Medicare Advantage Changes for 2027: What to Check Before Dec. 7

If you or your senior loved one has a Medicare Advantage plan, now is the time to read the plan's Annual Notice of Change. Plans had to make sure members received it by Sept. 30, and it lists what changes on Jan. 1, 2027. Many insurers are offering fewer plans and raising out-of-pocket costs next year, so it's worth a careful look.

 

• Sept. 30: Deadline for members to receive the ANOC
• Oct. 2: Deadline for plans that are ending to send a non-renewal notice
• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7: Open enrollment. Changes start Jan. 1, 2027.
• Dec. 8 – Feb. 28: Special enrollment period if your loved one’s plan is ending

Free help: Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) offers free one-on-one counseling. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to compare plans by doctor and prescription.

The ANOC shows next year's premiums, copays, and benefits next to this year's. Read it with your loved one's care needs in mind. If something is unclear, call the member services number on the plan card. Write down the date, the representative's name, and the answer.

You can also compare plans side by side with the Medicare Plan Finder.

1. Is the plan continuing in 2027? If you're not sure, call member services and ask whether the plan will be offered in your loved one's county next year.

2. Did the Part B premium giveback shrink or disappear? Some plans pay back part of the monthly Part B premium. Losing it raises your loved one's monthly cost, even if the plan premium stays the same. 

3. In-home support: how many hours, and who qualifies? This benefit helps with daily tasks like bathing or light housework. It's different from Medicare-covered home health care, which is skilled care such as nursing or therapy. In 2026, only about 7% of standard plans offer in-home support. If your loved one has it, check the hour limit, who qualifies, and whether the plan needs to approve it first.

4. Caregiver support and respite. In 2026, about 5% of standard plans offer this. If your loved one's plan does, confirm what it covers (respite hours, training, or counseling) and any limits.

5. Meals: how many, and when? Meal benefits are often tied to a hospital stay or a specific condition. Confirm the number of meals, how long delivery lasts, and who qualifies.

6. Rides: how many trips, and how far? Ride benefits usually cap the number of one-way trips and miles and require advance booking. Compare the cap to your loved one's actual appointment calendar.

7. Over-the-counter (OTC) allowance. Check whether the allowance is smaller and how often it resets. Unused funds generally don't carry over into the new plan year, so plan to use this year's balance by Dec. 31.

8. Dental: cleanings only, or major work too? Almost every plan offers some dental coverage. Early 2027 analyses show many insurers cutting dental benefits, so check coverage for crowns and dentures and the yearly dollar limit.

9. Copays and the out-of-pocket maximum. Check specialist copays, the daily copay for a skilled nursing facility stay after a hospital visit, and the yearly out-of-pocket limit. A higher limit means a bigger worst-case bill after a fall or surgery.

10. Drugs and doctors. Confirm each medication is still covered at a workable cost. Call each doctor's office to ask whether they'll accept the specific 2027 plan, since online directories can be out of date.

The total number of plans is about the same, but many large insurers are pulling back and shifting more costs to members. More than 35 million people are in Medicare Advantage, so these changes reach a lot of families.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released 2027 plan data on Sept. 28. Nationally, the plan count dips only slightly. But an analysis by investment bank Stephens found every major insurer offering fewer individual plans. Humana alone expects plan exits to affect about 600,000 members, according to Becker’s, and it expects to move only about 40% of them into its other plans.

Insurers often move members into another of their plans when one closes. Still, a new plan can mean new doctors, drug coverage, and extra benefits. This follows a rough 2026, when nearly 3 million people, about 1 in 10 enrollees, had to find new coverage after their plans left, according to Johns Hopkins researchers.

Monthly premiums are barely moving for most plans, according to Leerink Partners analyst Whit Mayo. Costs at the point of care are rising more. A 10% increase on the 2026 average out-of-pocket limit would add about $540 to your loved one’s worst-case yearly bill.

CMS describes 2027 as stable. It says average premiums will fall 16.5% and that about 8 in 10 members can keep their plan at the same or lower premium. CMS also expects extra benefits like dental, vision, and hearing to stay stable.

Analysts point out that the CMS premium average includes Special Needs Plans (SNPs), which are only open to people with certain conditions or Medicaid. For most other plans, premiums are flat or rising slightly, and out-of-pocket costs are going up.

The 2027 plan data CMS released doesn’t include full details on extra benefits. But early reviews of 2027 plans show cuts:

• Dental cuts affect about 70% of UnitedHealthcare members, 45% of Centene members, 36% of Aetna members, and 23% of Elevance members, according to Leerink.
• Humana reduced or eliminated the Part B premium giveback for 62% of its members, though it modestly raised dental allowances.
• Nearly 70% of health plan leaders surveyed by HealthScape Advisors expect their benefits to be less generous in 2027, up from 40% the year before. None expected richer benefits.

Benefits that help people stay at home were already shrinking. KFF found fewer plans offered most of them in 2026 than in 2025. In-home support and caregiver support grew in Special Needs Plans, but only about 7% of standard plans offer in-home support and 5% offer caregiver support.

There’s also one fewer reminder. Starting in 2027, CMS no longer requires plans to send a mid-year notice about extra benefits members haven’t used. That makes the ANOC more important. 

Private in-home care costs a median of $35/hour nationally, according to CareScout. If a plan stops covering even two hours of in-home help a week, replacing it would cost about $3,640 a year.

Your loved one keeps Medicare even if their plan closes, and they get extra time to choose new coverage.

• There’s a special enrollment period. It runs through Feb. 28, but choosing by Dec. 7 avoids a gap on Jan. 1.
• Doing nothing means Original Medicare. Original Medicare keeps your loved one’s choice of doctors. But it doesn’t include drug coverage unless they add a separate Part D plan, and it has no yearly out-of-pocket limit. A Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy can help pay those costs.
• There’s a window to buy Medigap without health questions. When a Medicare Advantage plan leaves, your loved one generally has 63 days after coverage ends to buy certain Medigap policies without health screening. Outside that window, insurers in most states can charge more or say no based on health history. If your loved one’s health has changed since they first enrolled, this may be an important chance.

If your loved one's plan covers less help at home next year, you have options. Home care prices vary a lot by area, so comparing local providers can make a real difference. Our free Family Advisors can help you find in-home care providers near your loved one, match services to what the plan no longer covers, and explore options that fit your budget.

CMS: Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Programs Expected to Remain Stable in 2027 | Healthcare Dive: Here's how much insurers are cutting Medicare Advantage plans for 2027 | Healthcare Dive: Insurers say their 2027 Medicare Advantage offerings preserve benefits. The data tells a different story | Becker's: Humana to exit Medicare Advantage plans covering 600,000 members in 2027 | KFF: Medicare Advantage in 2026: Premiums, Out-of-Pocket Limits, Supplemental Benefits, and Prior Authorization | KFF: Medicare Advantage 2026 Spotlight | Becker's: HealthScape Advisors 2027 outlook survey  | Becker's: Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits most at risk | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: 1 in 10 Medicare Advantage Enrollees Face Forced Disenrollment in 2026 | CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey results