If your Medicare Advantage plan will no longer be offered where you live, you should not ignore the notice or assume your coverage will simply continue unchanged. You may need to choose another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare, and the plan change may give you specific enrollment rights. The exact deadlines depend on why and when your coverage is ending, so your official notice should be your starting point.

Medicare confirms that private insurance companies can decide each year whether to continue offering Medicare Advantage plans in particular areas. If your plan stops participating, you’ll need to choose another Medicare health plan or return to Original Medicare.

The most important advice is simple:

Don’t wait until your coverage ends to figure out what comes next.

If you’ve received a notice saying your Medicare Advantage plan won’t be available in 2027, here’s what to do.

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First: Determine Exactly What Is Happening to Your Plan

Not every Medicare plan change means the same thing.

Your situation could involve:

• Your particular plan not renewing for 2027
• The insurer reducing its service area
• The insurer leaving your county
• The plan ending its Medicare contract
• Medicare terminating the plan’s contract
• You moving outside your plan’s service area

Those situations can trigger different enrollment rules and timelines.

CMS specifically recognizes plan termination, non-renewal, and service-area reductions as circumstances that may create a Special Enrollment Period.

That’s why you shouldn’t rely on something a neighbor heard—or even a deadline you saw online—to determine your exact enrollment window.

Read your notice first.

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What Is a Medicare Advantage Service Area?

Medicare Advantage plans don’t necessarily operate nationwide.

A plan has a defined service area, which generally determines where you must live to enroll and remain eligible for that particular plan.

Medicare explains that insurance companies decide whether their plans will be available statewide or only in certain counties, and those companies can decide each year whether to participate in Medicare.

This means a carrier could continue offering Medicare Advantage coverage nationally—or even elsewhere in your state—while discontinuing a particular plan in your county or service area.

So hearing:

“The insurance company isn’t leaving Medicare.”

doesn’t necessarily answer your question.

The better question is:

“Is my specific Medicare Advantage plan continuing in my service area for 2027?”

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🚨 The Notice You Shouldn’t Throw Away

If your Medicare Advantage plan is leaving the Medicare program for the upcoming year, Medicare identifies an official communication called the Plan Non-Renewal Notice.

According to , this notice comes from your plan and tells you that you need to look for new coverage for the coming year.

Medicare currently identifies October as the general timeframe for receiving this notice.

When it arrives:

✓ Open it.

✓ Read every page.

✓ Keep it with your Medicare documents.

✓ Highlight the date your coverage ends.

✓ Highlight any enrollment deadlines.

✓ Identify the reason your plan is ending.

✓ Note any instructions Medicare or your plan provides.

Don’t assume it’s ordinary insurance marketing.

It could directly affect your healthcare coverage next year.

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What Happens to Your Medicare If the Plan Ends?

This is an important distinction:

Your Medicare doesn’t disappear simply because your Medicare Advantage plan ends.

Medicare Advantage is a private alternative for receiving your Medicare Part A and Part B benefits.

If your Medicare Advantage plan ends and you don’t enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan before the applicable deadline, Medicare says you may be enrolled in Original Medicare when the old Medicare Advantage plan ends.

But that doesn’t mean doing nothing is necessarily your best strategy.

You need to consider what happens to:

Your medical coverage

Prescription drug coverage

Doctors and hospitals

Supplemental benefits

Out-of-pocket costs

Medigap possibilities, where applicable

This is why the decision deserves attention before the current plan disappears.

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Your Plan Ending May Give You a Special Enrollment Period

Normally, people with Medicare can’t change Medicare Advantage coverage whenever they want.

Changes generally have to occur during an applicable enrollment period.

However, certain events create a Special Enrollment Period (SEP).

Medicare specifically lists situations involving a plan ending or changing its Medicare contract among events that can create a Special Enrollment Period.

You can review to see the different circumstances Medicare recognizes.

But there’s an important warning:

Don’t assume every plan termination has the same SEP dates.

