Medicare Advantage

If you got a non-renewal letter in Corpus Christi, here is your Medicare playbook

Nueces County has 58 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 19 plans are not coming back, 10 are new, and 29 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.

CORPUS CHRISTI — Fall 2026. If you open your mailbox this month and find a letter from your Medicare Advantage plan saying it will not be offered in 2027, you are not alone, and you have time to decide what to do next. In Nueces County, the county Corpus Christi sits in, 19 Medicare Advantage plans on offer this year are not coming back for 2027, according to CMS's Landscape Source Files for 2026 and 2027.

That letter is called a plan non-renewal notice, and it unlocks special rights you would not otherwise have during the fall Annual Enrollment Period, which runs October 15 through December 7, 2026.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are not returning to Corpus Christi for 2027?

In Nueces County, 19 Medicare Advantage plans listed for 2026 are not in CMS's 2027 Landscape file for the county. The plans not returning, in alphabetical order by carrier, are:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC): Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dental Value (HMO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Preferred (PPO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Saver (HMO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Secure (HMO)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Assist (HMO); Wellcare Dual Access (HMO D-SNP); Wellcare Dual Liberty (HMO D-SNP); Wellcare Patriot Simple (HMO); Wellcare Simple (HMO)
• CHRISTUS Health Advantage: CHRISTUS Health Medicare Guardian (HMO); CHRISTUS Health Medicare Plus (HMO)
• Elevance Health (Anthem): Wellpoint Full Dual Advantage Aligned (HMO D-SNP)
• HealthSpring: HealthSpring Preferred (HMO)
• Humana: Humana Gold Choice H8145-084 (PFFS); Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO); HumanaChoice H5216-360 (PPO); HumanaChoice H7617-040 (PPO)
• UnitedHealthcare: UHC Complete Care Support TX-1A (Regional PPO C-SNP); UHC Dual Complete TX-S4 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

If your plan is on this list, your 2026 coverage keeps working through December 31, 2026. The change begins January 1, 2027.

How can I tell if my Medicare Advantage plan is ending?

The clearest signal is a letter in the mail from your plan, usually arriving in October. Medicare requires plans that are discontinuing to send a written non-renewal notice to every member, explaining that the plan will not be offered next year and what the member's options are.

The envelope may say "Important Plan Information" or "Notice of Non-Renewal." Keep it — the letter is the proof you may need later to use your Special Enrollment Period. If you are not sure what you received, call the member number on your plan ID card, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Also watch for a separate document called the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) if your plan IS returning; that one explains next year's changes but does not mean your plan is ending.

What happens in Corpus Christi if I do nothing after a non-renewal?

If your Medicare Advantage plan ends on December 31, 2026 and you take no action, you will be returned to Original Medicare — Part A (hospital) and Part B (medical) — on January 1, 2027. Your Medicare card from the federal government becomes your coverage card again.

Two things to understand about that default:

• Original Medicare does not include prescription drug coverage. If your ended plan included drugs, you will have no Part D coverage on January 1 unless you join a stand-alone Part D plan or a new Medicare Advantage plan that includes drugs.
• Original Medicare does not cap your out-of-pocket costs the way a Medicare Advantage plan does. Many people pair it with a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy and a Part D plan.

Doing nothing is a choice, and for some people Original Medicare plus Medigap and Part D is the right fit. For others, picking another Medicare Advantage plan is simpler. Either way, this is the moment to decide on purpose rather than by default.

What are my choices, and when is my Special Enrollment Period?

You have three main paths if your plan is not returning:

1. Pick a different Medicare Advantage plan offered in Nueces County for 2027. CMS's 2027 file shows 58 plans from 8 carriers available in the county. The table on this page lists each one. 2. Join a stand-alone Medicare Part D drug plan and stay on Original Medicare. 3. Stay on Original Medicare without drug coverage (usually a poor fit unless you have other credible drug coverage, such as from a former employer or the VA).

Two enrollment windows apply:

• The Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 – December 7, 2026, lets anyone with Medicare change plans for January 1, 2027.
• Because your plan is non-renewing, you also get a Special Enrollment Period that runs through the end of February 2027. You can use it to enroll in a new Medicare Advantage plan or a stand-alone Part D plan.

If you are considering a Medigap (Supplement) policy to go with Original Medicare, a plan non-renewal is one of the situations Medicare recognizes as a guaranteed-issue right at the federal level, meaning insurers cannot turn you down or charge you more for health reasons for certain Medigap plans within a limited window. State rules on which Medigap plans are available and when vary; for Texas specifics, contact the Texas Department of Insurance.

What should I check before I pick a replacement plan?

Before you choose, confirm the details for each plan you are considering by going to the official source — not a brochure or a sales call.

• Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare 2027 plans in your ZIP code side by side.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE to talk with a representative at no cost.
• Ask the plan directly for its 2027 Evidence of Coverage, formulary (drug list), and provider directory.

Make sure your doctors, hospitals (including the Corpus Christi facilities you use), and prescriptions are covered by any plan you are weighing. And remember a couple of program-level numbers that apply to every Part D plan nationwide: for 2027, CMS has set the Part D out-of-pocket cap at $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026) and the maximum Part D deductible at $700 (up from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, are expected from CMS later this fall.