Medicare Advantage

Before you renew in Madison: a 2027 Medicare Advantage checklist that works

People in Madison can choose from 48 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 55 this year. Eleven of this year’s plans are gone, 4 are new to Dane County, and 31 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 9 of them under a new name.

Madison, Wis. — The 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup for Dane County is set, and the window to switch runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026. If you do nothing, your current plan renews for 2027 as described in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your insurer mailed in September — but with 11 plans not returning and 4 new ones joining the county, this is a good fall to actually open that envelope.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Madison for 2027?

Madison is in Dane County, where 48 Medicare Advantage plans from 10 carriers are offered for 2027, down from 55 plans and 11 carriers in 2026. By type, the 2027 lineup includes 15 HMO plans, 13 HMO-POS, 16 PPO, 1 PFFS, 1 MSA and 2 Cost plans. Of those, 37 include Part D prescription drug coverage.

The carriers offering plans in Dane County for 2027, in alphabetical order, are Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Dean Advantage, Dean Health Plan, Inc., Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin, Network Health Medicare Advantage Plans, Quartz Medicare Advantage (HMO) and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan with its type and whether it includes drug coverage.

What Special Needs Plans are available in Dane County for 2027?

Dane County has 17 Special Needs Plans (SNPs) for 2027: 13 Dual Eligible SNPs (D-SNPs) for people on both Medicare and Medicaid, 2 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs), and 2 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) for people living in a nursing home or needing that level of care.

Carriers offering D-SNPs in Dane County for 2027 include Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin, Quartz Medicare Advantage (HMO) and UnitedHealthcare. UnitedHealthcare is also the carrier offering the county's C-SNP and I-SNP plans for 2027. SNP eligibility is specific — you have to qualify — so if one looks like a fit, confirm with the plan or with 1-800-MEDICARE before enrolling.

What is new or changing in Madison's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup?

For 2027, Dane County has 4 new plans, 11 plans that are not returning, and 9 plans that are being renamed. If your current plan is one of the 11 not returning, the carrier is required to send you a non-renewal notice; you will need to pick a new plan during the Annual Enrollment Period or go back to Original Medicare.

On the Part D side, two program changes take effect Jan. 1, 2027: the out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs rises to $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum Part D deductible rises to $700 (up from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet — CMS typically publishes them in November.

How do I compare Medicare Advantage plans in Madison step by step?

Work through the same five checks for every plan on your short list. The order matters because any one of them can rule a plan out.

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). It lists everything that is changing in your current plan for 2027 — premium, deductible, copays, drug tier placements, provider network and extra benefits. Compare it against your 2026 plan documents side by side. 2. Check your doctors and hospitals. On the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, enter each plan and confirm your primary care provider, specialists and preferred hospital system are in-network for 2027. Call the plan or the provider's billing office if the directory is unclear — directories update constantly. 3. Price your prescriptions. Enter every drug you take, exact dose and quantity. The Plan Finder will show the plan's estimated annual drug cost based on its 2027 formulary. 4. Check your pharmacy. The same drug can cost different amounts at different pharmacies in the same plan. Pick your usual pharmacy in Plan Finder and look at whether it is a preferred, standard or out-of-network pharmacy for each plan. 5. Match the plan type to how you use care. HMO plans typically require you to stay in-network and get referrals; HMO-POS adds some out-of-network flexibility; PPO plans let you go out-of-network at a higher cost; PFFS, MSA and Cost plans work differently again. Dane County has all of these types in 2027.

What if I do not want to change plans?

You do not have to do anything. If your 2026 plan is being offered again for 2027, it renews automatically with the changes described in the ANOC. Still, reading the ANOC is worth 15 minutes — a formulary change or a hospital leaving the network can quietly change what you pay next year.

If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan on Dec. 7 and change your mind, you have one more window: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs Jan. 1 through March 31, 2027, and lets you switch MA plans once or return to Original Medicare.