For example, Medicare’s current guidance distinguishes between situations where Medicare terminates a plan contract, a plan ends its contract, and a contract simply isn’t renewed. Those situations have different enrollment windows.

For a plan or contract that is non-renewed effective January 1, CMS’s 2027 enrollment guidance identifies a Special Enrollment Period running from December 8 through the last day of February.

However, your circumstances could be different.

Use the dates in your official notice and verify the enrollment rights that apply specifically to you.

You can also call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE if you need confirmation of your enrollment period.

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Your First Decision: Medicare Advantage or Original Medicare?

If your Medicare Advantage plan is disappearing, don’t begin by asking:

“Which plan replaces mine?”

Start one level higher.

Your first question may be:

How do I want to receive my Medicare coverage next year?

Depending on your eligibility and circumstances, your options may include:

Option 1: Another Medicare Advantage plan

or

Option 2: Original Medicare

If you’re considering another Medicare Advantage plan, use our [Medicare Advantage Guide] to understand how these private plans work before comparing individual options.

If you’re ready to compare available plans, use our [Compare Medicare Plans] hub as your starting point.

You can also use the government’s official Medicare Plan Compare tool to research plans offered in your area.

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Don’t Look for an Identical Replacement

This is one of the biggest mistakes someone can make.

Suppose your current plan has:

• $0 additional monthly plan premium
• Your preferred hospital
• Your cardiologist
• Certain prescription copays
• Dental benefits
• OTC benefits
• A particular MOOP

You may naturally want to find:

“The 2027 plan that’s basically the same.”

But another plan—even from the same insurance company—can have a different:

Provider network

Drug formulary

Pharmacy network

Premium

Deductible

Copays

Coinsurance

Maximum out-of-pocket limit

Prior authorization requirements

Supplemental benefits

Plan type

Treat the replacement as a new Medicare decision, not an administrative transfer.

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Use This Replacement-Plan Comparison Chart

Before your current coverage ends, compare your existing plan against potential replacements.

What to Compare	Current Plan	Option A	Option B
Monthly premium	$_____	$_____	$_____
Medical deductible	$_____	$_____	$_____
MOOP	$_____	$_____	$_____
PCP	$_____	$_____	$_____
Specialist	$_____	$_____	$_____
Hospital costs	$_____	$_____	$_____
Prescriptions	_____	_____	_____
PCP in network?	✓/✗	✓/✗	✓/✗
Specialists in network?	✓/✗	✓/✗	✓/✗
Preferred hospital?	✓/✗	✓/✗	✓/✗
Pharmacy	_____	_____	_____
Dental	_____	_____	_____
Vision	_____	_____	_____
OTC/other benefits	_____	_____	_____

This changes the question from:

“Which plan looks good?”

to:

“Which available coverage fits the healthcare I actually use?”

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Step 1: Make a List of Your Doctors

Before comparing replacement plans, write down:

☐ Primary care physician

☐ Cardiologist

☐ Endocrinologist

☐ Oncologist

☐ Orthopedist

☐ Gastroenterologist

☐ Mental health providers

☐ Other specialists

Then add:

☐ Preferred hospital

☐ Outpatient facilities

☐ Labs

☐ Durable medical equipment suppliers you regularly use

Don’t check only your primary doctor.

A replacement plan isn’t much of a replacement if your most important specialists or facilities don’t participate.

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Step 2: Build a Complete Prescription List

Write down each medication’s:

• Exact name
• Dosage
• Quantity
• Frequency
• Brand/generic preference where relevant
• Pharmacy
• Mail-order preference

Then check each potential plan’s formulary and applicable drug rules.

A drug could be:

✓ Covered

but on a different tier.

Or it might have:

• Prior authorization
• Step therapy
• Quantity limits
• Different cost sharing

You can enter your medications into Medicare Plan Compare when researching available health and drug plans. Medicare specifically notes that Plan Compare can estimate monthly and annual drug costs based on the prescriptions you enter.

