Medicare Advantage

Toledo Medicare Advantage for 2027: how to compare Lucas County plans before Dec. 7

People in Toledo can choose from 87 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 99 this year. 31 of this year’s plans are gone, 19 are new to Lucas County, and 28 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 4 of them under a new name.

TOLEDO, Ohio — The window to pick a 2027 Medicare Advantage plan is open. From October 15 through December 7, 2026, people on Medicare in and around Toledo can switch plans, join a new one, or go back to Original Medicare. Any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews next year — as long as it is still offered — with whatever updates are spelled out in your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC).

This year there is more reason than usual to actually look. Toledo sits in Lucas County, where the 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup has shifted: fewer plans overall, some old ones gone, some brand-new, and a few renamed. Here is a plain, step-by-step way to compare what is on offer before the December 7 deadline.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Lucas County for 2027?

For 2027, Lucas County — the county Toledo is in — has 87 Medicare Advantage plans from 14 carriers, according to the CMS Landscape Source File. That is down from 99 plans and 16 carriers for 2026.

By plan type for 2027, the county has 37 HMO plans, 20 HMO-POS plans and 30 PPO plans. Most come with drug coverage built in: 76 of the 87 are Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans. The remaining ones are medical-only.

The 14 carriers offering plans in the county next year are, alphabetically: Aetna (CVS Health), CareSource MyCare Ohio, Centene (WellCare), Communicare Advantage, Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Medical Mutual of Ohio, Molina Healthcare of Ohio, Perennial Advantage, SummaCare Medicare Advantage Plans, UnitedHealthcare, Valor Health Plan and Zing Health. The table below lists every 2027 plan by carrier.

What is new in Toledo's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup?

Nineteen Medicare Advantage plans are new in Lucas County for 2027, and 31 plans available in 2026 are not returning. Four more plans have been renamed, so the plan listed in your mailbox this fall may look unfamiliar even if the coverage is similar.

Two carriers that offered plans in the county for 2026 — MediGold and Paramount Elite Medicare Plans — are not in the 2027 Lucas County Landscape file. Medical Mutual of Ohio's plan count for the county grew from 4 for 2026 to 8 for 2027, and Elevance Health (Anthem) went from 9 plans to 11.

If your plan is one of the 31 not returning, your carrier is required to send a non-renewal notice. You will have a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new plan, but it is still simpler to choose during the Annual Enrollment Period so your new coverage starts cleanly on January 1, 2027.

What Special Needs Plans are available in Lucas County for 2027?

Lucas County has 29 Special Needs Plans (SNPs) for 2027: 11 Dual Eligible SNPs (D-SNPs) for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid, 12 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) for people with specific long-term conditions like diabetes or heart disease, and 6 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) for people who live in a nursing home or need that level of care.

D-SNPs in the county for 2027 come from CareSource MyCare Ohio, Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem) and Molina Healthcare of Ohio, among others listed in the table below. If you qualify, SNPs often coordinate your Medicare and Medicaid benefits more tightly than a standard plan — but you have to meet the eligibility rules for that specific SNP type.

How do I compare 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Toledo, step by step?

Before December 7, 2026, work through the same checklist for each plan you are serious about. It takes about an hour and prevents most surprises.

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). Your current plan mailed this in September. It lists exactly what changes January 1, 2027 — premium, deductible, copays, drug tier changes, and any benefit added or dropped. If you like what you see and your doctors and drugs are still covered, you may not need to switch at all.

2. Make a short list: doctors and hospitals. Write down the providers you actually use — primary care, specialists, your preferred hospital system in Toledo. For each plan you are considering, confirm every one of them is in-network for 2027. Use the plan's own provider directory, or call the plan. HMO plans generally require in-network care; PPO plans allow out-of-network use but usually at a higher cost.

3. Check every prescription on the 2027 formulary. Enter your drugs, exact doses, into the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. The tool shows the drug's tier, estimated yearly cost, and any restrictions like prior authorization or step therapy under each plan. Drug lists change every January, so a drug covered in 2026 may land on a different tier for 2027.

4. Check your pharmacy. Plans have preferred and standard pharmacies, and the price of the same drug can be different at each. Mail-order may be cheaper for maintenance drugs. Confirm your pharmacy — chain or independent — is in the plan's 2027 network at a preferred cost tier if possible.

5. Add up the total yearly cost, not just the premium. Look at the monthly premium, the deductible, your expected copays, and the plan's maximum out-of-pocket for medical care. For drugs, remember the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 for 2027 (up from $2,100 for 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible is $700 for 2027 (up from $615 for 2026). Plan Finder estimates your yearly total.

6. Compare on medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE. The Medicare Plan Finder lets you see all 87 Lucas County plans side by side, filter by plan type or SNP, and save a personal list. 1-800-MEDICARE is open 24/7 and can walk you through the same comparison on the phone.

What if I do nothing before December 7, 2026?

If you take no action, your current Medicare Advantage plan renews on January 1, 2027 with the changes in your ANOC — unless it is one of the 31 Lucas County plans not returning for 2027, in which case your carrier will notify you.

You still have a second chance after the Annual Enrollment Period. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31, 2027. In that window, if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan once, or drop back to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Part D plan. It is not as flexible as fall enrollment — but it is a real backstop.

One more figure to watch for: CMS has not yet announced the 2027 Part B standard premium, Part B deductible, or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets. Those typically come out in November, so check medicare.gov before you finalize your choice.