Medicare Advantage Plan Ending in 2027? What to Do Before December 7
Medicare Advantage Plan Ending in 2027? What to Do Before December 7
If your Medicare Advantage plan is ending in 2027, don’t ignore the notice from your insurance company.
You may need to choose new coverage.
The good news is that Medicare provides special protections when a Medicare Advantage plan leaves Medicare, stops serving your area or does not renew its Medicare contract.
Depending on exactly why your plan is ending, you may be able to:
switch to another Medicare Advantage plan,
return to Original Medicare,
enroll in a separate Medicare Part D prescription drug plan,
and potentially buy a Medigap policy using special guaranteed-issue protections.
The timing matters.
Medicare Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage runs from:
October 15 through December 7, 2026.
But beneficiaries whose Medicare Advantage plans are actually being discontinued may also receive a Special Enrollment Period beyond the normal December 7 deadline.
Here is what to do if your Medicare Advantage plan will not be available in 2027.
What Happens if Your Medicare Advantage Plan Ends in 2027?
If your Medicare Advantage plan’s contract with Medicare is not renewed, you generally have the right to choose different Medicare coverage.
Medicare states that if you do not enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan before your existing plan ends, you will generally be returned to:
Original Medicare.
That means:
Medicare Part A + Medicare Part B.
However, Original Medicare does not automatically include the same benefits your Medicare Advantage plan may have provided.
For example, your old Medicare Advantage plan may have included:
prescription drug coverage,
dental benefits,
vision benefits,
hearing benefits,
fitness benefits,
and an annual out-of-pocket maximum.
Original Medicare works differently.
That’s why simply letting your Medicare Advantage plan expire without reviewing your options can create gaps in the coverage you expected to have.
You can verify Medicare’s official rules on the Medicare Special Enrollment Periods page.
Why Are Medicare Advantage Plans Ending for 2027?
Medicare Advantage plans are private insurance plans approved by Medicare.
Insurers can change their participation from year to year.
A company may decide to:
stop offering a particular plan,
leave a county or service area,
consolidate plans,
reduce its geographic footprint,
or end its Medicare contract.
That does not necessarily mean Medicare Advantage itself is ending.
CMS still projects that more than 99% of Medicare beneficiaries will have access to at least one Medicare Advantage plan in 2027.
But national availability does not guarantee that your current plan will continue in your ZIP code.
This is why every beneficiary should review their individual plan notice rather than relying only on national Medicare headlines.
Our Medicare Open Enrollment 2027 checklist explains the broader changes to review before December 7.
How Do You Know if Your Medicare Advantage Plan Is Ending?
Read every official notice sent by your Medicare Advantage insurer.
Do not assume that a thick envelope from an insurance company is marketing material.
The notice should explain whether:
your specific plan is ending,
the insurer is leaving your service area,
you are being moved or “crosswalked” to another plan,
or your existing plan is simply changing benefits.
These situations are not necessarily the same.
A plan that raises its copays or changes its provider network is not automatically a discontinued plan.
Likewise, an insurer may sometimes replace one plan with another rather than leaving the market completely.
The exact wording of your notice matters because your enrollment and Medigap rights can depend on what is actually happening to the plan.
Option 1: Switch to Another Medicare Advantage Plan
The most straightforward option may be choosing another Medicare Advantage plan available in your area.
During Medicare Open Enrollment, you can compare available 2027 plans using the official:
Do not compare plans based only on monthly premium.
A $0-premium plan is not necessarily the least expensive option overall.
Check:
your doctors,
hospitals,
specialists,
prescription drugs,
preferred pharmacies,
deductibles,
specialist copays,
hospital copays,
maximum out-of-pocket limits,
prior-authorization rules,
dental coverage,
vision coverage,
hearing benefits,
and other supplemental benefits.
A plan can have a lower monthly premium but substantially higher costs when you actually use medical services.
Check Your Doctors Before Switching Plans
Provider networks are one of the most important differences between Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare.
Before joining a replacement Medicare Advantage plan, check whether your:
primary-care doctor,
cardiologist,
oncologist,
specialists,
hospital,
rehabilitation provider,
and other important providers
participate in the new plan’s network.
Do not rely solely on an old provider directory.
If a doctor is especially important to you, consider confirming directly with both:
the insurance plan
and:
the provider’s office.
Provider participation can change.
Check Every Prescription Drug
Many Medicare Advantage plans include Part D prescription drug coverage.
These are commonly called:
MA-PD plans.
If you move from one Medicare Advantage plan to another, do not assume your medications will be covered the same way.
A drug can move:
to another formulary tier,
to a higher copayment,
to coinsurance,
into prior authorization,
into step therapy,
or off a plan’s formulary.
The pharmacy network can also change.
This is particularly important for 2027 because the standard Medicare Part D benefit itself is changing.
The defined-standard deductible rises to:
$700 in 2027
and the Part D annual out-of-pocket threshold rises to:
$2,400.
Read our complete guide to Medicare Part D costs in 2027 before choosing drug coverage.
Option 2: Return to Original Medicare
If your Medicare Advantage plan ends, another option is returning to:
Original Medicare.
Original Medicare consists primarily of:
Part A — hospital insurance
and:
Part B — medical insurance.
One major advantage is provider flexibility.
With Original Medicare, you can generally use doctors and hospitals nationwide that accept Medicare rather than being restricted to one Medicare Advantage network.
However, Original Medicare has important gaps.
It generally does not include:
routine dental coverage,
routine vision coverage,
most hearing-aid coverage,
or outpatient prescription drug coverage through Part D.
Original Medicare also does not have the same annual out-of-pocket maximum structure required of Medicare Advantage plans.
For those reasons, many people who choose Original Medicare also consider:
Medigap
plus:
a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan.
Option 3: Original Medicare + Medigap + Part D
For some beneficiaries whose Medicare Advantage plans are leaving Medicare or no longer serving their area, plan termination can create an important opportunity.
You may qualify for a:
Medigap guaranteed-issue right.
That can be extremely valuable.
Outside certain protected enrollment periods, Medigap insurers in many situations can use medical underwriting when determining whether to issue a policy, subject to state law.
A guaranteed-issue right means an insurer cannot deny you an eligible Medigap policy because of your health history when the federal protection applies.
Medicare specifically lists situations involving Medicare Advantage coverage ending as possible guaranteed-issue situations.
Use Medicare’s official Medigap eligibility tool to check your individual circumstances.
When Does a Medicare Advantage Plan Ending Give You Medigap Rights?
Under federal rules, guaranteed-issue protections can apply when you have a Medicare Advantage plan and:
the plan leaves Medicare,
the plan stops serving your area,
or certain other qualifying coverage changes occur.
To use this right, you generally must switch to:
Original Medicare
rather than another Medicare Advantage plan.
The exact Medigap policies available under federal guaranteed-issue rules depend partly on when you first became eligible for Medicare.
People who became Medicare-eligible before January 1, 2020 may have options involving Plans C or F that are no longer available to people newly eligible for Medicare after that date.
State law can also provide additional protections beyond federal rules.
Because Medigap rights can be valuable and time-limited, verify your individual eligibility with:
1-800-MEDICARE
or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program before the deadline.
How Long Do You Have to Buy Medigap?
Medicare says qualifying beneficiaries in certain Medicare Advantage termination situations may apply for a Medigap policy beginning:
60 days before their Medicare Advantage coverage ends
and no later than:
63 days after coverage ends.
That 63-day deadline is important.
Keep your termination or nonrenewal notice.
A Medigap company may ask for documentation proving that your Medicare Advantage coverage is ending.
Medicare specifically recommends keeping:
letters,
notices,
emails,
and other proof
related to the termination of your coverage.
Do not throw away the insurance company’s notice after choosing new coverage.
Does Medigap Include Prescription Drugs?
No.
Modern Medigap policies generally do not include outpatient prescription drug coverage.
If you return to Original Medicare and buy Medigap, you will usually need a separate:
Medicare Part D plan
if you want prescription drug coverage.
This creates a common three-part combination:
Original Medicare Part A + Part B
plus:
Medigap
plus:
Part D.
Do not forget the Part D piece when leaving an MA-PD plan.
Failing to maintain creditable prescription drug coverage for long enough can potentially result in a Part D late-enrollment penalty later.
What Happens if You Do Nothing?
If your Medicare Advantage plan’s Medicare contract is not renewed and you do not join another Medicare Advantage plan, Medicare says you generally return to:
Original Medicare.
But doing nothing can still create problems.
For example, if your old Medicare Advantage plan included prescription coverage, returning automatically to Original Medicare does not automatically provide the same Part D drug coverage.
You could also lose:
dental benefits,
vision benefits,
hearing benefits,
fitness benefits,
transportation benefits,
or other plan-specific extras.
So even though Medicare may prevent you from simply losing Part A and Part B coverage, doing nothing is not the same as carefully choosing replacement coverage.
What Is the Special Enrollment Period if Your Plan Is Not Renewed?
Normally, Medicare Open Enrollment ends:
December 7.
However, a plan nonrenewal can trigger a Special Enrollment Period.
Medicare says that when a Medicare Advantage, Medicare drug or Medicare Cost Plan contract is not renewed, beneficiaries generally receive an additional opportunity to switch coverage.
For plan nonrenewals, Medicare’s current guidance provides a Special Enrollment Period running:
December 8 through the last day of February of the following year.
That provides additional protection for people whose coverage is ending.
However, waiting until after December 7 can complicate the timing of replacement coverage.
If you already know your plan will not exist in 2027, it is generally better to start comparing choices during the annual Open Enrollment period rather than waiting until the last possible date.
Confirm your exact enrollment period through Medicare because contract termination situations can differ.
What if the Plan Ends Its Medicare Contract Early?
Medicare has separate Special Enrollment Period rules when a plan’s Medicare contract actually ends.
Medicare says the opportunity to change plans can begin before the contract ends and continue after the termination.
The exact window depends on whether:
the contract is ending,
the contract is not being renewed,
or another qualifying event occurred.
Use Medicare’s official Special Enrollment Period guide rather than assuming every plan closure follows exactly the same dates.
What if My Plan Is Changing but Not Ending?
This is different.
Your plan may continue in 2027 but change:
premium,
deductible,
copays,
coinsurance,
drug formulary,
pharmacy network,
provider network,
dental benefits,
vision benefits,
or prior-authorization requirements.
That is not necessarily a plan termination.
In this case, your primary opportunity to make changes is generally Medicare Open Enrollment:
October 15–December 7.
Read your Annual Notice of Change carefully.
Compare the new plan against other 2027 options even if you were happy with the plan in 2026.
Prior Authorization Is Also Changing in 2027
If you choose another Medicare Advantage plan, prior authorization should be part of your comparison.
Beginning in 2027, affected Medicare Advantage organizations face new electronic prior-authorization requirements intended to improve how plans and providers exchange information.
But prior authorization itself does not disappear.
You should still check whether important treatments require plan approval.
We explain the new requirements in our guide to 2027 Medicare Advantage prior authorization changes.
Medicare Advantage vs. Original Medicare: Which Is Better if Your Plan Ends?
There is no single answer for everyone.
A replacement Medicare Advantage plan may make sense if you value:
lower premiums,
bundled drug coverage,
an annual medical out-of-pocket maximum,
and supplemental benefits.
Original Medicare plus Medigap may be attractive if you value:
broader provider access,
less dependence on Medicare Advantage provider networks,
and more predictable cost sharing under the selected Medigap policy.
But Medigap requires an additional monthly premium, and you generally need separate Part D coverage.
The best option depends on:
your health,
doctors,
prescriptions,
budget,
location,
travel habits,
and available plans.
Compare Total Annual Cost — Not Just Premium
One of the easiest Medicare mistakes is choosing a plan based entirely on a:
$0 monthly premium.
That number does not tell you what healthcare will actually cost.
A plan can have:
$0 premium
but still include:
specialist copays,
hospital copays,
drug costs,
deductibles,
out-of-network charges,
and substantial maximum out-of-pocket exposure.
When comparing 2027 plans, estimate your likely:
annual premiums
plus:
medical cost sharing
plus:
prescription costs.
That gives you a more realistic picture.
Check the Maximum Out-of-Pocket Limit
Medicare Advantage plans have annual limits on covered Part A and Part B cost sharing.
Those limits vary by plan within Medicare rules.
If you have significant medical needs, the maximum out-of-pocket amount can matter much more than the monthly premium.
Compare:
Plan A: low premium, high out-of-pocket exposure
versus:
Plan B: higher premium, lower medical cost sharing.
The lowest premium does not necessarily produce the lowest annual healthcare cost.
What Happens to Your Dental and Vision Benefits?
If your Medicare Advantage plan ends and you move to Original Medicare, do not assume your dental and vision benefits continue.
Original Medicare generally does not cover routine:
dental exams,
cleanings,
dentures,
routine eye exams for glasses,
or hearing aids
in the same way some Medicare Advantage plans may.
If these benefits are important, compare:
another Medicare Advantage plan
or:
separate dental, vision or hearing coverage.
Also examine the details of any replacement Medicare Advantage benefit.
A plan advertising “dental” may still have:
annual limits,
network restrictions,
coinsurance,
or exclusions.
What Happens to Your HMO or PPO Network?
If your old Medicare Advantage plan disappears, its provider network does not automatically transfer to your new insurer.
A doctor who accepted your old plan may not accept:
your new HMO,
your new PPO,
or another carrier’s Medicare Advantage plan.
Check provider participation before enrolling.
For people with ongoing cancer treatment, dialysis, surgery, rehabilitation or specialty care, this can be especially important.
You may also want to ask the new plan about continuity-of-care policies.
What if You Are in the Middle of Treatment?
If your plan is ending while you are receiving ongoing care, do not wait until January to investigate the transition.
Contact:
your current plan,
your prospective new plan,
your doctor’s office,
and Medicare if necessary.
Ask how ongoing authorizations, scheduled procedures, medications and specialist care will transition.
Changing plans can affect:
provider networks,
authorization requirements,
pharmacy coverage,
and cost sharing.
Planning before January 1 reduces the chance of discovering a coverage problem after treatment is already scheduled.
What About the 2027 Medicare Part B Premium?
Moving back to Original Medicare does not eliminate your Medicare Part B premium.
Medicare Advantage members generally must continue paying the applicable Part B premium too.
The standard Part B premium for 2026 is:
$202.90 per month.
The Medicare Trustees currently project:
$209.50 per month for 2027.
However, that $209.50 figure remains a projection until CMS releases the final 2027 Part B premium.
Our guide to the 2027 Medicare Part B premium and Social Security COLA explains how the projected increase could affect retirees’ net Social Security payments.
Don’t Forget the December 7 Deadline
For ordinary Medicare Open Enrollment, the key date is:
December 7, 2026.
Changes made during the annual enrollment period generally take effect:
January 1, 2027.
Beneficiaries whose plans are officially terminating may have a Special Enrollment Period after December 7.
But that protection is not a reason to delay unnecessarily.
If your insurer has already told you the plan will not exist next year, start comparing options now.
Where Can You Get Free Medicare Help?
You do not have to make the decision alone.
You can contact:
Medicare: 1-800-MEDICARE
You can also contact your local:
State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).
SHIP counseling is designed to provide Medicare beneficiaries with personalized assistance and is not connected to a particular insurance carrier.
You can also use the official:
to compare available plans in your ZIP code.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Replacement Plan
Before enrolling, check these ten issues:
- Are all of my important doctors and hospitals in network?
- Are all of my medications on the formulary?
