Medicare Advantage

Garland Medicare Advantage members: what a non-renewal letter means for 2027

Dallas County has 84 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 29 plans are not coming back, 20 are new, and 31 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 9 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Garland, not which plan to pick.

GARLAND, Texas — If you open your mailbox this fall and find a letter saying your Medicare Advantage plan will not be offered in 2027, you are not alone. In Dallas County, which includes Garland, 29 Medicare Advantage plans listed for 2026 are not returning for 2027, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape files. That letter is called a non-renewal notice, and it starts a clock with real dates on it.

Here is what the letter means, what happens if you do nothing, and the choices you have before and after January 1, 2027.

How can I tell if my Garland Medicare Advantage plan is ending in 2027?

Look for a non-renewal letter from your plan, which carriers are required to send by early October 2026. The letter will say the plan will not be offered in your service area next year and will explain your options.

The envelope often says "Important plan information" and the letter itself is sometimes called a "notice of non-renewal" or "plan termination notice." It is separate from the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which is the booklet renewing plans send to describe what is changing for 2027. If you got an ANOC, your plan is renewing (with the changes it lists). If you got a non-renewal letter, it is not.

If you are not sure what you received, you can call the number on your member ID card, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are not returning in Dallas County for 2027?

Twenty-nine Medicare Advantage plans offered in Dallas County in 2026 are not in CMS's 2027 Landscape file for the county. The full list is in the table below; by carrier, they are:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Enhanced (PPO)
• American Health Advantage of Texas: American Health Advantage of Texas (HMO I-SNP)
• Baylor Scott & White Health Plan: BSW SeniorCare Advantage Essentials (HMO-POS)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC): Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Choice Plus (PPO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Choice Premier (PPO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Classic (PPO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dental Premier (PPO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dental Value (HMO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dual Care Plus (HMO D-SNP); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Health Choice (PPO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Optimum (PPO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Protect (PPO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Saver (HMO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Value (HMO)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Giveback (HMO)
• Elevance Health (Anthem): Wellpoint Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP); Wellpoint Dual Advantage 2 (HMO D-SNP); Wellpoint Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP)
• HealthSpring: HealthSpring True Choice Savings (PPO)
• Humana: Humana Gold Choice H8145-084 (PFFS); Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO); Humana Value Choice H5216-352 (PPO); Humana Value Choice H7617-043 (PPO)
• UnitedHealthcare: AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC TX-0005 (PPO); AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx TX-MA06 (PPO); UHC Complete Care Support TX-1A (Regional PPO C-SNP); UHC Dual Complete TX-D004 (HMO-POS D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete TX-S003 (HMO-POS D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete TX-V007 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

For 2027, 84 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 carriers are offered in Dallas County. Garland is in Dallas County, where plan availability is set.

What happens if I do nothing after my plan ends?

If your Medicare Advantage plan is not renewing and you do not pick a new plan, you move to Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) on January 1, 2027. You will not be left without health coverage.

What you will not have, unless you choose it, is drug coverage. Most Medicare Advantage plans include Part D, so when the plan ends, that drug coverage ends with it. If you want prescription coverage in 2027, you have to pick either a new Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage or a stand-alone Part D plan to go with Original Medicare. Going without creditable drug coverage can lead to a late enrollment penalty later.

What are my choices during the Annual Enrollment Period and after?

You have two separate windows, and you can use either one. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7, 2026, and any change you make there takes effect January 1, 2027. If you pick a new plan by December 7, your coverage is lined up before your old plan ends.

Because your plan is non-renewing, you also get a Special Enrollment Period from December 8, 2026 through February 28, 2027. During that window you can:

• Join a different Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage), or
• Return to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Medicare Part D drug plan.

You can also look at a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy to pair with Original Medicare. When your Medicare Advantage plan is terminated and you return to Original Medicare, federal rules give you a guaranteed-issue right to buy certain Medigap plans without medical underwriting, within set time limits. The specifics of which Medigap plans are guaranteed-issue in Texas, and how long you have, are handled by the Texas Department of Insurance; you can reach them at tdi.texas.gov or 1-800-252-3439.

What should I do next if I got a non-renewal letter in Garland?

Start by keeping the letter. It is proof of your Special Enrollment Period if you need to show it later.

Then compare your options using the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, where you can enter your ZIP code, your doctors and your prescriptions and see every plan offered in Dallas County for 2027. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048). A few things worth checking before you pick:

• Whether your doctors and hospitals are in the new plan's network.
• Whether your prescriptions are on the plan's drug list and what tier they fall into.
• Whether the plan is an HMO, HMO-POS, PPO or PFFS, and what that means for referrals and out-of-network care.
• For 2027, the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026) and the Part D maximum deductible is $700 (up from $615 in 2026).

CMS announces the 2027 Part B standard premium, Part B deductible and IRMAA income brackets later in the fall, usually in November.