If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, one of the biggest Medicare Advantage changes 2027 brings is arriving in your mailbox over the next couple of weeks. Every Medicare Advantage member with a continuing plan receives an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) by September 30, spelling out what’s different about the plan for 2027 — and this year, more of those letters are likely to carry real changes than usual.
Why the Medicare Advantage changes 2027 brings are bigger than usual
Insurers have been pulling back from certain Medicare Advantage markets as they face rising medical costs and tighter government reimbursement. One large carrier already confirmed in late July that it’s exiting select markets for the 2027 plan year, a move expected to affect roughly 600,000 members nationwide. That follows an unusually disruptive 2026: close to 2.9 million Medicare Advantage enrollees had to find new coverage this year because their plan exited their market or was discontinued altogether — a rate about ten times the historical average.
What to actually check in your ANOC
A flat premium doesn’t mean nothing changed. Read past the monthly cost and check:
- Deductibles and copays for the visits and care you actually use
- Your maximum out-of-pocket limit — a modest premium bump can be dwarfed by a jump here
- Whether your prescriptions are still covered, and at what tier
- Whether your doctors, specialists, and preferred hospital are still in-network — plans can shrink a network even when the plan name stays the same
- Extra benefits like dental, vision, hearing, or transportation, which are often the first things cut
- Whether the plan still covers your county at all
If your letter says the plan is changing, it’s still available — you don’t have to switch, but it’s worth comparing against the alternatives. If instead you get a separate Plan Non-Renewal Notice, typically mailed in October, your specific plan is leaving Medicare altogether and you’ll need to pick something new before coverage ends.
The timeline ahead
- By September 30: Your ANOC should arrive
- October 1: 2027 plan details become public — a good time to start comparing
- October 15: Medicare Open Enrollment opens
- December 7: Open Enrollment closes
- January 1, 2027: Any changes made take effect
Medicare Advantage changes 2027: why I steer clients toward Medicare Supplement instead
This is exactly the kind of yearly uncertainty that led me to stop offering Medicare Advantage altogether. With a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan alongside Original Medicare, your coverage isn’t tied to a shifting network or a carrier’s market decisions each fall — you get consistent rules and predictable costs, nationwide, year after year. If you’re facing a plan change or non-renewal notice this fall, that’s a good moment to see what Medigap coverage would actually look like for your situation.
Getting your ANOC and not sure what it means for you? Call or reach out through the contact form on this site, and I’ll walk through it with you — no pressure, just a clear read on your options before the December 7 deadline.
This article is for general educational purposes and is not a comparison of specific plans or an endorsement by Medicare or any government agency. Please review your own Annual Notice of Change letter for details specific to your current plan.
Humana has confirmed it’s exiting a number of Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, affecting roughly 600,000 members nationwide. If you have a Humana Medicare Advantage Arizona plan, this is worth paying attention to — whether or not you’ve received anything in the mail yet.
What’s actually happening
Humana is discontinuing plans it says are the “lower tail of profitability” for 2027 — mostly plans rated 3.5 stars or lower. Non-renewal letters are expected to go out starting in early October, right as Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period opens on October 15. If your plan is affected, you’ll be notified directly by Humana, but the letter alone won’t tell you what to do next.
Why this matters even if you’re not sure you’re affected
Humana hasn’t published a full list of which specific plans or counties are impacted. The only way to know for certain is to watch your mail closely this fall — and to have a plan for what comes next if a non-renewal letter shows up. Waiting until you’re holding the letter to start comparing options means doing it under time pressure, right in the middle of AEP’s busiest weeks.
Humana Medicare Advantage Arizona: Your Options If Your Plan Is Dropped
If your Humana Medicare Advantage plan is discontinued, you’re not left without coverage — you’ll have a special enrollment window to pick something new. Depending on your situation, that could mean:
- Enrolling in a different Medicare Advantage plan from another carrier
- Moving to Original Medicare paired with a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan and a stand-alone Part D drug plan
- Reviewing whether your current doctors and prescriptions are still covered under any new option you’re considering
As an independent Arizona broker, I’m not tied to steering you back into another Humana Medicare Advantage Arizona product — the goal is finding whatever actually fits your coverage needs now.
What to do this fall
Whether or not you get a letter, it’s worth a quick check-in before AEP opens October 15. If you are notified that your plan is being discontinued, reach out as soon as you get the letter — the sooner we start comparing options, the less rushed the decision.
Received a non-renewal letter, or just want to make sure you’re covered either way? Call (623) 742-3878 for a free, no-pressure review.
This article is for general educational purposes and is not a comparison of specific plans or an endorsement by Medicare, Humana, or any government agency. Please review any notice you receive directly from your carrier for details specific to your plan.
If you or someone you love is on a Medicare Advantage plan, the ground just shifted under your feet — and most people don’t yet realize it.
