Medicare Advantage

If your Laredo plan is leaving, here's your next step

For 2027, Laredo is looking at 53 Medicare Advantage plans: 9 new, 20 gone since 2026, and 24 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 8 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Webb County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

LAREDO, Texas — As fall 2026 enrollment opens, the Medicare Advantage map in Webb County is shifting. Nine plans are new for 2027, 20 will not be offered next year, and 36 are continuing — with another 16 changing in ways large or small. For Laredo residents comparing coverage before the Dec. 7, 2026 deadline, the lineup looks different than it did a year ago.

What Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Laredo for 2027?

Laredo is in Webb County, where 8 carriers are offering Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. The lineup includes Aetna (CVS Health), Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Centene (WellCare), Humana, Molina Healthcare of Texas, Prominence Health Plan, Texas Independence Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare.

By plan type, HMOs are the largest group, followed by PPOs, HMO-POS plans, and one PFFS plan. A significant share — 23 of the plans available in the county — are Special Needs Plans (SNPs) designed for people who have Medicare and Medicaid, a qualifying chronic condition, or who live in an institutional setting. Most plans include Part D drug coverage; a smaller set do not.

The table below lists every plan by carrier, type, and whether it includes drug coverage.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are new in Webb County for 2027?

Nine Medicare Advantage plans are new to Webb County for 2027. In alphabetical order by carrier, they are:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare QMB Only Care (HMO D-SNP)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC): HealthSpring Achieve Savings (HMO C-SNP); HealthSpring TotalCare Plus (HMO D-SNP)
• Humana: Humana Together in Health (PPO I-SNP)
• Prominence Health Plan: Prominence Bridge (HMO D-SNP)
• UnitedHealthcare: UHC Dual Advantage TX-V11 (HMO-POS D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete TX-Q6 (HMO-POS D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete TX-S6 (HMO-POS D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete TX-YL2 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

Most of the new plans are Special Needs Plans — several D-SNPs for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, one C-SNP for people with certain chronic conditions, and one I-SNP for people in institutional settings. For plan-level details like premium, copays, networks, and formularies, use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov or read each plan's documents.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are not returning in Laredo after 2026?

Twenty plans are leaving the Webb County market after 2026. By carrier:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC): Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Basic (HMO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Complete (PPO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dental Premier (PPO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dual Care Plus (HMO D-SNP); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Health Choice (PPO); Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Protect (PPO); HealthSpring True Choice (PPO)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Assist (HMO); Wellcare Dual Access (HMO D-SNP); Wellcare Dual Liberty (HMO D-SNP); Wellcare Patriot Simple (HMO); Wellcare Simple (HMO); Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
• Humana: Humana Gold Choice H8145-084 (PFFS); Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO)
• Prominence Health Plan: Prominence Beyond (HMO)
• UnitedHealthcare: UHC Complete Care Support TX-1A (Regional PPO C-SNP); UHC Dual Complete TX-D007 (HMO-POS D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete TX-S003 (HMO-POS D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete TX-V010 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

If you are enrolled in any of these plans today, you will get a non-renewal notice from the carrier. You can choose a new Medicare Advantage plan or move back to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan) during Annual Enrollment, Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026. You also qualify for a Special Enrollment Period that runs from Dec. 8, 2026 through the end of February 2027 — a safety net specifically for people whose plan did not renew.

What about plans that were renamed or are changing for 2027?

Eight plans in Webb County kept their guts but got a new name on the shelf. Among them: Aetna Medicare Dual Care (HMO D-SNP) is now Aetna Medicare Full Dual Care (HMO D-SNP); Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO) is now Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (PPO); HumanaChoice Giveback H7617-041 (PPO) is now Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO); and UHC Medicare Advantage TX-0030 (Regional PPO) is now AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC TX-61 (Regional PPO). The full list of renames is in the table below.

Another 16 plans are continuing but have at least one change — to premium, deductible, plan type, or name. Those changes will be spelled out in each plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which carriers mail in September. The ANOC compares what your plan does today to what it will do starting Jan. 1, 2027. It is worth reading before the Dec. 7 deadline, even if you plan to stay put.

What Medicare rules and dates matter this fall in Laredo?

Annual Enrollment runs Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026. Anything you change in that window takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. If you do nothing and your plan is offered again, you keep it — with the changes in its ANOC. Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027, lets people already in a Medicare Advantage plan switch to a different one or return to Original Medicare one time.

A few program-level numbers help put plan choices in context:

• 2026 Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100. For 2027, it rises to $2,400.
• 2026 Part D maximum deductible: $615. For 2027, it is $700.
• The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33. That figure is a formula input used across the program, not what any particular plan charges.
• The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is still available, letting you spread drug costs across the year in monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA income surcharges begin above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

CMS has not yet announced the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets. Those are typically published in the fall, usually November, on medicare.gov.