Medicare Advantage

Before you pick a 2026 Advantage plan in Dane County

People in Madison can choose from 39 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 55 this year. Eleven of this year's plans are gone, 4 are new to Dane County, and 22 that continue have changed something in their terms, 9 of them under a new name.

Medicare AdvantageMadison, WI

Madison, Wis. — If you live in Madison and you're weighing your Medicare Advantage options for 2027, here is the full picture: 10 carriers are selling a combined 39 Medicare Advantage plans in Dane County next year, and the table below lists every plan by carrier, with its plan type and drug-coverage status, so you can see the entire menu in one place before you start comparing details on Medicare's Plan Finder.

This roster comes from the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for plan year 2027. Availability is set at the county level, so a plan listed as available in Dane County is available to Madison residents.

How the Madison-area lineup breaks down

Dane County's 55 Medicare Advantage plans come in six flavors: HMO, HMO-POS, PPO, PFFS, MSA, and Cost. HMO-POS is the largest single bucket at 19 plans, followed by PPOs at 17 and HMOs at 15. There is one Private Fee-for-Service plan, one Medical Savings Account plan, and two Cost plans — a plan type still available in parts of Wisconsin but rare nationally.

Fifteen of the 55 plans are Special Needs Plans (SNPs). These are designed for people with specific situations — for example, people who have both Medicare and Medicaid (D-SNP), people with certain chronic conditions (C-SNP), or people who live in a nursing home or need that level of care (I-SNP). If you don't fit the eligibility rules, you can't enroll in an SNP.

The carriers selling in Dane County

Ten carriers are on the 2027 Dane County list. Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc. is not offering plans in the county next year; 22 of the continuing plans change something in their terms, and the specifics are in each plan's Annual Notice of Change.

Humana and UnitedHealthcare have the largest plan counts in the county, with 12 and 13 plans respectively. Quartz Medicare Advantage and Security Health Plan each list 5, Dean Advantage lists 5, and Aetna and Centene each list 3. Dean Health Plan, Elevance Health, and Molina each list 2. Network Health lists 1 (an MSA plan). The full table below shows every plan name so you can see which carrier offers what.

What "with drug coverage" means here

All 55 Advantage plans on the Dane County list include Part D drug coverage — that is, they're MA-PD plans. The CMS file for this county doesn't show any stand-alone Part D plans, which are the separate drug plans typically paired with Original Medicare or a Medigap policy. If you want drug coverage, an MA-PD is the route reflected in this county's Advantage lineup.

A few Part D rules worth knowing while you compare for 2027:

• The out-of-pocket cap on covered Part D drugs is $2,100 for 2026.
• The maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge is $615.
• The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is optional and lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.

How to read the table

The full plan table on this page lists every 2027 Dane County plan by carrier, with the plan's name, its type (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO, PFFS, MSA, or Cost), whether it is a Special Needs Plan and what kind, and drug-coverage status. Use it as your starting point, then take specific plan names to medicare.gov's Plan Finder to see premiums, deductibles, copays, the pharmacy and provider network, formulary, and Star Rating. Those details are not in this article and can change year to year.

If you see a plan that interests you, also check the carrier's own "Summary of Benefits" and "Evidence of Coverage" documents. Those are the official plan papers.

Dates to keep on your calendar

• Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026. This is when almost everyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop an Advantage or Part D plan for 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: Jan. 1 – March 31. If you're already in an Advantage plan on Jan. 1, you get one chance during these three months to switch to a different Advantage plan or go back to Original Medicare (with a Part D plan if you need drug coverage).
• Special Enrollment Periods may apply if you move, lose other coverage, or qualify for Extra Help or Medicaid.

One note on higher incomes: IRMAA — the income-related surcharge that can add to Part B and Part D premiums — kicks in above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026 (higher for joint filers). It's based on your tax return from two years earlier.

Where to get personalized help

• medicare.gov/plan-compare — the official Plan Finder, where you can enter your ZIP code and your drug list and see what each plan would actually cost you.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — 24/7 help from Medicare.
• Wisconsin SHIP (the Medigap Helpline and Board on Aging & Long Term Care) — free, unbiased Medicare counseling for Wisconsin residents at 1-800-242-1060.
• Dane County Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) — local benefits specialists who can sit down with you.