 are not returning for 2027. If you are currently enrolled in a plan that is leaving the market, Wellcare will send you a non-renewal notice; you then have a Special Enrollment Period to pick something else, but it is simpler to use the Annual Enrollment Period that is already open.

How this fits with the rest of the Columbus market

Wellcare is one of 12 carriers offering Medicare Advantage in Franklin County for 2027, and together those carriers offer 79 plans. MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site — we are not Wellcare, and we are not Medicare. If a Wellcare plan does not fit, you have options from other carriers in the same county.

About D-SNPs

Every Wellcare Medicare Advantage plan in Franklin County next year is a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan. D-SNPs are only for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid (sometimes called "dual eligibles"). If you do not qualify for Medicaid, these particular plans are not available to you — and that is important to know before you start comparing them.

If you are not sure whether you qualify, calling 1-800-MEDICARE or checking with Ohio Medicaid will tell you for certain.

How to check a plan against your doctors and prescriptions

Before you enroll in anything, do these four checks:

1. Find the plan on medicare.gov. The Medicare Plan Finder lets you search by ZIP code, enter your prescriptions, and see the plan's formulary, network and costs for 2027. 2. Check your doctors. Look up each provider in the plan's own online directory, or call the plan to confirm they will be in-network on January 1, 2027. Networks can change year to year even if you keep the same plan. 3. Check your drugs. Enter every prescription — exact name, dose and quantity — into the Plan Finder. A drug being "covered" is only part of the story; the tier it sits on and any coverage rules (prior authorization, step therapy, quantity limits) affect what you actually pay. 4. Read your ANOC. If you already have a Wellcare plan, your Annual Notice of Change explains what is different for 2027 compared to this year.

You can do all of this yourself at medicare.gov, or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Key 2027 numbers to keep in mind

A few program-wide figures CMS has already confirmed for 2027:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs reaches that amount, you pay $0 for the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). Plans can charge less, but not more.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: still available in 2027. It lets you spread your drug costs across the year in monthly bills instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, along with 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS typically publishes those figures later in the fall.