Medicare Advantage

Before you renew: what's changing for Madison in 2027

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 picture in Dane County is coming into focus, and it looks different from the one Madison shoppers saw last fall. One carrier is pulling out of the county entirely, four plans are joining the lineup, and nearly two dozen continuing plans are showing some kind of change on the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) that lands in mailboxes this fall. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any choice made in that window takes effect January 1, 2027.

What Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Madison for 2027?

Madison is in Dane County, where CMS's Landscape file shows a lineup that spans 11 carriers and six plan types: HMO, HMO-POS, PPO, PFFS, MSA and Cost. For 2026 the county had 55 Medicare Advantage plans, including 15 Special Needs Plans and 41 plans that include Part D drug coverage. The full carrier-by-carrier table appears below this article.

For 2027, the lineup shifts: one carrier is leaving the county, 11 plans do not return, four new plans join, and nine plans carry a new name. Carriers continuing to offer plans in Dane County next year include Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Dean Advantage, Dean Health Plan, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin, Network Health, Quartz Medicare Advantage and UnitedHealthcare.

Which carrier is not returning to Dane County in 2027?

Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc. will not offer Medicare Advantage plans in Dane County for 2027. That means its five HMO-POS plans sold here in 2026 — Compass, Essence Rx, Esteem Rx, Legacy Rx and Spirit — are leaving at the end of this plan year.

If you are in one of those plans, you do not lose Medicare. Your plan simply will not renew for 2027. You keep Original Medicare (Parts A and B) automatically, and you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period to choose a new Medicare Advantage plan, join a stand-alone Part D plan, or return to Original Medicare and add a Part D plan. CMS generally gives you from early December through the end of February to make that switch, but the cleanest path is to pick a replacement before January 1 so your coverage flows without a gap.

What other Medicare Advantage plans are leaving Madison after 2026?

Along with the five Security Health Plan products, six more plans are not returning in Dane County:

• Elevance Health (Anthem): Anthem Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) and Anthem Full Dual Advantage 2 (HMO D-SNP)
• Humana: Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO)
• UnitedHealthcare: AARP Medicare Advantage CareFlex from UHC WI-18 (HMO-POS), AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC WI-0007 (PPO), and AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC WI-0017 (HMO-POS)

Anthem is replacing its two leaving D-SNPs with new ones (see below), so dual-eligible members in those plans should pay close attention to the mail they receive this fall explaining what happens next.

What Medicare Advantage plans are new in Madison for 2027?

Four plans are new to Dane County for 2027:

• Elevance Health (Anthem): Anthem Dual Advantage Plus (HMO D-SNP) and Anthem Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP)
• Humana: HumanaChoice SNP-DE H5216-420 (PPO D-SNP)
• UnitedHealthcare: UHC Dual Complete WI-S1 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

All four are Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), designed for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. If that is not your situation, these plans are not for you — but it is a sign that carriers are reshuffling their dual-eligible offerings in the Madison area.

Which Madison plans have been renamed for 2027?

Nine plans are returning with a new name on the card. The name change alone does not tell you what else may have shifted — the ANOC is what spells that out — but it helps to know your plan was not canceled, just relabeled:

• Aetna Medicare Enhanced (PPO) — was Aetna Medicare Premier (PPO)
• Wellcare MHS Health Wisconsin Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was Wellcare Dual Access Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Wellcare MHS Health Wisconsin Dual Select (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was Wellcare Dual Reserve (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• Humana Total Complete (HMO) — was Humana Gold Plus H6622-001 (HMO)
• Molina My Choice Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) — was My Choice Wisconsin Medicare Dual Advantage Plan (HMO D-SNP)
• Molina My Choice Partnership (HMO D-SNP) — was My Choice Wisconsin Partnership Plan (HMO D-SNP)
• UHC Dual Advantage WI-V1 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete WI-V001 (HMO-POS D-SNP)
• UHC Dual Advantage WI-V2 (PPO D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete WI-D001 (PPO D-SNP)
• UHC Dual Complete WI-Q1 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — was UHC Dual Complete WI-D002 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

How should I decide between HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and the other plan types?

The letters next to each plan name describe how the network works, and that is often where day-to-day differences live. In short:

• HMO plans ask you to use in-network doctors and usually need a referral to see a specialist.
• HMO-POS (point of service) plans are HMOs with a limited ability to go out of network for certain services.
• PPO plans let you see out-of-network providers, usually at a higher cost share.
• PFFS (private fee-for-service) plans let you see any provider who agrees to the plan's terms.
• MSA (medical savings account) plans pair a high-deductible plan with a bank account the plan deposits money into.
• Cost plans are an older design that lets you use Original Medicare for care outside the plan's network.
• SNPs (D-SNP, C-SNP, I-SNP) are built for people with specific situations — Medicaid eligibility, certain chronic conditions, or nursing-home-level care.

The table below lists every plan in Dane County by carrier and type. Which type fits best depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, your travel patterns and your budget — not on which carrier's name is biggest.

What's changing in Medicare itself for 2027?

A few program-wide numbers are already set for 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). Once your drug spending hits that cap, your Part D plan covers 100% of covered drugs for the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). Plans can set a lower deductible, but not higher.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan continues as an option to spread Part D out-of-pocket costs across the calendar year.

A couple of 2027 numbers are not final yet. CMS typically announces the Part B standard premium and deductible and the IRMAA income brackets in the fall, usually in November. Those figures should be out before the December 7 deadline.

What should I do before December 7, 2026?

If you do nothing, your 2026 plan renews for 2027 — as long as it is being offered. That is why the ANOC matters: it tells you, in your plan's own words, what will be different on January 1. Read it next to your prescription list and your list of doctors.

If your plan is one of the 11 leaving Dane County, you have a Special Enrollment Period and some breathing room — but choosing a new plan before January 1 is the simplest way to keep your coverage uninterrupted. If your plan is continuing, compare it to the rest of the Dane County lineup in the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.