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Step 3: Compare the Maximum Out-of-Pocket Limit

Don’t shop on premium alone.

A Medicare Advantage plan with a low or $0 additional monthly premium can still expose you to significant medical cost sharing during a high-use year.

Compare:

Premium + Copays + Coinsurance + MOOP

rather than:

Premium alone.

Your maximum out-of-pocket limit is particularly useful for understanding potential medical financial exposure.

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Step 4: Check How You Access Care

Two plans can have similar premiums and benefits but work very differently.

Check whether the replacement is:

HMO

PPO

or another plan structure.

Then investigate:

• Network requirements
• Referrals
• Prior authorization
• Out-of-network rules
• Specialist access

This matters especially if you receive ongoing treatment.

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Step 5: Compare Supplemental Benefits Last

Now look at:

🦷 Dental

👓 Vision

👂 Hearing

💳 OTC

🚗 Transportation

🥦 Food or grocery-related benefits where available and eligible

🏋️ Fitness

and other supplemental benefits.

These benefits can be valuable.

But they belong after doctors, prescriptions, hospitals, medical costs, and access rules in the comparison process.

Don’t replace a medically appropriate plan with a poorer-fitting plan simply because an advertisement promotes a larger extra benefit.

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What About Medigap If Your Medicare Advantage Plan Ends?

This deserves special attention.

Returning to Original Medicare raises another question:

“Can I buy a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy?”

The answer can depend on your circumstances.

Certain situations involving Medicare Advantage coverage ending or leaving an area may create Medigap guaranteed-issue rights, but these rights have specific conditions and time limits.

Don’t assume that:

“My Medicare Advantage plan ended, so I can buy any Medigap policy whenever I want.”

Instead, verify whether a federal or state Medigap protection applies to your particular situation.

If you’re considering Original Medicare plus Medigap, review our [Medicare Supplement Guide] before making the transition.

And importantly:

Keep the letter showing that your Medicare Advantage coverage is ending.

You may need documentation of the circumstances when exercising applicable enrollment rights.

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What About Prescription Coverage If You Return to Original Medicare?

Don’t overlook Part D.

Many Medicare Advantage plans include prescription drug coverage.

Original Medicare generally doesn’t include comprehensive outpatient prescription drug coverage.

So if you’re leaving an MA-PD plan and returning to Original Medicare, you should determine whether you need a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan.

This is another reason not to wait until your Medicare Advantage plan has already ended.

Your replacement strategy may involve more than simply choosing medical coverage.

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What If the Carrier Still Offers Other Plans in My County?

Then those plans can be part of your comparison—but don’t assume they’re automatically your best replacement.

A different plan from your current carrier could have different:

• Doctors
• Hospitals
• Prescription coverage
• Costs
• Benefits
• MOOP
• Network structure

Brand familiarity is useful.

It isn’t a substitute for comparing the actual plan.

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What If My Plan Is Ending but I Haven’t Received a Notice?

Contact your plan.

If you’re uncertain whether your coverage will continue, verify it directly rather than relying on an advertisement, rumor, social media post, or another beneficiary’s experience.

Medicare also publishes information about important plan notices and their purpose. You can review .

For questions about your Medicare enrollment rights, you can contact 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

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7 Things to Do If Your Medicare Advantage Plan Is Leaving

Here’s the checklist worth saving:

1. Keep the official notice.

Don’t throw it away.

2. Identify why the plan is ending.

Termination, non-renewal, and service-area changes aren’t necessarily treated identically.

3. Write down your deadline.

Use the dates applicable to your specific situation.

4. Gather your healthcare information.

Doctors, hospitals, prescriptions, pharmacy, and current plan information.

5. Compare available replacement coverage.

Don’t assume the closest-looking plan is equivalent.

6. Investigate your enrollment rights.

That includes applicable Medicare Advantage, Part D, and potentially Medigap rights.

7. Make your decision before your current coverage ends.

Give yourself time to verify everything.

