Medicare Advantage

What’s Changing in Washington Medicare Advantage for 2027: 44 Plans Leaving, 41 Changing

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The federal Medicare Advantage menu for Washington looks different heading into 2027, and most people with a current plan will have a decision to make this fall. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Advantage Landscape files, Washington will have 115 Medicare Advantage plans available for 2027, down from 126 in 2026. Behind that single-number shift is a bigger reshuffle: 44 plans are leaving the state, 41 are changing in at least one way CMS tracks, 33 are brand new, and 41 are continuing unchanged.

Medicare AdvantageWashington

Every one of Washington's 39 counties will see at least one plan leave or change for 2027. That means every Medicare Advantage member in the state should at least open their mail from their plan and compare notes before the Annual Enrollment Period ends on December 7, 2026.

What the statewide numbers mean

CMS publishes a Medicare Advantage Landscape file for each plan year. Comparing the CY2026 and CY2027 files line by line, each plan counted once statewide no matter how many counties it serves, produces the picture Washington residents will see this fall.

For 2026 there are 126 Medicare Advantage plans offered somewhere in Washington. For 2027 there are 115. Of those:

• 44 plans are leaving — they were offered somewhere in Washington for 2026 and are offered nowhere in Washington for 2027.
• 41 plans are changing — they are offered in both years, but the premium, drug deductible, plan type, or plan name differs in at least one county.
• 33 plans are new for 2027.
• 41 plans are continuing unchanged on the fields CMS tracks.

A plan counted as "changing" simply means something CMS captures in its file is not the same from one year to the next. The specifics for your plan live in your Annual Notice of Change, not in the Landscape file.

On the carrier side, CMS lists Providence Medicare Advantage Plans with no Washington plans for 2027, and lists MultiCare Health Plan Medicare Advantage Evergreen Plans as new to Washington for 2027.

If your plan is leaving

If you are enrolled in one of the 44 plans leaving Washington for 2027, your carrier is required to send you a non-renewal notice. You will not be automatically moved into another Medicare Advantage plan by CMS. If you do nothing, your Medicare Advantage coverage ends when your plan ends, and you return to Original Medicare on January 1, 2027.

Because the plan is not renewing, you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period that runs through the end of February 2027. During that window you can choose another Medicare Advantage plan, or stay with Original Medicare and consider a stand-alone Part D drug plan. You can also use the regular Annual Enrollment Period from October 15 through December 7, 2026, for a January 1, 2027 effective date — many people prefer that, so there is no gap.

If your plan is changing

If your plan is among the 41 changing for 2027, it is still being offered, but at least one of the four fields CMS tracks — premium, drug deductible, plan type, or plan name — is different in at least one Washington county.

The document that spells out exactly what is different is the Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC. Your carrier is required to send it before the Annual Enrollment Period begins. Read it against the plan you have today, especially the sections on monthly premium, prescription drug cost sharing, your providers, and your regular medications.

If you do nothing, you stay in your plan with the changes described in the ANOC on January 1, 2027. If the changes don't work for you, you can switch during the Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 – December 7, 2026.

Counties with the most change

Every Washington county has activity, but a handful see the largest counts of plans leaving and changing. These are the raw plan counts in each county from the CMS Landscape files:

• Clark County: 30 leaving, 24 changing
• Snohomish County: 31 leaving, 20 changing
• Skagit County: 28 leaving, 11 changing
• King County: 27 leaving, 21 changing
• Pierce County: 26 leaving, 25 changing
• Thurston County: 26 leaving, 22 changing
• Cowlitz County: 24 leaving, 16 changing
• Kitsap County: 21 leaving, 18 changing

If you live in one of these counties, the odds that something in your current plan is moving are higher than average — but members in all 39 counties should still check.

What to do before December 7

A short checklist that applies whether your plan is leaving, changing, or continuing unchanged:

1. Watch the mail in September and October for either a non-renewal letter or an Annual Notice of Change from your current carrier. 2. Make a short list: your doctors, your pharmacy, and every prescription you take. 3. Compare your current plan with other 2027 options on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder, using that list. 4. If your plan is one of the 44 leaving, remember you also have a Special Enrollment Period through the end of February 2027 — but acting during the Annual Enrollment Period keeps coverage seamless on January 1, 2027. 5. Make your choice by December 7, 2026, for a January 1, 2027 effective date.

Where to get free help

You do not have to sort this out alone. Three resources are free and unbiased:

• Medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder lets you enter your ZIP code, pharmacy, and medications to compare 2027 plans side by side.
• 1-800-MEDICARE — available 24/7 for questions about enrollment, notices, and your options.
• Washington's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — trained counselors who sit down with you, at no cost, to walk through your ANOC or non-renewal letter and compare plans.