Medicare Advantage Changes 2026: Are Plans Going Away, and What to Do If Yours Ends

What CMS’s 2027 figures show about Medicare Advantage, what happens when a plan is discontinued or leaves your county, and the dates and rights that protect you.

No — Medicare Advantage is not going away. CMS expects about 34 million people in Medicare Advantage in 2027, roughly 47.4% of everyone with Medicare, with 5,532 plans offered nationally against 5,553 in 2026 and more than 99% of beneficiaries able to choose at least one plan (CMS, September 28, 2026). What does happen every year is that individual plans end, shrink their service areas or change networks. If yours is one of them, you get a notice, a Special Enrollment Period, and in most cases a guaranteed right to buy a Medigap policy.

Last updated 2026-11-04. Sources are linked next to each figure and listed at the end.

What is actually changing for 2027

CMS also says that approximately eight in 10 Medicare Advantage members will be able to stay in their current plan at the same or a lower premium in 2027 (CMS). The remaining members either cannot stay in their current plan or would pay a higher premium to do so. Your plan’s Annual Notice of Change and any non-renewal letter tell you which applies to you.

Leaving Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare plus Medigap changes your fixed costs for the rest of retirement. See what that does to your whole plan, with IRMAA and taxes: Personal PRO — Go PRO — $49 once →

If your Medicare Advantage plan is discontinued: what to do

1. Read the notice. A plan that is not renewing must mail you a notice at least 90 days before it ends (42 CFR §422.506(a)(2)). It says whether the whole plan is ending or only leaving your area.
2. Pick a replacement during Open Enrollment if you can (October 15 to December 7), so it starts January 1 with no gap (Medicare.gov).
3. Or use the Special Enrollment Period. When a plan’s contract is not renewed, you can switch to another plan or go to Original Medicare between December 8 and the last day of February of the following year (Medicare.gov). If you do nothing, you are placed in Original Medicare when the plan ends.
4. If you go to Original Medicare, add drug coverage. Original Medicare does not include Part D. Join a stand-alone drug plan in the same window: a gap of 63 days or more without creditable drug coverage can bring a lifetime late enrollment penalty (42 CFR §423.46; see Medicare late enrollment penalties).
5. Consider a Medigap policy — with guaranteed issue. When your Medicare Advantage plan leaves Medicare or stops serving your area and you switch to Original Medicare, insurers must sell you Medigap Plan A, B, C, D, F, G, K or L without medical underwriting if you apply from 60 days before your MA coverage ends until 63 days after (Medicare.gov; 42 U.S.C. §1395ss(s)(3)(B)(ii), (E)). Not everyone can buy Plans C and F: eligibility depends on when you first became eligible for Medicare (Medicare.gov).

Why the Medigap right matters. Outside guaranteed-issue situations, a Medigap insurer can generally use medical underwriting, which can mean a higher price or a refusal. A plan termination is one of the few times that protection is guaranteed by federal law, and the window is short.

Key dates for 2026 and 2027

Other situations with their own enrollment window

• Your plan leaves mid-year (it ends its contract, or Medicare ends it): a Special Enrollment Period around the date the contract ends (Medicare.gov).
• You move out of your plan’s area: a window that starts when you move and lasts two full months after (Medicare.gov).
• A 5-star plan is available where you live: you can switch to it once between December 8 and November 30 of the following year (Medicare.gov).
• You joined Medicare Advantage when first eligible at 65, or dropped a Medigap policy to join one: you have a trial right: leave the Medicare Advantage plan within its first 12 months and you can buy Medigap with guaranteed issue (42 U.S.C. §1395ss(s)(3)(B)(v), (vi); Medicare.gov).

Common questions

Are Medicare Advantage plans going away?

No. CMS projects 34 million Medicare Advantage enrollees in 2027 and about 5,532 plans nationally, with more than 99% of beneficiaries having access to at least one plan (CMS). Individual plans do end or leave counties each year, and members of those plans must choose new coverage.

What happens if my Medicare Advantage plan is discontinued?

You get a notice at least 90 days ahead, a Special Enrollment Period from December 8 to the last day of February to choose a new plan, and guaranteed issue rights to buy Medigap if you go to Original Medicare. If you do nothing, you are put in Original Medicare without drug coverage (Medicare.gov).

Do I lose my Medicare if my Advantage plan ends?

No. Your Medicare Part A and Part B continue. Only the private plan ends; you return to Original Medicare unless you choose another Medicare Advantage plan.

Can I buy a Medigap policy if my Medicare Advantage plan leaves my area?

Yes, with guaranteed issue: apply from 60 days before your Medicare Advantage coverage ends until 63 days after it ends, and you must be switching to Original Medicare (Medicare.gov).

What is the average Medicare Advantage premium in 2027?

CMS projects a weighted average of $12.00 a month across all MA plans in 2027, down from $14.37 in 2026 (CMS). You still pay the Part B premium as well.

Sources

• CMS: Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Programs Expected to Remain Stable in 2027 (September 28, 2026)
• CMS: 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D landscape, state-by-state fact sheets
• Medicare.gov: Joining a plan (enrollment periods)
• Medicare.gov: Special Enrollment Periods
• Medicare.gov: When can I buy a Medigap policy?
• Medicare.gov: Compare Medigap plan benefits
• Medicare.gov: Plan Annual Notice of Change
• 42 CFR §422.506 (nonrenewal of an MA contract)
• 42 CFR §423.46 (Part D late enrollment penalty)
• 42 U.S.C. §1395ss(s)(3) (Medigap guaranteed issue)
• 42 U.S.C. §1395w-21(e)(4) (special election periods)

Figures are CMS’s own (2027 landscape release, September 28, 2026); rules are quoted from Medicare.gov, the CFR and the statute, read on 2026-11-04. QuantCalc names no insurer or plan. QuantCalc is calculation software, not tax, legal, insurance or investment advice.

Related

Medicare open enrollment 2026 → Medicare costs 2026 → Medicare Part D 2026 → Medicare late enrollment penalty → Medicare Part B premium 2027 → IRMAA brackets 2026 →