2027 Medicare Advantage Changes by County: An AEP Guide for Agents

Updated October 3, 2026 · For licensed Medicare insurance agents

Use the 2027 Medicare Advantage county lookup to compare local MA, D-SNP and C-SNP listings, then turn the findings into a client review plan. The CMS-based comparison highlights changes in plan availability and selected costs; it does not determine whether a client’s current plan will renew.

Preparing for the 2027 Annual Election Period means answering two different questions: What changed in how I work with clients, and what changed in the coverage they can choose?

The first question involves Scope of Appointment forms, marketing dates, events and recorded calls. The second involves renewals, local plan availability, providers, prescriptions and costs. Knowing one without the other leaves your AEP preparation incomplete.

A carrier presentation helps you understand that carrier’s products. Preparing your entire book requires a broader view: what changed across the counties you serve, which clients deserve closer attention, and what you need to verify before recommending anything.

Los Angeles County illustrates the difference. In Informed + Choice’s comparison, total listed MA/SNP offerings increased from 121 to 124, but general-enrollment offerings fell from 74 to 70. Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans increased from 33 to 41.

More listings overall. Fewer choices for clients who do not qualify for an SNP. Potentially more choices worth investigating for clients who do.

Use the county data to decide where to investigate. Use the client’s eligibility, renewal, care needs and priorities to decide what to recommend.

Where choices are shrinking most

Several counties show substantial reductions in general-enrollment Medicare Advantage offerings, excluding SNPs. In 800 of the 3,029 observed county units, this category fell by at least 25%. These are the five largest numerical reductions in our comparison of the September CMS snapshots:

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Source: Informed + Choice analysis of the 2026 and 2027 CMS landscape files. Counts use distinct contract/plan/segment identifiers, include MA with and without Part D, and exclude SNPs. Percentage reductions use each county’s 2026 count as the denominator.

Other counties stand out for the percentage reduction in their general-enrollment listing counts:

• Renville, Minnesota: 18 → 3, down 83.3%.
• Jackson and Josephine, Oregon: each fell from 20 → 5, down 75%.
• San Diego, California: 60 → 46, down 23.3%, compared with Los Angeles’s 74 → 70.
• Harmon, Oklahoma, and Lake of the Woods, Minnesota: 13 → 0 and 12 → 0 general-enrollment MA offerings. Both still have D-SNP listings, which require qualifying eligibility.

These reductions do not establish how many people are losing their current plan. Renewal mappings, notices and enrollment data are needed for that conclusion.

Your county does not need to be an outlier for this review to matter. Even where counts are stable, investigate the renewal, provider, prescription and cost questions affecting the clients you serve.

Check the counties you serve · Download the complete county ranking (CSV)

When can agents market 2027 Medicare plans?

October 1 is the prospective-year marketing date. October 15 is the start of AEP. They are not interchangeable. The 2027 marketing and communications changes apply beginning October 1, 2026.

The marketing date is not a universal prohibition on scheduling appointments earlier. Keep scheduling, prospective-year marketing and enrollment authority separate; another election period must be independently established when relevant.

Use the time before AEP to resolve renewal questions, update client information and prepare comparisons. A full calendar is more valuable when each appointment has a clear purpose.

Which 2027 agent rules should be built into that process?

The practical rule changes belong in your appointment workflow—not just your certification notes.

For example, an interested client may be able to complete the SOA and have the appointment the same day. But you still need time to investigate an unresolved medication or provider question. A shorter administrative wait does not justify a rushed recommendation.

Do not apply the six-year call-retention rule to every item in the client file. Check enrollment-record requirements, carrier agreements, applicable law and any preservation obligation before changing deletion schedules.

For detailed implementation, use our CMS 2027 final-rule changes for Medicare agents. For the specific appointment steps, review the 48-hour Scope of Appointment rule update, written SOA requirements for in-person appointments and 2027 TPMO disclaimer timing before benefits discussions.

Keep the appointment scope and signed record together

When a county review leads to an appointment, Informed + Choice lets you create an electronic Scope of Appointment, share a private signing link, track completion and retrieve the signed SOA from your vault.