- What will my drugs cost at my preferred pharmacy?
- What is the monthly premium?
- What are the medical deductibles and copays?
- What is the maximum annual out-of-pocket limit?
- Which services require prior authorization?
- What dental, vision and hearing benefits are actually included?
- Will I need referrals to see specialists?
- Would Original Medicare plus Medigap and Part D cost less or provide better access?
Do not assume the replacement plan suggested by an insurer is automatically the best option for you.
Compare it independently.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if my Medicare Advantage plan ends in 2027?
You can generally switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare. If you do not join another Medicare Advantage plan before a nonrenewed plan ends, Medicare says you generally return to Original Medicare.
Do I lose Medicare if my Medicare Advantage plan is discontinued?
No. A discontinued private Medicare Advantage plan does not mean you lose Medicare Part A and Part B eligibility.
Will Medicare automatically put me in another Medicare Advantage plan?
Do not assume Medicare will choose a replacement Medicare Advantage plan for you. Depending on the situation, you may instead revert to Original Medicare if you do not select another MA plan.
Can I switch Medicare Advantage plans before December 7?
Yes. Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026 for 2027 coverage.
Do I get extra time if my Medicare Advantage plan is ending?
Potentially. Medicare provides Special Enrollment Periods when a Medicare plan’s contract ends or is not renewed. The exact dates depend on the circumstances.
Can I buy Medigap if my Medicare Advantage plan ends?
Potentially yes. Certain Medicare Advantage terminations create federal Medigap guaranteed-issue rights if you switch to Original Medicare. State law can provide additional rights.
How long do I have to buy Medigap?
In applicable guaranteed-issue situations involving Medicare Advantage coverage ending, Medicare generally allows applications beginning 60 days before coverage ends and up to 63 days afterward.
Can Medigap deny me for a pre-existing condition if I have guaranteed-issue rights?
When a valid guaranteed-issue right applies and you meet the requirements, the Medigap insurer generally cannot deny the eligible policy because of your health history.
Do I need Part D if I switch to Original Medicare?
If you want outpatient prescription drug coverage, you will generally need a stand-alone Part D plan because Original Medicare does not include ordinary outpatient prescription coverage.
What happens if I do nothing?
If your Medicare Advantage contract is not renewed and you do not join another Medicare Advantage plan, Medicare says you generally return to Original Medicare. But you should separately address prescription drug coverage and any supplemental coverage you need.
Will my doctors stay covered if I choose another Medicare Advantage plan?
Not necessarily. Every plan can have a different provider network. Verify important doctors and hospitals before enrolling.
What if my plan is not ending but my doctor leaves the network?
That is a different situation from plan termination. Contact Medicare or the plan to determine what enrollment rights, if any, apply to your specific network change.
When does new Medicare coverage begin?
Changes made during the annual October 15–December 7 Open Enrollment Period generally take effect January 1, 2027. Special Enrollment Period effective dates can depend on when the enrollment request is made and the qualifying event.
If your Medicare Advantage plan is ending in 2027, do not panic—but do not ignore the notice.
You generally have three main paths:
Switch to another Medicare Advantage plan
or:
Return to Original Medicare + enroll in Part D
or, when eligible:
Return to Original Medicare + Medigap + Part D.
A plan termination can also provide special protections that do not normally exist.
Depending on the reason your Medicare Advantage coverage is ending, you may qualify for:
a Special Enrollment Period
and potentially:
Medigap guaranteed-issue rights.
Those Medigap protections can be especially valuable because Medicare says applicable guaranteed-issue windows can begin 60 days before Medicare Advantage coverage ends and generally continue for only 63 days after it ends.
Keep your insurance company’s termination notice.
Compare your doctors and prescriptions.
Review the total annual cost rather than only the premium.
And if your plan is ending, begin comparing options before the regular:
December 7, 2026
Medicare Open Enrollment deadline.
The official Medicare Plan Finder and 1-800-MEDICARE are the safest places to verify your individual options.