A peer-reviewed research letter published in JAMA in February 2026, from a team at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, put a hard number on what many of us in this business have been watching unfold: roughly 2.9 million Medicare Advantage members — about 1 in 10 — are being forced out of their plans for 2026. Their insurance company either pulled out of the county entirely or shut down the plan they were on.
For context, the historical rate of forced disenrollment ran at about 1% from 2018 through 2024. It jumped to 6.9% in 2025, and now sits at 10% for 2026. That’s a tenfold increase in two years.
Why This Is Happening
The short version: several large insurers looked at rising medical costs and shifting federal payment rules, and decided they couldn’t make the Medicare Advantage math work in certain markets anymore. So they cut plans. Some smaller carriers exited entirely.
The people hit hardest, according to the research, were enrollees in PPO plans, plans from smaller carriers, plans with lower star ratings, and rural counties. If any of that describes your current plan, you should assume you’re closer to this problem than farther from it.
What Happens Next If You Get Forced Off Your Plan
Here’s the part almost no one talks about until it’s too late.
When your Medicare Advantage plan exits your county, you typically get a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new plan. That sounds like a solution. In many cases it isn’t.
Your options usually break down into three uncomfortable choices:
- Enroll in a different Medicare Advantage plan — often one with a narrower network, a different provider list, and different drug coverage. Your current doctors may or may not be in-network. Your prescriptions may or may not be covered the same way.
- Go back to Original Medicare — which covers about 80% of costs, leaving you exposed to the remaining 20% with no annual out-of-pocket cap. That’s why most people on Original Medicare add a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan to fill the gap.
- Go back to Original Medicare and try to buy a Medigap plan — this is where the catch lives.
The Medigap Catch That Blindsides People
Federal law protects your right to buy any Medigap plan sold in your state, with no health questions asked, during a specific one-time six-month window that starts when you’re first 65 and enrolled in Medicare Part B.
If you missed that window because you went straight into Medicare Advantage, and you now need a Medigap plan because your Advantage plan disappeared, in most states the insurance company can look at your health history and either turn you down or raise your rate.
There are some situations that create guaranteed-issue rights — protected windows where you can buy Medigap without medical underwriting. Losing your Medicare Advantage plan because it exited your area is one of them. But the timing is tight (typically 63 days after your coverage ends) and the plans you’re guaranteed access to are a narrower set than you’d have during the original Open Enrollment Period.
This is why I’ve said for years, and will keep saying: the decision to enroll in Medicare Advantage isn’t fully reversible. It looks like a low-cost option going in. When the exit door slams shut, the underwriting door often does too.
What Medicare Beneficiaries Should Do Right Now
If you’re on a Medicare Advantage plan, here’s the checklist I’d walk any client through:
- Read your Annual Notice of Change carefully. This letter comes every fall. It tells you whether your plan is continuing, changing, or exiting for the coming year.
- Check whether your doctors and prescriptions are still covered. Even if your plan continues, the network and formulary can change year to year.
- Know your guaranteed-issue rights. If your plan is exiting your area, you have a limited window to buy certain Medigap plans without health underwriting. Don’t miss it.
- Talk to someone who doesn’t sell Medicare Advantage. I don’t. That’s a deliberate choice, not an oversight. If you’re getting advice only from someone who does, you’re getting one side of the picture.
Why I Don’t Sell Medicare Advantage
The Johns Hopkins study is the clearest third-party validation I’ve seen of the position I’ve held since day one of my practice. Medicare Advantage plans are heavily marketed, often with no monthly premium and extra perks that sound great. What the commercials don’t tell you is that the insurance company can leave the market and take your coverage with them — and once your health changes, getting back to Original Medicare with a supplement can be difficult or impossible.
I stick to Medicare Supplement plans, where you keep your own doctors, there’s no network to fight, and the coverage doesn’t disappear when a carrier decides a county isn’t profitable enough.
If You’re Reading This Because Your Plan Just Got Canceled
Don’t panic, but don’t wait either. Your guaranteed-issue window is real but limited. Call or text me at (623) 742-3878 (Arizona) or (910) 760-2124 (North & South Carolina) and let’s talk through what you actually qualify for right now. There’s no cost for the conversation, and I’ll tell you plainly whether a Medigap plan is a good fit for your situation — including when it isn’t.
You can also read the original Johns Hopkins research summary if you want to see the data yourself.
Source: Meiselbach MK, Lavallee M, Xu J, Polsky D. “Forced Disenrollments Among Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries Following 2026 Plan Exits.” JAMA, February 18, 2026. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Medicare Advantage plans — also called Medicare Part C — are heavily marketed to Arizona seniors every fall. The ads make them sound like a no-brainer — low premiums, extra benefits, simple coverage. However, after more than 20 years helping Arizona residents navigate Medicare, I’ve seen the disadvantages of Medicare Advantage plans up close. Here are 9 things the ads don’t tell you.
