Medicare Advantage

Wellcare's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Arlington: two new, two renamed, two gone

Arlington, Texas — If you have a Wellcare Medicare Advantage plan in Arlington, your 2027 lineup looks a little different than it did this year. For the plan year that starts January 1, 2027, Wellcare is offering six Medicare Advantage plans in Tarrant County, the same total as 2026 — but two plans are not returning, two are brand new, and two have been renamed. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, which is your window to compare, switch, or stay put.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site. We are not Wellcare, not Medicare, and not selling a plan. This article walks through what Wellcare is offering in the county next year so you can take that information to medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE and check it against your own doctors and prescriptions.

What Wellcare is offering in Tarrant County for 2027

Arlington is in Tarrant County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set. For 2027, Wellcare (which CMS lists under its parent, Centene) has 6 Medicare Advantage plans in the county. All 6 are HMOs, and all 6 include Part D drug coverage. Four of them are Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), which are built for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.

The table on this page lists every Wellcare plan available in the county for 2027. In alphabetical order, those plans are:

• Wellcare Patriot Simple (HMO)
• Wellcare Simple (HMO)
• Wellcare Superior HealthPlan Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) — renamed (was Wellcare Dual Access)
• Wellcare Superior HealthPlan Dual Liberty (HMO D-SNP) — new for 2027
• Wellcare Superior HealthPlan Dual Reserve (HMO D-SNP) — renamed (was Wellcare Dual Reserve)
• Wellcare Superior HealthPlan Dual Reserve Value (HMO D-SNP) — new for 2027

Two Wellcare plans that were in Tarrant County in 2026 are not being offered in 2027. If you are in one of those, your plan will send a non-renewal notice explaining your options and your deadlines.

What "renamed," "new," and "not returning" actually mean

A renamed plan is not automatically the same plan with a new label on the front. The contract number may be the same, but benefits, drug lists, and provider networks can still change from one year to the next. Read the ANOC your plan mailed (or posted online) in late September — it spells out exactly what is changing for 2027.

A new plan is one Wellcare did not offer in Tarrant County this year. Even if the name sounds similar to another plan, it is a separate contract with its own benefits and network.

A not-returning plan means that specific plan will not be available in the county in 2027. If you are enrolled in one, Medicare gives you a Special Enrollment Period to choose a new plan, in addition to the regular AEP window.

Special Needs Plans, briefly

Four of Wellcare's six 2027 plans in the county are D-SNPs. These are only for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. If you do not have Medicaid, you cannot enroll in a D-SNP, even if the plan's name catches your eye. If you are not sure whether you qualify, Texas Health and Human Services can confirm your Medicaid status.

Wellcare is not offering Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) or Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) in Tarrant County for 2027.

How to check a plan against your doctors and your prescriptions

Before you pick anything, do these three checks:

1. Doctors and hospitals. Go to medicare.gov's Plan Finder, enter your ZIP code, and open the plan page. Then confirm your providers directly with the plan or your doctor's billing office — directories can lag. 2. Prescriptions. In Plan Finder, enter every drug you take, with dosage and pharmacy. The tool will show how each plan covers them, including the tier and any restrictions like prior authorization. 3. Pharmacy. Check whether your usual pharmacy is in the plan's preferred network. The same drug can cost different amounts at different pharmacies on the same plan.

If something does not line up, call 1-800-MEDICARE (open 24/7) or the plan directly. The number is on the plan's page in Plan Finder.

What's changing for Part D in 2027

A few program-level numbers are already set for 2027. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). The Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). These are ceilings set by Medicare — each plan sets its own specifics inside those limits.

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 November. The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan — the option that lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly payments — continues for 2027.

If you do nothing

Nothing dramatic happens. If your current Wellcare plan is still offered in Tarrant County for 2027, it renews on January 1 with the changes listed in your ANOC. If it is one of the two plans not returning, you'll get a letter from Wellcare explaining your next steps and your Special Enrollment rights.

If you want to switch plans — to another Wellcare plan, to another carrier's Medicare Advantage plan, or back to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan — you have until December 7, 2026 during AEP. Medicare Advantage members also get a second window, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, from January 1 through March 31, 2027, to make one change.