Medicare Advantage

What’s Changing in Tennessee Medicare Advantage for 2027: 25 Plans Leaving, 35 Changing

NASHVILLE — Tennessee's Medicare Advantage lineup is shifting again for the 2027 plan year, and every county in the state will feel at least some of it. According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files, Tennessee will have 155 Medicare Advantage plans offered somewhere in the state for 2027, up from 132 for 2026. But the headline count hides the churn underneath: 25 plans that were offered somewhere in Tennessee for 2026 will not be offered anywhere in the state for 2027, and another 35 plans will continue but with at least one change on file with CMS. Wellcare is not listed with any Tennessee Medicare Advantage plans for 2027.

Medicare AdvantageTennessee

For members, the practical question is simple: is my plan leaving, is it changing, or is it continuing unchanged? This explainer walks through how to read the numbers, what the calendar looks like, and where to get free help before the Annual Enrollment Period closes on December 7, 2026.

What the statewide numbers mean

CMS publishes a Landscape Source File each year listing every Medicare Advantage plan offered in every county. Comparing the 2026 and 2027 files, counting each plan once statewide no matter how many counties it serves, produces a clear picture of churn in Tennessee:

• 132 Medicare Advantage plans offered in Tennessee for 2026
• 155 Medicare Advantage plans offered in Tennessee for 2027
• 25 leaving (offered somewhere in Tennessee for 2026, nowhere in the state for 2027)
• 35 changing (offered both years, but premium, drug deductible, plan type, or plan name differs in at least one county)
• 48 new for 2027
• 72 continuing unchanged

A plan is counted as "leaving" only when it disappears from Tennessee entirely between the two files. A plan is counted as "changing" when CMS's file shows a different premium, drug deductible, plan type, or plan name in at least one county from 2026 to 2027. The Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your carrier mails each fall is where the specifics live — this article does not describe what changed inside any individual plan or by how much.

All 95 Tennessee counties see at least one plan leave or change between 2026 and 2027. Wellcare is not listed with any Tennessee Medicare Advantage plans in the 2027 file.

If your plan is leaving

If your current plan is one of the 25 leaving Tennessee for 2027, your carrier is required to send you a non-renewal notice. You will not be automatically moved into another plan the way renewing members are. Two things to know:

1. You get a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Members whose plans are not renewed have an SEP that runs through the end of February. During that window you can choose another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan if you want drug coverage). 2. If you do nothing, your Medicare Advantage coverage ends when the plan terminates on December 31, 2026. You would default back to Original Medicare without Part D drug coverage.

The simplest path is still to use the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026) so your new coverage starts cleanly on January 1, 2027.

If your plan is changing

If your plan is one of the 35 continuing with at least one change on file, you will stay enrolled unless you choose otherwise. The carrier is required to send you an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) in the fall. The ANOC is the document that lays out, for your specific plan and county, what is different for 2027 compared with 2026.

Read it. If the plan still fits, you do not have to do anything — you will roll into the 2027 version of the plan on January 1, 2027, with the changes described in the ANOC. If it no longer fits, the Annual Enrollment Period is your window to switch.

Counties with the most change

Every one of Tennessee's 95 counties sees at least one plan leaving or changing. These counties have the highest counts in the 2026-to-2027 comparison:

• Davidson County: 14 leaving, 21 changing
• Shelby County: 11 leaving, 23 changing
• Williamson County: 13 leaving, 21 changing
• Wilson County: 12 leaving, 21 changing
• Sumner County: 12 leaving, 20 changing
• Robertson County: 11 leaving, 20 changing
• Fayette County: 10 leaving, 20 changing
• Rutherford County: 14 leaving, 16 changing

These are plan counts from the CMS Landscape files, not member counts. A single county's totals include every plan sold there, whether it enrolls many people or few.

What to do before December 7

A short checklist for the weeks between October 15 and December 7, 2026:

1. Watch the mail in September and October. Carriers send either a non-renewal notice (plan leaving) or an Annual Notice of Change (plan continuing). The envelope matters. 2. Confirm your category. Is your plan among the 25 leaving, the 35 changing, or the 72 continuing unchanged? 3. Check your doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies. Networks can shift year to year. Call to confirm 2027 participation. 4. Check your prescriptions. Drug lists (formularies) are set per plan year. 5. Decide and enroll by December 7, 2026 if you want a different plan on January 1, 2027. If your plan is not renewed and you miss that date, your SEP still runs through the end of February.

Where to get free help

You do not have to sort this out alone, and you do not have to pay anyone to help you.

• Medicare.gov has the official Plan Finder, where you can compare 2027 plans in your ZIP code.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is available 24/7.
• Tennessee SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) offers free, unbiased, one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers. SHIP counselors do not sell insurance.