1. Disadvantages of Medicare Advantage: Narrow Provider Networks
One of the biggest disadvantages of Medicare Advantage is the restricted network. Most plans only cover care from in-network providers. If your doctor isn’t in the plan’s network, you pay out-of-pocket — or find a new doctor.
Original Medicare lets you see any doctor in the U.S. who accepts Medicare. That’s the vast majority of physicians. Medicare Advantage plans can’t say the same.
2. Prior Authorization Requirements
Before Medicare Advantage pays for many procedures, the insurance company must approve them first. This process — called prior authorization — can delay care by days or weeks. In some cases, approval is denied entirely.
According to Medicare.gov, Original Medicare does not require prior authorization for most services. Your doctor decides what care you need, and Medicare covers it.
3. Higher Out-of-Pocket Costs When You’re Sick
Medicare Advantage plans often advertise low or zero premiums. However, when you actually use the plan, costs can add up quickly. Copays for specialist visits, hospital stays, and procedures can push your annual out-of-pocket costs to $8,000–$10,000 or more.
With a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) Plan G, your only cost is the Part B deductible — $257 in 2026. After that, you pay nothing for covered services the rest of the year.
4. Plans Change Every Year
Medicare Advantage plans can change their benefits, networks, copays, and drug formularies every January 1st. A plan that worked well for you in 2025 may look very different in 2026. Your doctors may drop out of the network. Your medications may no longer be covered at the same cost.
Medigap plans are standardized and stable. Plan G benefits are set by the federal government and don’t change from year to year.
5. The One-Way Door Problem
This is the most serious of all disadvantages of Medicare Advantage that most people don’t discover until it’s too late. If you enroll in Medicare Advantage and later want to switch to a Medigap supplement plan, you may need to pass medical underwriting.
Insurance companies can deny you Medigap coverage — or charge significantly higher premiums — based on your health history. Once you’re locked into Medicare Advantage with serious health conditions, switching may no longer be possible.
6. Limited or No Coverage Outside Your Service Area
Most Medicare Advantage plans only cover non-emergency care within their local service area. If you travel frequently, spend time in another state seasonally, or want access to specialists in other cities, Medicare Advantage can leave you uncovered.
Original Medicare — and any Medigap plan — covers you at any Medicare-accepting provider nationwide. No zip code restrictions.
7. Mayo Clinic and Major Hospitals Often Not Included
Mayo Clinic Arizona does not accept most Medicare Advantage plans. Neither do many other major specialty hospitals. If you’re diagnosed with a serious condition and want access to the best specialists in the country, Medicare Advantage may not get you there.
Original Medicare is accepted at Mayo Clinic and most major medical centers across the U.S.
8. “Extra Benefits” Are Often Overstated
Medicare Advantage plans advertise dental, vision, hearing, gym memberships, and other extras. In practice, these benefits are often limited — small dollar amounts for dental, narrow networks for vision, or gym programs that require specific facilities.
Many people find these add-ons don’t offset the higher costs they face when they need real medical care.
9. Smaller Networks in Rural Arizona
If you live outside the Phoenix metro — in rural Arizona, smaller cities, or communities far from major medical centers — Medicare Advantage networks may offer very few in-network options. Driving long distances to see an in-network provider, or paying out-of-network rates, becomes a regular reality.
Original Medicare works everywhere there’s a Medicare-accepting doctor. In rural areas, that’s often the only practical choice.
What to Consider Instead of Medicare Advantage
Understanding the disadvantages of Medicare Advantage before you enroll can save you from a very difficult situation down the road.
I’m Andy Orlikoff, an independent Medicare broker based in Surprise, AZ. I don’t sell Medicare Advantage. After 20+ years watching what happens when people need their coverage most, I recommend Medicare Supplement Plan G to nearly every client who qualifies.
I’ll compare rates from multiple carriers, explain your options clearly, and help you enroll — at no cost to you. Your premium is the same whether you use a broker or go direct.
Call or text: (623) 742-3878
Email: andy@azhealth.us
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Serving Surprise, Phoenix, Peoria, Glendale, Goodyear, Buckeye, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, and all of Arizona.
American Insurance Benefits | 14955 W Bell Rd #8031, Surprise, AZ 85374 | Licensed Arizona Insurance Broker since 2004
Choosing Medicare Advantage at 65 feels like a low-risk decision, especially with a low or zero monthly premium. The catch tends to show up years later: going from Medicare Advantage to Medigap can be much harder than getting into Medicare Advantage ever was. That’s worth knowing this fall, with Medicare’s Annual Election Period running October 15 through December 7.