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What NOT to Do

❌ Don’t ignore the letter.

❌ Don’t assume Medicare itself is ending.

❌ Don’t assume you’ll automatically receive an identical replacement.

❌ Don’t enroll based only on an advertised extra benefit.

❌ Don’t verify only your PCP.

❌ Don’t forget your prescriptions.

❌ Don’t assume somebody else’s SEP deadline applies to you.

And perhaps most importantly:

Don’t wait until the last minute.

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Medicare Open Enrollment May Also Be Relevant

Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7.

During this period, people with Medicare can make certain changes involving Medicare Advantage and prescription drug coverage for the upcoming year.

If your plan is non-renewing, however, you may also have enrollment rights extending beyond the normal Open Enrollment window depending on the circumstances.

That’s why our [Medicare Open Enrollment Guide] and [Special Enrollment Period Guide] serve different purposes.

One explains the regular annual opportunity to review coverage.

The other helps explain situations in which a particular event creates additional enrollment rights.

For the official federal rules, use .

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Your Plan Is Leaving. Your Next Plan Doesn’t Have to Be a Guess.

Receiving a non-renewal notice can be frustrating—especially if you like your current Medicare Advantage plan.

But don’t rush into the first alternative.

Use the notice as your signal to conduct a fresh comparison.

Ask:

Are my doctors covered?

What about my specialists?

What about my hospital?

Are my prescriptions covered appropriately?

What’s my premium?

What’s my MOOP?

What will I pay when I actually receive care?

What plan rules affect me?

Which supplemental benefits will I actually use?

That’s a much stronger basis for choosing 2027 coverage than simply asking:

“Which plan looks most like the one I lost?”

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Is Your Medicare Advantage Plan Leaving Your Area?

If you’ve received a notice that your Medicare Advantage plan won’t continue in your area, keep the letter and contact us before your current coverage ends.

Have these items nearby:

• Your non-renewal or plan notice
• Medicare card
• Current plan card
• Doctors and specialists
• Prescription list
• Preferred hospital
• Preferred pharmacy

Then call Medicare Plan Assistance.

📞 Call Medicare Plan Assistance at (561) 808-9410

Tell us:

“My Medicare Advantage plan is leaving my area and I need to understand my options.”

We can help you identify the questions your notice raises and compare available replacement coverage based on your doctors, prescriptions, healthcare needs, and priorities.

Local Help. Clear Answers. Better Decisions.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if my Medicare Advantage plan leaves my area?

You generally need to choose new coverage. Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare. Review your official notice because your enrollment rights and deadlines depend on the reason your plan is ending.

Will I lose Medicare if my Medicare Advantage plan ends?

No. A Medicare Advantage plan ending doesn’t mean you lose Medicare itself. If you don’t enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan before your current plan ends, Medicare’s rules may result in your return to Original Medicare.

Do I get a Special Enrollment Period if my Medicare Advantage plan ends?

Certain plan terminations, non-renewals, and service-area reductions can qualify beneficiaries for a Special Enrollment Period. The timing depends on the specific circumstances, so verify the dates stated in your notice and applicable Medicare rules.

Can I enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan?

Potentially, yes, provided you’re eligible and the new plan is available in your service area. Medicare generally requires you to live within a plan’s service area to enroll.

Can I get Medigap if my Medicare Advantage plan leaves?

Certain situations may provide guaranteed-issue rights for Medigap, but the applicable conditions and time limits matter. Keep your plan’s notice and verify your specific rights before applying.

Should I choose another plan from the same insurance company?

Not automatically. Compare the actual plan’s provider network, prescriptions, costs, maximum out-of-pocket limit, plan rules, and supplemental benefits regardless of whether you already know the insurance company.

Can Medicare Plan Assistance help me find replacement coverage?

Yes. Medicare Plan Assistance can help you understand the questions raised by your plan notice and compare available options based on your doctors, prescriptions, costs, and priorities. Call (561) 808-9410.