Medicare Advantage Market Reshuffles for 2027: 1,148 New Plans, 1,229 Departures

MedicarePlans.com analysis finds 1,148 new Medicare Plan-ID/segments and 1,229 departures for 2027, alongside 35% C-SNP growth, higher cost exposure among continuing MA-PD plans, and declining Medicare Advantage plan availability across 29 states and jurisdictions.

Bullhead City, United States, September 29, 2026 /PressCable/ -- The Medicare plan market is undergoing another substantial reshuffling for 2027, even though the total number of plans changed relatively little, according to a new analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Landscape data by MedicarePlans.com.

The study identified 5,884 unique Medicare Plan-ID/segment entities for 2027, compared with 5,965 in 2026 — a net decline of just 81 plans, or 1.4%.

That modest net change masks considerably higher turnover underneath the market. 1,148 Plan-ID/segments are new for 2027, while 1,229 available in 2026 no longer appear in the 2027 Landscape. In total, 2,377 Plan-ID/segments either entered or left the CMS Landscape between the two plan years.

“The headline plan count makes the market look relatively stable, but the underlying data show substantial turnover,” said David W. Bynon, research lead for MedicarePlans.com. “More than 2,300 Plan-ID/segments either entered or left the CMS Landscape between the two plan years.”

C-SNP Plan Availability Expands Sharply

One of the largest changes occurred among Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans (C-SNPs).

Across HMO, PPO and HMO-POS C-SNP categories, the number of unique Plan-ID/segments increased from 557 in 2026 to 752 in 2027 — an increase of approximately 35%.

The largest percentage increase occurred among PPO C-SNPs, which grew from 96 to 174 plans, an 81.3% increase. HMO C-SNPs increased from 337 to 433, up 28.5%, while HMO-POS C-SNPs increased from 124 to 145, up 16.9%.

The expansion was concentrated among several organizations. Devoted Health increased its C-SNP inventory from 122 to 255 Plan-ID/segments, including 70 additional PPO C-SNPs and 63 additional HMO C-SNPs. CVS Health increased its measured C-SNP inventory from 44 to 73, while UnitedHealth Group increased from 92 to 109 and Humana increased from 74 to 86.

The direction was different among Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans. Across the three D-SNP network categories analyzed, inventory declined collectively from 1,083 to 1,050 Plan-ID/segments, a decrease of approximately 3%.

Continuing MA-PD plans show higher deductibles and out-of-pocket limits

MedicarePlans.com separately compared costs among Plan-ID/segments that continue from 2026 into 2027, avoiding distortions caused by mixing newly introduced or departing products into the year-over-year comparison.

Among continuing PPO MA-PD plans, the average Part D deductible rose from $462.92 in 2026 to $582.45 in 2027, up 25.8%.

For continuing HMO plans, the average increased from $312.90 to $406.68, up 30.0%. Among HMO-POS plans, the average increased from $372.44 to $493.36, up 32.5%.

Maximum out-of-pocket limits also increased among continuing general-market plans. Average MOOP increased by approximately $528 for PPOs, $381 for HMOs, and $544 for HMO-POS plans.

Monthly premiums moved in the same direction among those plan types, increasing by an average of $5.12 for PPOs, $2.06 for HMOs, and $2.66 for HMO-POS plans.

The study reports these figures as plan-level averages among continuing Plan-ID/segments, not enrollment-weighted estimates of what the average Medicare beneficiary will pay.

Medicare Advantage Plan Choice Declines Across 29 States and Jurisdictions

The analysis also measured geographic availability using MA, MA-PD and SNP products while excluding stand-alone prescription drug plans.

Of 51 states and jurisdictions analyzed, 29 had fewer Medicare Advantage Plan-ID/segments available for 2027, 21 gained plans, and one was unchanged.

Florida recorded the largest absolute decline, falling from 611 Plan-ID/segments in 2026 to 560 in 2027, a loss of 51. Ohio declined from 212 to 180, a loss of 32; Illinois declined from 157 to 136, a loss of 21; Minnesota declined from 70 to 53, a loss of 17; and Maryland declined from 63 to 47, a loss of 16.

Wyoming experienced one of the sharpest proportional contractions, falling from 14 MA-family Plan-ID/segments to eight, a 42.9% decline.

Other markets expanded. Tennessee gained 23 Plan-ID/segments, Missouri gained 17, and Arizona and Alabama each gained 15. Indiana and Louisiana each gained 13.

County-level analysis found still larger local differences. Wyandot and Henry counties in Ohio each lost 26 available MA-family Plan-ID/segments. Clear Creek County, Colorado, lost 24; Crawford and Paulding counties in Ohio each lost 23; and Elbert County, Colorado, lost 22.

The county results measure changes in available plan inventory and do not estimate how many beneficiaries were affected by those changes.

New CMS Data Identifies Plans with Enrollment Capacity Limits

The 2027 Landscape also introduces CMS fields identifying plans with accepted enrollment capacity limits.

MedicarePlans.com identified 65 unique Plan-ID/segments with an accepted enrollment capacity limit in the initial 2027 Landscape. The reported limits vary by plan.

Once actual 2027 enrollment data become available, the new fields will allow researchers to compare plan enrollment with CMS-accepted enrollment capacity and measure how closely individual plans operate to those limits.

About The Study

The 2027 Medicare Advantage Market Study: Landscape Edition compares the CMS CY2026 and initial CY2027 Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Landscape files.

National plan counts use the unique combination of Contract ID + Plan ID + Segment ID to prevent plans appearing across multiple geographic service areas from being counted repeatedly. Geographic availability analysis counts each Plan-ID/segment once within each state or county.

For Medicare Advantage geographic analysis, MedicarePlans.com included CMS contract categories MA, MA-PD, and SNP and excluded stand-alone PDP and Cost contracts.

Year-over-year cost comparisons include only Plan-ID/segments present in both years. CMS values reported as “Not Applicable” were treated as missing values rather than as zero.

CMS released the initial 2027 Landscape on September 22, 2026, and notes that the data remain subject to change as contracts are finalized.

The Landscape Edition does not yet incorporate 2027 PBP supplemental-benefit data, Star Ratings and performance data, Medicare.gov Plan Compare detail, or actual 2027 enrollment. MedicarePlans.com plans to extend the analysis as those datasets become available.

About MedicarePlans.com

MedicarePlans.com and the Trust Publishing Institute publish independent research and structured information about Medicare plans using public data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The full 2027 Medicare Advantage Market Study: Landscape Edition and methodology are available from MedicarePlans.com:

https://www.medicareplans.com/research/2027-medicare-advantage-market-study/

Contact Info:
Name: David W Bynon
Email: Send Email
Organization: Trust Publishing Institute
Address: 1800 Club House Drive #93, Bullhead City, AZ 86442, United States
Website: https://trustpublishing.org/

Source: PressCable

Release ID: 89204763

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