Medicare Advantage

Richmond's Medicare Advantage lineup is shifting for 2027: 8 plans leaving, 10 new

People in Richmond can choose from 60 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 72 in 2026. Eight of this year's plans are gone, 10 are new to Richmond city, and 42 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 14 of them under a new name.

Medicare AdvantageRichmond, VA

RICHMOND, Va. — If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in Richmond, this fall's mail is worth opening carefully. The 2027 plan lineup for Richmond city looks different from 2026: eight plans are leaving the market, ten new plans are joining, and fourteen have been renamed. Another twenty-eight plans are staying but changing in some way on file with Medicare, and fifty are continuing without those flagged changes.

The Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7, and that is the window most Richmond residents will use to review, switch, or stay put. If your current plan is one of the eight not returning, you have a little more time — more on that below.

What's actually changing in Richmond for 2027

Medicare plan availability is set at the county level, and Richmond is in Richmond city, where the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape file lists these year-over-year shifts:

• 8 plans leaving after 2026
• 10 plans new for 2027
• 14 plans renamed (same plan, new name on the card)
• 28 plans changing on premium, deductible, plan type or name — the Annual Notice of Change will have your details
• 50 plans continuing without those flagged changes

The table below lists every 2026 plan by carrier. If your plan name appears on the "leaving" list, that plan will not be available in 2027 and you will need to take action.

The plans not returning after 2026

Eight Medicare Advantage plans sold in Richmond city are ending after 2026:

• Aetna Medicare Enhanced Plus (PPO) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• HealthSpring Courage (HMO) — Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC)
• Anthem Full Dual Advantage 2 (HMO D-SNP) — Elevance Health (Anthem)
• AARP Medicare Advantage Access from UHC VA-20 (PPO) — UnitedHealthcare
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC VA-0011 (HMO-POS) — UnitedHealthcare
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC VA-0012 (HMO-POS) — UnitedHealthcare
• UHC Dual Complete VA-Y3 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare

If you are on one of these plans, your carrier will send a non-renewal notice. You will not lose Medicare — your Part A and Part B stay in place — but you do need to choose a new Advantage plan or move back to Original Medicare (and think about a stand-alone Part D plan and possibly a Medigap policy).

The plans new for 2027

Ten Advantage plans are being added in Richmond city for 2027, from Devoted Health, Humana and UnitedHealthcare:

• DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 027 VA (HMO C-SNP)
• DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 031 VA (HMO)
• Humana DaVita Kidney Care (PPO C-SNP)
• Humana DaVita Kidney Care (PPO C-SNP)
• Humana Together in Health (PPO I-SNP)
• HumanaChoice H7617-125 (PPO)
• AARP Medicare Advantage Direct OTC from UHC VA-28 (HMO-POS)
• AARP Medicare Advantage Direct Plus from UHC VA-24 (HMO-POS)
• AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC VA-11 (HMO-POS)
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC VA-0012 (HMO-POS)

Several of the new options are Special Needs Plans (SNPs), which have specific eligibility rules — for example, C-SNPs are for people with certain chronic conditions, D-SNPs are for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid, and I-SNPs are for people who live in a nursing home or need that level of care. If you don't meet the eligibility rules, those plans are not options for you.

Renamed doesn't always mean new

Fourteen plans in Richmond city are being renamed for 2027. A rename can be simple housekeeping — a shorter name, a dropped contract number — or it can come alongside real changes to how the plan works. Some examples from the CMS file:

• DEVOTED C-SNP ENHANCED 010 VA (HMO C-SNP) was DEVOTED C-SNP PREMIUM 010 VA
• Anthem Dual Advantage Plus (HMO D-SNP) was Anthem Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP)
• Humana Dual QMB Only (HMO-POS D-SNP) was Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H2875-002
• Humana Total Complete (HMO) shows up as the new name for several older Humana Gold Plus plans
• UHC Dual Advantage VA-V1 (HMO-POS D-SNP) was UHC Dual Complete VA-V001

If your plan is on the renamed list, don't assume the card in your wallet next January will look the same. Check your ANOC.

What Richmond members should do now

Whether your plan is leaving, renamed, or continuing, the steps are the same:

1. Open the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). Carriers mail it by the end of September. It lays out exactly what is changing about your plan — the CMS file flags a change, and the ANOC tells you what it is. 2. Check your doctors and hospitals. Networks can change year to year, especially with HMO and HMO-POS plans. 3. Check your prescriptions. Formularies (the list of covered drugs) change too. The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027, and the Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027; the old "donut hole" coverage gap has been gone since 2025. There is also the optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread your drug costs across the year. 4. Use medicare.gov's Plan Finder. It compares plans side by side for your Richmond ZIP code and drug list. 5. Call your local SHIP (Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program, VICAP) for free, unbiased help. Or call 1-800-MEDICARE.

Enrollment deadlines to know

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7, 2026. Any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027 — and this is the same window used every fall for the following plan year.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31. If you are already in an Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to a different Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare during this window.
• Special Enrollment Period for non-renewed plans. If your Advantage plan is one of the eight leaving Richmond after 2026, you have a Special Enrollment Period that runs through the end of February to choose a new plan without penalty.

One reminder on Part D and income: IRMAA surcharges for higher-income enrollees begin above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026. Most people are not affected, but it is worth knowing if your income has recently gone up.