Medicare Advantage

Got a Non-Renewal Notice? You Have Until February

Knox County has 60 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 14 plans are not coming back, 19 are new, and 15 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 4 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Knoxville, not which plan to pick.

KNOXVILLE — If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in the Knoxville area, this fall's mail could look different than last year's. According to CMS's 2027 Medicare Advantage Landscape file for Knox County, 14 plans that were sold here in 2026 will not be offered in 2027, another 19 plans are new, and 4 have been renamed. One carrier, Centene (WellCare), is leaving the county altogether, while two carriers — Abilis Health and Aetna (CVS Health) — are coming in for the first time.

That matters right now because the Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7, and members whose plans are ending get an extra Special Enrollment Period that runs through the end of February. Here's a plain-language look at what's changing and how to sort through it.

What's leaving Knox County in 2027

Knoxville sits in Knox County, and Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level. For 2027, CMS's Landscape file shows 14 Knox County plans are being discontinued. All six Centene (WellCare) plans sold here in 2026 — the Wellcare Assist (HMO-POS) plans, Wellcare Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP), Wellcare Giveback (HMO-POS), Wellcare Patriot Giveback (HMO-POS), and Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS) — are on the leaving list, because Centene is exiting the county.

Devoted Health is ending two plans here (DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE PREMIUM 017 TN and DEVOTED CHOICE 007 TN), and Humana is ending four (Humana Gold Plus H4461-035, H4461-040, H4461-041, and Humana Together in Health Select). UnitedHealthcare is ending two D-SNP plans (UHC Dual Complete TN-S001 and UHC Dual Complete TN-Y2).

If your current plan is on that list, you should get a non-renewal notice from your carrier. You do not lose Medicare — your Part A and Part B stay in place — but you will need to pick a new Medicare Advantage plan, or return to Original Medicare and consider a Part D drug plan.

What's new or renamed for 2027

CMS lists 19 new plans for Knox County in 2027. Two carriers are new to the county: Abilis Health, which is bringing two HMO Special Needs Plans (Abilis Health and Abilis Health Community), and Aetna (CVS Health), which is bringing Aetna Medicare Eagle (HMO-POS), Aetna Medicare Enhanced (HMO), and Aetna Medicare Signature (HMO).

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is adding BlueAdvantage Emerald (PPO). Devoted Health is adding six new plans. Humana is adding three new Humana Gold Plus HMO plans plus a new Humana Together in Health (PPO I-SNP). UnitedHealthcare is adding AARP Medicare Advantage Extras from UHC TC-7 (HMO-POS) and two new UHC Dual Complete plans.

Four plans have been renamed. If your ID card carries one of these old names, this is the same plan with a new label:

• Wellpoint Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) is now Wellpoint Dual Advantage Plus (HMO D-SNP).
• Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H4461-038 (HMO D-SNP) is now Humana Dual QMB Only (HMO D-SNP).
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC TC-0002 (HMO-POS) is now AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC TC-2 (HMO-POS).
• UHC Dual Complete TN-Y001 (HMO-POS D-SNP) is now UHC Dual Complete TN-YL (HMO-POS D-SNP).

The table below lists every 2026 plan sold in Knox County so you can check your plan's status.

Plans that are "changing" — read your ANOC

CMS's file flags 11 continuing Knox County plans as changing on premium, deductible, plan type or name for 2027. Forty-one plans are continuing without those flagged changes. We can't tell you here what changed on any specific plan or by how much — that detail lives in your Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC.

Your ANOC is the packet your plan mailed in September. It compares 2026 and 2027 side by side: monthly premium, deductibles, copays, drug tiers, covered benefits, and provider network notes. Even if your plan is not on the leaving or renamed lists, it's worth reading before December 7.

What to do if your plan is not being renewed

Losing a plan you liked is stressful, but you have two enrollment windows to work with:

• The Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7) lets anyone with Medicare pick a new Advantage plan or a Part D drug plan for a January 1 start.
• A Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for non-renewal runs through the end of February for people whose plan is leaving. You can use it to enroll in a different Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Part D drug plan.

A few practical steps:

1. Find your plan's non-renewal letter, if you received one, and keep it. It confirms your SEP. 2. Make a list of your doctors, hospitals and prescription drugs before you shop. Networks and drug formularies are the two most common surprises. 3. Use the Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare 2027 options in ZIP codes inside Knox County. You can enter your drugs and pharmacies to see how they fit each plan. 4. If you want free, unbiased help, contact Tennessee SHIP (the State Health Insurance Assistance Program). SHIP counselors do not sell plans.

A quick note on 2026 Part D rules that carry into 2027

Whichever plan you choose, a few program-wide Part D rules are worth knowing:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. The Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027, and the coverage gap ("donut hole") has been eliminated since 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the year in monthly payments instead of paying a large amount at the pharmacy.
• IRMAA surcharges for higher-income beneficiaries begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.