Medicare Advantage

Corpus Christi's 2026 Medicare Advantage roster: who sells what, and which plans include drug coverage

Nueces County has 48 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 19 plans are not coming back, 10 are new, and 19 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 10 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Corpus Christi, not which plan to pick.

Medicare AdvantageCorpus Christi, TX

In Corpus Christi, shoppers looking at Medicare Advantage for 2027 have a menu to work through — and the choices come from eight different insurance companies. This guide walks through who is selling plans, what plan types they offer, and which ones bundle in prescription drug coverage. The full plan-by-plan list is in the table below.

Corpus Christi sits in Nueces County, and Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level. That means every plan named here is offered to people with Medicare who live in Nueces County, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for plan year 2027.

What's on offer in Nueces County for 2027

The county has 48 Medicare Advantage plans from 8 carriers for 2027. Of the plans available this year, 38 are continuing, 10 are new, 19 are not returning, and 10 have been renamed; 19 of the continuing plans change something in their terms, spelled out in each plan's Annual Notice of Change. CHRISTUS Health Advantage is not offering plans in the county next year, while ProCare Advantage is new to the county for 2027.

By plan type, the mix is:

• HMO: 30 plans
• HMO-POS: 10 plans
• PPO (including regional PPOs): 25 plans
• PFFS: 2 plans

Twenty-four of the 67 plans are Special Needs Plans, meaning they're built for people who qualify because of a specific situation — typically having both Medicare and Medicaid (D-SNP), a chronic condition like diabetes or heart disease (C-SNP), or living in an institutional setting (I-SNP).

The eight carriers, in alphabetical order

Here is how the 2027 Corpus Christi lineup breaks down by insurance company. The table below lists every plan name.

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 6 plans, offered as HMO and PPO, including 3 Special Needs Plans.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC) — 9 plans, offered as HMO and PPO, including 1 Special Needs Plan.
• Centene (WellCare) — 6 plans, all HMO, including 3 Special Needs Plans.
• CHRISTUS Health Advantage — 2 plans, both HMO.
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 1 plan, HMO, which is a Special Needs Plan (offered under the Wellpoint brand).
• Humana — 25 plans, offered as HMO, PPO and PFFS, including 6 Special Needs Plans.
• Texas Independence Health Plan — 2 plans, both HMO Special Needs Plans.
• UnitedHealthcare — 16 plans, offered as HMO-POS and PPO (including regional PPOs), with 8 Special Needs Plans.

Humana is the largest name on the roster by plan count, and UnitedHealthcare is second. The full plan names — for example, the Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO), the Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Preferred (PPO), the HealthSpring Preferred (HMO), the various Wellcare Dual plans, the CHRISTUS Health Medicare Guardian (HMO), the Humana Gold Plus and HumanaChoice families, and the AARP Medicare Advantage plans from UHC — appear in the table below with their plan type. Every one of them includes drug coverage.

Plan types, in plain English

If you're new to Medicare Advantage, plan types matter more than plan names when you're getting oriented.

• HMO plans generally ask you to use a network of doctors and hospitals and to pick a primary care doctor. Referrals may be needed to see specialists.
• HMO-POS works like an HMO but adds a "point of service" option — a limited way to see some out-of-network providers, often at a higher cost.
• PPO plans, including regional PPOs, let you see providers both in and out of network, though out-of-network usually costs more.
• PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service) plans set their own payment terms, and any provider who accepts those terms can treat you.
• Special Needs Plans (SNPs) — D-SNP, C-SNP and I-SNP — are limited to people who meet the specific eligibility rules for that plan.

What changes for drug coverage in 2027

Even though this article is about Medicare Advantage plans (not stand-alone Part D), the drug coverage inside each MA-PD plan follows the same Part D rules everyone is hearing about:

• The out-of-pocket cap for covered Part D drugs is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once you reach it, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments, instead of paying all at once at the pharmacy. It's optional and free to opt into.

Higher-income enrollees also pay an IRMAA surcharge on Part B and Part D. For a single filer in 2026, IRMAA begins above $109,000 in income.

Star ratings and how to compare

CMS assigns Star Ratings to Medicare Advantage and Part D contracts every year, from 1 to 5 stars. In this county's data, no contracts serving the area are rated 4 stars or higher for the current cycle. Ratings are just one piece of the picture — network, drug formulary, out-of-pocket maximum, and whether your doctors and pharmacies are included usually matter more day-to-day. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov shows current ratings alongside each plan.

Enrollment dates to keep in mind

• October 15 – December 7: Annual Enrollment Period. Anyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Changes take effect January 1.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you're already in an MA plan, you can switch to another MA plan or drop back to Original Medicare (and pick up a stand-alone Part D plan).
• Special Enrollment Periods may apply if you move, lose other coverage, qualify for Extra Help, or have other life events.