Medicare Advantage Plans Shift Across Counties for 2027 Coverage

Medicare beneficiaries across the United States will face changing Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan options in 2027, with insurers adjusting county coverage and some rural members needing new plans. The changes affect availability, including thousands of members in Cambria County, Pennsylvania.

According to KFF, 20% of Medicare beneficiaries will have access to more than 40 Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans in 2027. The figure represents a decline from 27% of beneficiaries in 2026.

KFF reported that beneficiaries in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, will have the most options with 66 available Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans. However, 193 counties will have no general enrollment Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans in 2027.

The counties without available Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans include areas in 16 states and U.S. territories other than Puerto Rico, according to KFF. About 638,000 Medicare beneficiaries, or 1% of all beneficiaries, are affected.

KFF also found that major insurers are reducing their county footprints in 2027. UnitedHealth Group is leaving 228 counties and entering nine new counties, while Humana is leaving 62 counties and entering four new counties.

The analysis said Health Care Service Corporation will make the largest reduction among Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan insurers, exiting 498 counties without entering new counties. Centene will exit 359 counties and enter 15 new counties.

In Pennsylvania, UPMC for Life is ending its Medicare Advantage plans with prescription-drug coverage in Cambria, Clearfield and Cameron counties, affecting members who must review other coverage options before their plans end, according to WJAC.

Cambria County President Commissioner Scott Hunt said residents have raised concerns about the impact on their health coverage after the change. He said rural communities are already dealing with healthcare access challenges.

"We should be having increased coverage not decreased coverage and I know there's some different initiatives through the state that's supposed to be targeting a lot of the stuff with rural health care but it's definitely this is just another thing on top of it that highlights the hits that you know rural counties such as Cambria County has taken in the last several years," said Scott Hunt, Cambria County President Commissioner.

Hunt advised affected residents to review their doctors, medications and coverage options with an insurance broker or professional, according to WJAC. County retirees covered through the county group plan will not lose coverage.

Medicare's annual enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 17, according to WJAC, as beneficiaries review available plans before coverage changes take effect.