Medicare Advantage

Before Dec. 7: What Spokane Advantage members should check

People in Spokane can choose from 47 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 59 this year. 21 of this year’s plans are gone, 9 are new to Spokane County, and 28 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 10 of them under a new name.

SPOKANE, Wash. — As the Annual Enrollment Period runs through Dec. 7, Medicare Advantage members in Spokane County are getting notices that some familiar plans will not be back in 2027. CMS's newly posted 2027 plan data shows 21 plans leaving the county after 2026, 9 brand-new plans arriving, 10 plans keeping their coverage but changing their name, and 18 more that will look different on paper — a premium, deductible, plan type or name change flagged in CMS's file.

One carrier is exiting the county entirely: Providence Medicare Advantage Plans. And one carrier is entering for the first time: MultiCare Health Plan Medicare Advantage Evergreen Plans.

If you are in a plan that is not being renewed, you have extra time to switch — but only if you act. Here is what Spokane-area members should know.

What "leaving," "new" and "renamed" actually mean

Every fall, insurers file their plans with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for the following year. Spokane is in Spokane County, where CMS's 2027 Landscape file shows several kinds of changes:

• Leaving after 2026: the contract for that plan will not be offered in Spokane County in 2027. Members will get a non-renewal letter.
• New for 2027: a plan being offered here for the first time next year.
• Renamed: same plan, new name. Members are usually rolled over automatically, but the ANOC will still show what (if anything) is changing under the hood.
• Changing: the plan is continuing, but CMS flagged a difference in premium, deductible, plan type or name compared with 2026. What changed is in your ANOC — not in this article.

Plans leaving Spokane County after 2026

Twenty-one plans in the county will not renew for 2027. If you are enrolled in one of these, you will get a written notice from the plan, and you can pick something else during AEP or use the non-renewal Special Enrollment Period (see below).

The non-renewing plans, listed alphabetically by carrier:

• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Dual Access Open (PPO D-SNP); Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync Open (PPO D-SNP); Wellcare Dual Reserve (HMO-POS D-SNP); Wellcare Giveback (HMO-POS); Wellcare Patriot Giveback Open (PPO); Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS)
• Elevance Health (Anthem): Wellpoint Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP); Wellpoint Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP)
• Humana: Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H1036-324 (HMO D-SNP); Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H1036-326 (HMO D-SNP); Humana Together in Health (PPO I-SNP); HumanaChoice H5216-426 (PPO); HumanaChoice H7617-019 (PPO)
• Molina Healthcare of Washington, Inc.: Molina Medicare Complete Care Select (HMO D-SNP)
• Providence Medicare Advantage Plans: Providence Medicare Pine + Rx (HMO); Providence Medicare Reverence (HMO-POS)
• SCAN Health Plan: SCAN MyChoice WA (HMO)
• UnitedHealthcare: AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC WA-0001 (PPO); AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC WA-0009 (HMO-POS); AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC WA-17 (PPO); UHC Complete Care WA-13 (HMO-POS C-SNP)

Note that Providence is exiting Spokane County altogether — both its plans are on the leaving list.

Plans new to Spokane County for 2027

Nine plans are launching in the county next year, including two from MultiCare's new Evergreen line:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Eagle (HMO)
• Elevance Health (Anthem): Wellpoint Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP); Wellpoint Dual Advantage Plus (HMO D-SNP); Wellpoint Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP)
• Molina Healthcare of Washington, Inc.: Molina Medicare Elect (HMO D-SNP)
• MultiCare Health Plan Medicare Advantage Evergreen Plans: MultiCare Health Plan Evergreen Enhanced (HMO); MultiCare Health Plan Evergreen Essential (HMO)
• UnitedHealthcare: AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC WA-19 (PPO); UHC Complete Care Support WA-2A (HMO-POS C-SNP)

You may notice that some Wellpoint plan names appear on both lists. CMS files these as a leaving contract plus a new contract with the same or similar name — for a member, that means it is not an automatic continuation. Read the letter your plan sends you.

Plans that are just being renamed

Ten plans are continuing in Spokane County but under a new name. Your card and paperwork may look different in January even if the plan itself is essentially the same:

• Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO) — was Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (PPO)
• Wellcare Coordinated Care Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was Wellcare Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Wellcare Coordinated Care Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP) — was Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Humana Dual Select H5619-166 (HMO D-SNP) — was Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H5619-166 (HMO D-SNP)
• Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (HMO) — was Humana Gold Plus Giveback H1036-319 (HMO)
• Humana Value Choice (PPO) — was HumanaChoice H5216-428 (PPO)
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC WA-15 (HMO-POS) — was AARP Medicare Advantage Extras from UHC WA-15 (HMO-POS)
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC WA-8 (HMO-POS) — was AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC WA-8 (HMO-POS)
• UHC Dual Advantage WA-V1 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete WA-V001 (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• UHC Dual Advantage WA-V2 (PPO D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete WA-V2 (PPO D-SNP)

A rename alone does not tell you whether the premium, network or drug list changed — that is why the ANOC matters.

What to do if your plan is going away

If you get a non-renewal notice, you have two enrollment windows working in your favor:

1. The Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7). Anything you pick during AEP starts Jan. 1, 2027. 2. A Special Enrollment Period for non-renewal. Members whose Medicare Advantage plan is not continuing can switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan) through the end of February 2027. This is on top of AEP, so you are not stuck if the December deadline passes.

If your plan is continuing — even if it is only renamed — you do not get that extra SEP. Your window to compare and switch is AEP, plus the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 to March 31 (which lets current MA members change MA plans or drop back to Original Medicare once).

How to compare your options without guessing

A few practical steps