Medicare Advantage

10 Medicare Advantage Plans Not Returning in South Dakota for 2027: The List

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Ten Medicare Advantage and Medicare Cost plans that South Dakotans could choose for 2026 will not be on the Medicare menu anywhere in the state for 2027, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Landscape Source Files. The plans come from three carriers — Align powered by Sanford Health Plan, Medica, and Wellmark Advantage Health Plan — and each one appears in South Dakota's 2026 file but not in the 2027 file for any county. For 2027, CMS lists 28 Medicare Advantage plans in South Dakota from five carriers.

If your current plan is one of the ten, you have time, options, and a specific set of rights. Here is what the CMS files show and what the calendar looks like.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are not returning in South Dakota for 2027, and which carriers do they come from?

Ten plans offered in South Dakota in 2026 are not in CMS's 2027 Landscape file for any county in the state. They come from three carriers: Align powered by Sanford Health Plan, Medica, and Wellmark Advantage Health Plan. For comparison, the 2027 file lists 28 Medicare Advantage plans in South Dakota from five carriers.

The full list, in alphabetical order by carrier, appears in the table on this page. From Align powered by Sanford Health Plan: Align ChoiceElite (PPO) and Align ChoicePlus (PPO). From Medica: Medica Advantage Preferred (PPO), Medica Advantage Select (PPO), Medica Advantage Value (PPO), Medica Prime Solution Core w/Rx (Cost), and Medica Prime Solution Premier w/Rx (Cost). From Wellmark Advantage Health Plan: Blue Medicare Advantage Classic PPO, Blue Medicare Advantage Enhanced PPO, and Blue Medicare Advantage Valor PPO.

A plan on this list may or may not have been offered in your county in 2026. Each is sold county by county, so what matters is whether it was in your county's lineup — not just whether it existed somewhere in the state.

Which South Dakota plans not returning for 2027 served the most counties?

Among the ten plans not returning in South Dakota for 2027, two Medica Cost plans — Medica Prime Solution Core w/Rx and Medica Prime Solution Premier w/Rx — each served 48 counties in 2026, the widest footprints on the list. Two Wellmark PPOs, Blue Medicare Advantage Enhanced PPO and Blue Medicare Advantage Valor PPO, each served 43 counties.

The remaining non-renewing plans had smaller footprints: the three Medica Advantage PPOs each served 18 counties, the two Align PPOs each served 19, and Blue Medicare Advantage Classic PPO served 8. A plan serving many counties is not necessarily better or worse than one serving fewer — it only means more South Dakotans may need to make a new choice for 2027.

How can a South Dakota member tell if their Medicare Advantage plan is leaving for 2027?

There are two reliable signals in South Dakota for 2027. First, carriers are required to mail an Annual Notice of Non-Renewal to affected members before the Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 begins on October 15, 2026. Second, the plan's exact name will appear on the list above.

Match the plan name on your member ID card or your Annual Notice of Change to the names in the table, spelled exactly. If it is not on the list, your plan is continuing, though its 2027 benefits and costs may still change — details are in your Annual Notice of Change, the plan's Evidence of Coverage, and the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov.

What happens to a South Dakota member who does nothing before December 7, 2026?

If a South Dakotan whose plan is not returning takes no action by December 7, 2026, they will be in Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) on January 1, 2027, with no Part D prescription drug coverage unless they actively enroll in a stand-alone Part D plan or a new Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage.

Original Medicare covers hospital and medical services under federal rules, but it does not include an out-of-pocket maximum and does not include prescription drug coverage on its own. That is why the next two sections matter.

What is the Special Enrollment Period and Medigap guaranteed-issue right for South Dakotans in a non-renewed plan for 2027?

At the federal program level, people whose Medicare Advantage or Cost plan does not renew get a Special Enrollment Period that runs through February 28, 2027 to join another Medicare Advantage plan or a stand-alone Part D plan. They also get a guaranteed-issue right to buy certain Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policies without medical underwriting, within windows set in federal rules.

State-specific Medigap rules and additional protections are handled by the South Dakota Division of Insurance; call them for state-level questions. For the federal rules, medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE are the primary sources.

How do South Dakotans check their own county's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup?

To see the exact 2027 lineup in your South Dakota county, use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Enter your ZIP code and your prescriptions, and the tool returns the plans available where you live.

The 28 Medicare Advantage plans CMS lists for South Dakota for 2027 are not all offered in every county. Each county has its own subset, which is why checking by ZIP code is the only way to know what is actually on your menu.

What should South Dakota members do before December 7, 2026?

Before December 7, 2026 — the last day of the Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 — South Dakotans should confirm whether their current plan is on the non-renewal list, then compare the plans available in their county for 2027 using the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov.

A simple sequence: check the mail for an Annual Notice of Non-Renewal or Annual Notice of Change; write down your doctors, pharmacies, and medications; run the Plan Finder for your ZIP code; and make a selection. People in a non-renewed plan who miss December 7 can still use the Special Enrollment Period through February 28, 2027.

Where can South Dakotans get free help choosing a 2027 plan?

Free, unbiased help is available from Medicare itself at 1-800-MEDICARE, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and from the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. Plan-specific questions — provider networks, drug lists, prior authorization — are best answered by the plan's own member services line, Evidence of Coverage, and provider and pharmacy directories.