Medicare Advantage

If your Lubbock Medicare Advantage plan isn't coming back in 2027, here's your playbook

Lubbock County has 38 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 19 plans are not coming back, 7 are new, and 24 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 Lubbock, not which plan to pick.

LUBBOCK, Texas — Fall 2026. If you open your mailbox this month and find a letter saying your Medicare Advantage plan will not be offered next year, you are not alone. According to the CMS 2027 Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File, 19 Medicare Advantage plans sold in Lubbock County for 2026 are not returning for 2027. Lubbock is in Lubbock County, where plan availability is set, and for 2027 the county's lineup drops to 38 plans from 6 carriers.

The good news: a non-renewal is not a loss of Medicare, and it comes with its own Special Enrollment Period so you have time to choose carefully.

Which Lubbock Medicare Advantage plans are not returning in 2027?

Nineteen plans offered in Lubbock County for 2026 are not in CMS's 2027 Landscape file for the county. Listed alphabetically by carrier, they are:

• American Health Advantage of Texas (HMO I-SNP) — American Health Advantage of Texas
• BSW SeniorCare Advantage (PPO) — Baylor Scott & White Health Plan
• Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dental Value (HMO) — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC)
• Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dual Care Plus (HMO D-SNP) — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC)
• Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Preferred (PPO) — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC)
• Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Secure (HMO) — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC)
• Wellcare Assist (HMO) — Centene (WellCare)
• Wellcare Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare)
• Wellcare Dual Liberty (HMO D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare)
• Wellcare Giveback (HMO) — Centene (WellCare)
• Wellcare Simple Open (PPO) — Centene (WellCare)
• Wellpoint Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) — Elevance Health (Anthem)
• Wellpoint Dual Advantage 2 (HMO D-SNP) — Elevance Health (Anthem)
• Wellpoint Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) — Elevance Health (Anthem)
• Wellpoint Full Dual Advantage Aligned (HMO D-SNP) — Elevance Health (Anthem)
• Humana Gold Choice H8145-084 (PFFS) — Humana
• Humana Gold Plus H0783-004 (HMO) — Humana
• Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO) — Humana
• UHC Complete Care Support TX-1A (Regional PPO C-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare

The table below lists every 2026 plan for Lubbock County alongside its 2027 status.

How can I tell if my plan is one of the ones leaving?

Your plan must send you a non-renewal letter by early October 2026. The letter is formally called a "Plan Non-Renewal Notice," and Medicare rules require carriers to mail it before the Annual Enrollment Period begins. It will say, in plain terms, that the plan will not be offered in 2027 and that your coverage ends December 31, 2026.

If you find that letter, keep it. It is also the proof you may need later to use the Special Enrollment Period tied to a non-renewal. If you are not sure whether you got one, check your mail from the plan carefully, call the member number on your plan ID card, or call 1-800-MEDICARE.

What happens on January 1, 2027, if I do nothing?

If your Medicare Advantage plan is on the not-returning list and you make no other choice, you go back to Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) automatically on January 1, 2027. You do not lose Medicare — but a few things change:

• Original Medicare does not include Part D prescription drug coverage. If your current plan includes drugs and you want to keep drug coverage, you need to actively enroll in a standalone Part D plan or a new Medicare Advantage plan that includes drugs.
• Original Medicare has no yearly out-of-pocket maximum on medical services. Many people pair it with a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy to help with those costs.
• Any extra benefits your Medicare Advantage plan offered end with the plan.

What choices and Special Enrollment Period do I have?

A plan non-renewal triggers a Special Enrollment Period that runs from December 8, 2026 through February 28, 2027. During that window, you can:

• Join a different Medicare Advantage plan offered in Lubbock County for 2027.
• Return to Original Medicare and add a standalone Part D plan.
• Buy a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy using the guaranteed-issue right that applies when your plan leaves. Guaranteed issue means certain Medigap plans must sell to you regardless of your health, within set time limits. The specific plans and timing are set at the program level; for state-level rules in Texas, the Texas Department of Insurance is the official source.

You can also use the regular Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 through December 7, 2026, to pick a 2027 plan that takes effect January 1. For most people whose plan is leaving, enrolling during AEP is the simplest path because coverage starts the same day the old plan ends.

To compare 2027 plans in Lubbock County by name, premium, drug list and network, use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

What is changing in Medicare itself for 2027?

A few program-level numbers are already confirmed by CMS for 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• The Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 for 2027. That number is a formula input used across the program; it is not what any particular plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not yet been announced. CMS typically publishes those later in the fall.