Medicare Advantage

Wellcare's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Philadelphia: every option, side by side

PHILADELPHIA — As the Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 Medicare coverage runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026, one of the carriers Philadelphia residents will see in the Medicare Plan Finder is Wellcare. For next year, Wellcare is offering three Medicare Advantage plans in Philadelphia County, down from five this year, with two plans renamed and two not returning.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent news and education site, not Wellcare and not Medicare. This article walks through what Wellcare's 2027 lineup in Philadelphia looks like based on CMS filings, and how to check any plan against your own doctors and prescriptions before the December 7 deadline.

What Wellcare Medicare Advantage plans are available in Philadelphia for 2027?

In Philadelphia County, Wellcare is offering 3 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. All three are HMO-POS plans and all three include Part D prescription drug coverage. Two of the three are Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), which are designed for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.

The 2027 Wellcare plans in Philadelphia County are:

• Wellcare PA Health & Wellness Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP) — with drug coverage; renamed from Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Wellcare PA Health & Wellness Dual Select (HMO-POS D-SNP) — with drug coverage; renamed from Wellcare Dual Select (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS) — with drug coverage

The table on this page lists every plan with its full name and type. We are not listing premiums, copays, networks or star ratings here — those are plan-specific and belong in the Medicare Plan Finder or the plan's own documents, where they are the official versions.

What is new or not returning from Wellcare in Philadelphia for 2027?

For 2027, Wellcare has 0 new plans in Philadelphia County, 2 renamed plans, and 2 plans that are not returning. Both D-SNPs are the ones that have been renamed; the "PA Health & Wellness" wording in the new names reflects the Medicaid-affiliated branding the plans carry in Pennsylvania.

If you are in a Wellcare plan today, the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) you received in September is the document that tells you exactly what is changing — the premium, the deductible, the drug list, the provider network, and whether the plan itself is going away. If your plan is one of the two not returning, Wellcare and Medicare will have sent you a non-renewal notice, and you have a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new plan.

How do I check a Wellcare plan against my doctors and prescriptions before December 7?

The most reliable way is the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. You can enter your ZIP code, add every prescription you take with the dose and quantity, and add your preferred pharmacies. The Plan Finder will then show each plan's estimated yearly drug cost, the plan's own premium and deductible, and whether each drug is covered.

For doctors and hospitals, the Plan Finder links to each plan's provider directory, but call your doctor's office directly to confirm they will be in-network for the specific plan name in 2027 — networks can change on January 1. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for help comparing.

Before December 7, 2026, it is worth checking three things for any plan you are considering: (1) are my current prescriptions on the formulary at a tier I can afford, (2) are my doctors and preferred hospital in-network, and (3) if I need a specialist, does the plan need a referral.

What Medicare rules and figures should Philadelphia residents know for 2027?

A few program-level numbers are set for 2027 and apply nationwide. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 — that is a formula input Medicare uses, not what any specific plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS typically publishes those in the fall, usually in November, so watch medicare.gov for the official numbers.

The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") has been gone since 2025 — Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic. The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is still available in 2027 as an option to spread your drug costs across the year in level monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.

What happens if I do nothing by December 7?

If you do nothing during the Annual Enrollment Period, your current plan simply renews on January 1, 2027 — as long as the plan is still being offered — with the changes described in your ANOC. Nothing is cancelled, and you do not lose coverage for inaction.

If your plan is one that is not returning for 2027, you will get a non-renewal letter and a Special Enrollment Period to choose a different plan. And if you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan for 2027 and change your mind, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 to March 31, 2027 lets you switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare one time.