Medicare Advantage

Anthem's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup in Houston: four new plans, four not returning

HOUSTON — As the Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026, Anthem is reshaping its Medicare Advantage lineup in Harris County for the 2027 plan year. The carrier — which CMS lists under its parent, Elevance Health (Anthem) — will offer nine Medicare Advantage plans in the county next year, with four new plans, four plans not returning, and three plans renamed from their 2026 titles.

If you already have an Anthem plan here, nothing happens automatically on your end: your plan renews for 2027 if Anthem is still offering it, with any changes spelled out in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mailed you in late September. If your plan is one of the four not coming back, you have until December 7 to pick something else for coverage that starts January 1, 2027.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site and is not Anthem, Wellpoint, or Medicare. Anthem is one of 15 carriers offering Medicare Advantage in Harris County for 2027; all carriers together offer 99 plans in the county.

What Anthem is offering in Houston for 2027

Houston is in Harris County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level. For 2027, Anthem's lineup here breaks down this way:

• 4 HMO plans and 5 HMO-POS plans
• 7 Special Needs Plans: 3 Dual Eligible SNPs (D-SNP) and 4 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNP); no Institutional SNPs
• All 9 plans include Part D prescription drug coverage

The table below lists every Anthem plan available in Harris County for 2027, with its plan type and whether it includes drug coverage.

What's new, what's renamed, what's not returning

Four plans are new to the Anthem lineup in Harris County for 2027:

• Wellpoint Chronic Care Advantage Select (HMO C-SNP)
• Wellpoint Dual Advantage Plus Select (HMO D-SNP)
• Wellpoint Dual Advantage Select (HMO D-SNP)
• Wellpoint Full Dual Advantage Select (HMO D-SNP)

Three plans carry forward with new names. A rename is not the same as a brand-new plan, but the details can still shift — read the ANOC:

• Wellpoint Chronic Care Select (HMO-POS C-SNP) — was Wellpoint Chronic Care (HMO-POS C-SNP)
• Wellpoint Lung Care Select (HMO-POS C-SNP) — was Wellpoint Lung Care (HMO-POS C-SNP)
• Wellpoint Medicare Advantage Select 1 (HMO-POS) — was Wellpoint Select (HMO-POS)

Four Anthem plans offered in Harris County in 2026 are not returning for 2027. If you are in a plan that is leaving, Medicare gives you a Special Enrollment Period, but it is simpler to choose a 2027 plan during Annual Enrollment so coverage is continuous on January 1.

Who the Special Needs Plans are for

Seven of Anthem's nine Houston plans are Special Needs Plans. These have eligibility rules on top of the usual Medicare rules:

• D-SNPs are for people enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. Anthem's three D-SNPs for 2027 are Wellpoint Dual Advantage Plus Select, Wellpoint Dual Advantage Select, and Wellpoint Full Dual Advantage Select.
• C-SNPs are for people with a qualifying chronic condition. Anthem's four C-SNPs for 2027 cover specific conditions implied by the names — Wellpoint Chronic Care Advantage Select, Wellpoint Chronic Care Select, Wellpoint Kidney Care, and Wellpoint Lung Care Select — but eligibility must be verified. Your doctor confirms the qualifying diagnosis to the plan.

If you do not qualify for a SNP, the two general-market HMO-POS plans — Wellpoint Medicare Advantage 2 and Wellpoint Medicare Advantage Select 1 — are the ones open to any Medicare-eligible resident of the service area.

How to check a plan against your doctors and prescriptions before December 7

The compliance rules of this page mean we cannot quote any premium, copay, deductible, network or benefit for a specific plan. The good news is Medicare has a free tool that will show you all of that for your situation:

1. Go to medicare.gov/plan-compare and enter your ZIP code. 2. Add your prescriptions exactly — name, dose and quantity — and your preferred pharmacy. 3. Add your doctors and other providers so the tool can flag any that are out of network. 4. Filter by Medicare Advantage and look at each Anthem plan you are considering. Compare the monthly premium, the drug deductible, the maximum out-of-pocket, and whether your drugs are on the formulary. 5. If a plan requires a referral or prior authorization for something you use, make a note.

You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to walk through plans with a representative.

A few 2027 program facts worth knowing

These apply to every Part D plan, including the drug coverage built into the Anthem plans above:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026. Once your out-of-pocket drug spending hits that cap, you pay $0 for covered drugs for the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027, up from $615 in 2026. Plans can set a lower deductible.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") was eliminated starting in 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments, at no extra charge. You can opt in through your plan.

CMS has not yet published the 2027 Part B standard premium, Part B deductible, or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets; those usually come out in November. Watch medicare.gov for the announcement.