Medicare Advantage

UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage in Virginia for 2027: 37 Plans, County by County

RICHMOND — Virginians sorting through Medicare mail this fall will see a familiar name on the carrier list. According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for CY2027, UnitedHealthcare is offering 37 Medicare Advantage plans across the Commonwealth for the 2027 plan year. This explainer is published by an independent Medicare education site; we are not UnitedHealthcare, not an insurance carrier, and not the federal government.

Because Medicare Advantage plans are sold county by county, a plan on UnitedHealthcare's statewide list may or may not be offered where you live. The 2027 plan year begins January 1, 2027, and reflects choices made during the Annual Enrollment Period that runs October 15 through December 7, 2026.

What UnitedHealthcare offers statewide for 2027

The CMS Landscape file shows UnitedHealthcare with 37 Medicare Advantage plans in Virginia for 2027, counted once statewide. That total breaks down into 26 HMO-POS plans and 11 PPO plans. All 37 include Part D prescription drug coverage.

Eleven of the 37 are Special Needs Plans, which have eligibility rules tied to specific circumstances:

• 5 Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNP) for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid
• 5 Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans (C-SNP)
• 1 Institutional Special Needs Plan (I-SNP)

For context, CMS lists 10 Medicare Advantage carriers operating in Virginia for 2027, with 148 plans across all carriers combined. UnitedHealthcare is one carrier among those; nothing in this article should be read as ranking it against the others.

Plans with the widest county reach

The full plan-by-plan table on this page shows the county count CMS lists for each UnitedHealthcare plan. A few of the widest-reaching entries for 2027 include AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx VA-MA01 (PPO), listed in 117 Virginia counties, and several D-SNP options — UHC Dual Advantage VA-V1 (HMO-POS D-SNP), UHC Dual Complete VA-Q001 (HMO-POS D-SNP), UHC Dual Complete VA-Y002 (HMO-POS D-SNP), and UHC Dual Complete VA-YL (HMO-POS D-SNP) — each listed in 133 counties. UHC Dual Complete VA-Y4 (PPO D-SNP) is listed in 132 counties, and UHC Nursing Home Plan EX-F004 (PPO I-SNP) in 46.

Widest reach is not the same as "available to you." A plan with a high county count may still exclude your specific county, and a plan with a smaller footprint may be the one offered where you live. The table is the place to check.

What is new, what is renamed, and what is not returning

Of UnitedHealthcare's 37 plans for 2027, 9 are new to the Virginia market. These include several AARP Medicare Advantage Direct and Direct Plus HMO-POS plans (VA-24, VA-25, VA-26, VA-28), AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials VA-11 (HMO-POS), AARP Medicare Advantage Extras TC-7, VA-29, and VA-30 (HMO-POS), and AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC VA-0012 (HMO-POS).

Several continuing plans show new names in the CMS file. For example, AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC VA-6 (PPO) was previously AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC VA-0006 (PPO); AARP Medicare Advantage Extras from UHC VA-18 (PPO) was previously AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC VA-0018 (PPO); and UHC Dual Advantage VA-V1 was previously UHC Dual Complete VA-V001. A rename does not necessarily mean the plan is the same in every respect — details can still change year to year.

CMS also lists 13 UnitedHealthcare plans from 2026 that are not returning for 2027. If you are currently enrolled in one of those, UnitedHealthcare is required to send you an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and plan non-renewal notice explaining your options.

Checking whether a plan is offered in your county — and covers your doctors and prescriptions

Three steps, in this order, will tell you what you actually need to know:

1. Confirm the plan is sold in your county. Use the Medicare Plan Finder at Medicare.gov, enter your ZIP code, and look for the specific plan name shown on this page. 2. Check the provider directory. Make sure your primary care doctor, any specialists you see, and your preferred hospital are listed as in-network for the exact plan you are considering. 3. Check the formulary. Enter each of your prescriptions into the plan's drug list to see whether it is covered and under what rules (prior authorization, step therapy, quantity limits).

For the final word on what a plan covers, request the Evidence of Coverage (EOC) directly from the plan. That document — not a marketing flyer — is the binding description of benefits.

What to do before December 7

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7, 2026. A choice you make during that window takes effect January 1, 2027. You can:

• Keep your current coverage (if your plan is returning) by doing nothing.
• Switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan.
• Move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
• Add, change, or drop a Part D drug plan.

A short checklist helps:

• Read your current plan's ANOC, which arrives by late September.
• List your doctors, hospitals, and prescriptions.
• Compare plans on Medicare.gov using your ZIP code.
• Write down the plan name and plan ID of anything you enroll in.

The December 7 date is a calendar deadline set by CMS, not a sales deadline. There is no need to rush a decision; there is a need to make one with the facts in front of you.

Where to get free help

• Medicare.gov — the Plan Finder tool, enrollment, and official plan documents.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — 24/7 help from Medicare directly, including help confirming county availability and starting an enrollment.