Medicare Advantage

Before your 2027 Medicare mail arrives in Madison, read this

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, and 9 plans are being renamed.

MADISON, Wis. — If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in the Madison area, this fall's mail is worth opening carefully. According to CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files comparing 2026 and 2027, Dane County will see 11 plans leave, 4 new plans arrive, and 9 plans keep the same underlying contract but change names for the coming plan year. One carrier, Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc., will not offer Medicare Advantage plans in Dane County next year.

Those shifts matter now because the Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7, and that is your main window to pick a plan for 2027.

What's changing in Dane County for 2027

Madison sits in Dane County, and Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level. Comparing the 2026 and 2027 CMS Landscape files for Dane County:

• Leaving after 2026: 11 plans
• New for 2027: 4 plans
• Renamed (same plan, new name): 9 plans
• Changing on premium, deductible, type or name: 22 plans
• Continuing largely as before: 35 plans

If your plan is on the "changing" list, CMS's file only tells us a change exists — not what changed or by how much. Your ANOC, mailed by late September, spells out the details.

Plans not returning to Dane County in 2027

These plans are listed as leaving after 2026 (the full table on this page shows every plan by carrier):

• Anthem Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) — Elevance Health (Anthem)
• Anthem Full Dual Advantage 2 (HMO D-SNP) — Elevance Health (Anthem)
• Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO) — Humana
• Compass (HMO-POS) — Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc.
• Essence Rx (HMO-POS) — Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc.
• Esteem Rx (HMO-POS) — Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc.
• Legacy Rx (HMO-POS) — Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc.
• Spirit (HMO-POS) — Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc.
• AARP Medicare Advantage CareFlex from UHC WI-18 (HMO-POS) — UnitedHealthcare
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC WI-0007 (PPO) — UnitedHealthcare
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC WI-0017 (HMO-POS) — UnitedHealthcare

If your current plan is on this list, you will get a "non-renewal" letter from your carrier. You do not lose Medicare — you keep Original Medicare (Parts A and B). But you will need to pick a new Part D drug plan or a new Medicare Advantage plan to keep the kind of coverage you have now.

New plans for 2027

Four plans are new to Dane County next year:

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

All four are Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), designed for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.

Plans that are being renamed

Nine plans are keeping their coverage but changing the name that will show up in the Medicare Plan Finder and on your ID card. If you see one of these on your ANOC, it is the same plan under a new label:

• 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)

A rename by itself does not mean your doctors, drug list or costs are staying the same. Still read the ANOC.

What to do if your plan is leaving

If Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc., or any of the other non-renewing plans is dropping you, here is the practical path:

1. Read the non-renewal notice. Carriers must send it before AEP begins. Save it. 2. Use your Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7). You can pick any Medicare Advantage plan, Part D drug plan or return to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan for coverage starting January 1, 2027. 3. Know your Special Enrollment Period. Because your plan is being discontinued, you have an SEP that runs through the end of February 2027. That gives you extra time if you miss December 7. 4. Check your drugs and doctors first. In the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, enter your prescriptions and preferred providers before comparing plans. 5. Think about Medigap timing. If you switch back to Original Medicare, you may have a guaranteed-issue right to buy certain Medigap policies. A SHIP counselor can walk through the rules with you.

A few program facts worth knowing

Whichever way you go, these program-level numbers apply everywhere in Wisconsin for 2027:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027 — once you hit that in covered drug costs, you pay nothing for covered drugs for the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027).
• The "donut hole" is gone. Part D now has three phases (deductible, initial coverage, catastrophic).
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. You can opt in to spread your drug out-of-pocket costs across the year in monthly amounts, at no extra cost.
• IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D start above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.