What the 2027 Medicare Advantage plan changes mean for you
CMS released the first 2027 Medicare Advantage data on September 28, 2026. Every fall some plans leave, some are new, and many change. Here's what the files show so far, in plain terms, and what to do if your plan is one that's changing.
What CMS just released
On September 28, 2026, CMS posted the 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape file — the first of several 2027 releases. The detailed benefit files, the final star ratings, and the plan crosswalk (which links each 2026 plan to its 2027 successor) follow through October. So this is an early, partial picture: it shows which plans exist for 2027 and their headline costs, but not yet every benefit or which discontinued plans have a successor.
How many plans are changing
Comparing the 2026 and 2027 Landscape files directly: of about 5,100 individual-market Medicare Advantage plans offered in 2026, roughly 1,000 do not reappear under the same plan ID in 2027, while nearly 1,000 plans are new — a net change of about 40 fewer plans. That churn is normal for a plan year, and we report it exactly as the files show it, with no projection.
How many people are affected
Using CMS's September 2026 enrollment file, about 4.4 million people — roughly 15% of individual-market Medicare Advantage enrollment — are in a 2026 plan that does not appear in the 2027 Landscape under the same plan ID. Treat that as an early upper bound, not a count of people losing coverage: it counts everyone in a plan whose ID isn't returning, before we know which of those plans simply became a differently-numbered successor.
Why "not in next year's file" isn't the same as "your plan is ending"
A plan ID missing from the 2027 Landscape doesn't mean those members are left without coverage. Carriers routinely consolidate, renumber, and renew plans, and CMS crosswalks most affected members automatically into a successor plan from the same carrier for January 1. Only some plans are truly terminated with no successor — and those members are the ones who must actively choose a new plan or risk a gap. CMS publishes the crosswalk in early October; until then, the true number of people who must shop isn't known. We'll report it here when the file lands.
What to do if your plan is changing
Watch for your plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which arrives by late September and spells out exactly what's changing for 2027 — premium, cost sharing, drugs, and benefits. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 to December 7, and any change you make takes effect January 1. Compare the plans in your county on this site and on Medicare.gov, and confirm the plan you're considering covers your doctors, your drugs, and a pharmacy you can use. If your plan is ending with no replacement, you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period — Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE can confirm your options.
How we got these numbers
These figures come from CMS public files only: the 2026 and 2027 Medicare Advantage/Part D Landscape files and the CMS Monthly Enrollment by Contract/Plan/State/County report for September 2026. They cover individual-market plans (not employer group plans), exclude standalone Part D drug plans, and use the enrollment CMS had published as of that month; CMS suppresses very small county counts, which slightly understates the totals. See our methodology and source ledger for how we build every number.