Fewer Medicare Advantage Plans in 2027: Is Your Area Losing Options?

Open Enrollment starts Thursday, October 15, and many people will have fewer Medicare Advantage plans to choose from than last year. The average person on Medicare can pick from 28 Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage in 2027, down from 32 in 2026, according to KFF. Here's where the cuts are deepest, which insurers are pulling back, and what to do if your plan is leaving.

How Many Plans You'll Have in 2027

KFF counted an average of 28 Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage per person on Medicare in 2027, down from 32 in 2026. That's below the peak of 36 in 2024, but still more than the 27 available in 2021. Counting plans without drug coverage, the average is 35, down from 39.

Most people still have plenty of choices. In 26 states and Puerto Rico, the average person has at least 20 options, and in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio it's at least 40. Nine states and Washington, D.C., average fewer than 10.

The spread from county to county is wide. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, has 66 Medicare Advantage drug plans, the most of any county in the country.

Where the Cuts Are Deepest

Texas saw the steepest drop of any state, with the average enrollee losing nine plans. Illinois and Ohio each lost eight, and Minnesota, New Mexico and Washington each lost seven. Nine states have the same number of options as in 2026, and four states gained.

Some places have no option at all. 193 counties have no Medicare Advantage drug plan open to general enrollment in 2027, up from 123 in 2026. About 638,000 people on Medicare live in those counties, roughly 1 percent of beneficiaries. You may see a different count elsewhere, including on our own site. Our 2027 coverage gaps guide reports 181 counties with no Medicare Advantage plan of any kind, while KFF's 193 counts counties with no Medicare Advantage drug plan open to general enrollment, so its number is higher. Alaska has no Medicare Advantage drug plans in 2026 or 2027.

KFF's counts leave out Special Needs Plans, which only certain people can join.

Which Insurers Are Pulling Back

KFF tracked which insurers are leaving and entering counties for 2027:

• Health Care Service Corporation is leaving 498 counties and entering none.
• Centene is leaving 359 counties and entering 15.
• UnitedHealth Group is leaving 228 counties and entering 9. It now offers plans in about 70 percent of counties, down from nearly 80 percent.
• CVS Health is leaving 186 counties and entering 63.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is leaving 177 counties and entering 1.
• Elevance Health is leaving 66 counties and entering 10.
• Humana is leaving 62 counties and entering 4.
• Clear Spring Health and Molina Healthcare are leaving the Medicare Advantage drug plan market entirely, though Molina still offers Special Needs Plans.
• Devoted Health is entering 342 counties and leaving none.

If you're a Humana member, our Humana guide explains what its 2027 changes mean for you.

What to Do If Your Plan Is Leaving

Your plan's Annual Notice of Change or a non-renewal letter tells you whether your plan will still be offered in 2027.

If your plan is leaving, you have options:

• Pick a new plan during Open Enrollment, October 15 to December 7. Your new coverage starts January 1.
• If you don't choose a plan, you'll be enrolled in Original Medicare. You can still join another Medicare Advantage or drug plan through the last day of February.
• If you switch to Original Medicare, you may have the right to buy a Medigap policy. You can apply as early as 60 days before your Medicare Advantage coverage ends and no later than 63 days after.

If there's no Medicare Advantage plan in your county, you can still use Original Medicare and add a separate Part D drug plan.