Get Electronic SOA — $9.99/monthElectronic SOA signing and storage

First payment due at secure checkout. No introductory trial. Review SOA Vault features and record retrieval. Agents remain responsible for applicable SOA, carrier and enrollment requirements; the software does not determine eligibility or choose a plan.

What is changing in Medicare Advantage nationally?

Informed + Choice’s analysis of the September 2026 CMS landscape snapshots found that nearly stable overall counts conceal a change in the mix of listed offerings.

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Source: Informed + Choice landscape analysis. Each contract/plan/segment identifier is counted once nationally. General-enrollment MA includes offerings with and without Part D. Counts describe listed offerings, not insurers, enrollment or verified currently enrollable choices. See methodology below.

Across 3,029 observed state/county units, 2,236—73.8%—had fewer general-enrollment listings. That calculation weights each observed county equally; it is not the percentage of beneficiaries losing coverage or choices.

The distinction matters because additional eligibility-restricted offerings do not replace general-enrollment options for every client. SNPs serve defined populations and have additional enrollment requirements.

For agents, this creates two tasks: investigate whether a client’s existing options changed, and check whether newly available specialized options are relevant to that client.

Compare 2027 Medicare Advantage changes in your county

Start with the counties where your clients live. Separate general-enrollment MA from C-SNPs, D-SNPs and I-SNPs. Within general-enrollment coverage, distinguish MA-PD from plans without Part D when reviewing drug-related figures.

2027 Medicare landscape

Medicare plans by county

Compare the local plan menu, then explore the individual listings.

Landscape checked September 30 · 2027 benefits added October 2, 2026

Loading county lookup…

Sources, coverage, and how to read the data

CMS September 2026 landscape files: the current-year 2026 snapshot and the initial 2027 snapshot. Counts use distinct contract/plan/segment identifiers and retain sanctioned listings. They are listed offerings, not a count of members or verified enrollment availability.

The lookup covers CMS-listed counties in the 50 states and DC. County names come from CMS; this is not a complete Census county directory. Standalone Part D uses statewide “All Counties” records. Alaska has no county-level MA listings in these snapshots.

General-enrollment MA excludes SNPs. SNP choices require their respective eligibility. Cost summaries count each drug-covered offering equally, preserve missing values, and are not enrollment-weighted. Search and plan-type filters affect the plan list, not the comparison above it.

Expanded 2027 plan details come from the CMS PBP benefits file checked October 2, 2026, joined by exact contract, plan and segment. They show selected base medical costs, initial-coverage retail drug tiers and standard supplemental benefits. Optional benefits, deductible exceptions and reported admission waivers are labeled. These are not matched 2026–2027 benefit changes or drug-specific price estimates.

Verify renewal mapping, benefits, providers, medications, pharmacies, and current enrollment status before a recommendation. The landscape does not establish nonrenewals or provide a complete benefits, provider, or formulary comparison.

• CMS 2027 landscape ZIP
• CMS 2026 landscape ZIP
• Download data definitions and provenance

• CMS 2027 PBP benefits ZIP
• Benefit definitions and field mapping

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Source: Informed + Choice landscape analysis. SNPs are excluded. These counties are examples, not a representative national sample.

San Diego’s count fell 23.3%. Maricopa’s was unchanged. Neither statistic establishes whether an individual client should switch.

An unchanged count can contain different plans. A declining count can coexist with a client’s current plan continuing on acceptable terms. And the county’s listings are not necessarily the products you are authorized to offer.

Use the lookup to identify questions. Then connect those questions to your actual book by county and current contract, plan and segment identifiers.

More C-SNPs: should agents be more proactive about eligibility?

Yes. The growth in listed C-SNP offerings is a reason to make eligibility review more systematic—not a reason to recommend C-SNP enrollment automatically.

The practical opportunity is straightforward: a client may already have a qualifying diagnosis, but a suitable local C-SNP may not have been available—or considered—during the previous review. The client’s health does not have to change for the available choices to change.

The national increase from 558 to 750 offerings does not establish growth in every county, broader eligibility rules or better outcomes. It does justify asking whether your local C-SNP knowledge and client-review process are current.

Start with the plans actually available locally

Create a short reference for the C-SNPs relevant to your service area: exact plan identifiers, targeted conditions, condition-group rules, verification process and the carrier contact for unresolved eligibility questions.

C-SNPs do not all serve the same conditions. A plan may target a single condition or a specified group. Depending on the approved structure, eligibility may require one condition from a group or all conditions in a specified combination. Do not substitute a general list of chronic conditions for the particular plan’s criteria.

Also distinguish C-SNP eligibility and condition verification from D-SNP Medicaid eligibility and enrollment rules. Medicaid is not a general C-SNP eligibility requirement. A client without Medicaid may qualify based on the condition the C-SNP serves, while still needing to meet Medicare Advantage and plan-specific requirements.

Ask about existing diagnoses in a private, permission-based review

Make a neutral eligibility question part of your individual review, rather than waiting for clients to know the term “C-SNP.” For example:

“Have you been diagnosed with an ongoing condition that should be part of our coverage review? Some plans serve particular conditions. With your permission, we can check whether one is available and worth comparing. The plan will need to verify eligibility.”

Ask about changes since the last review, but do not limit the question to new diagnoses. A longstanding condition may be relevant to a newly available plan.

Do not diagnose, coach a client toward a qualifying answer, or treat a medication list as definitive proof of a condition. Use information the client has authorized you to review, collect only what is needed and keep it in a secure workflow.

This is individual needs assessment—not a health survey used to select attendees at a sales event. CMS prohibits health screenings and surveys at marketing events that target, or could appear to target, a subset of members.

Keep an agent’s eligibility flag separate from the plan’s verification

A useful working status is “potential C-SNP eligibility—verification required.” That is different from “eligible” or “ready to enroll.”

The plan must confirm the qualifying condition through the required provider-verification process. Federal rules allow specified pre-enrollment verification or a qualifying assessment process with provider confirmation; an agent’s informal intake does not replace either pathway.

Use the carrier’s approved process and track its deadlines. Where post-enrollment verification is used, do not close the follow-up simply because the application was accepted. Under the regulation’s assessment pathway, failure to obtain verification can lead to disenrollment.

Compare what the plan would change for this client

SNPs include care coordination and tailor benefits, provider choices and formularies to the population served. That gives you something meaningful to investigate—but does not prove that a particular plan offers a better fit.

Compare the treating specialists and hospitals, prescriptions and pharmacy, expected medical and drug costs, referral and authorization requirements, and the practical care-coordination support. Ask what the client values about the current plan and what could be disrupted by changing.

Hypothetical example: A client with an established diabetes diagnosis is enrolled in a general-enrollment MA-PD plan. A newly available C-SNP merits review. After eligibility verification, the agent finds that the client’s endocrinologist and medications are covered and the documented costs are more favorable for the client’s expected use. That may support a change.

For another client with the same diagnosis, the treating specialist may be outside the proposed network or an important medication may have less favorable coverage. Eligibility is the same kind of question; the appropriate recommendation may be different.

Do not confuse C-SNP eligibility with eligibility for an allowance

Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill, or SSBCI, have their own requirements. Having a qualifying diagnosis or enrolling in a C-SNP does not automatically establish eligibility for every advertised food, utility or other supplemental benefit. Review the plan’s published criteria for the specific benefit before promising it.

The service opportunity is to help clients identify and understand options they may have overlooked—not to lead with an allowance and work backward to a diagnosis.

For the detailed distinctions among SNP types, use our D-SNP, C-SNP and I-SNP agent guide.

Fewer PPOs: revisit why the client chose one

In the landscape analysis, general-enrollment offerings labeled PPO declined from 1,552 to 1,388—10.6%. Regional PPOs are a separate source category and are not included in that figure.

This is a reason to revisit clients who chose a PPO for a specific purpose: particular specialists, care in more than one location, or out-of-network access.

It is not evidence that every remaining PPO has a narrower network. PPOs generally allow covered out-of-network services at higher cost, but the actual coverage, provider availability and charges remain plan-specific.

Start with last year’s rationale. Does it still apply? Is the important physician in the renewal plan’s network? What happens to routine care away from home? Would an alternative preserve the access that mattered?

Verify the exact product and provider location. “The office accepts Medicare” is not a substitute for confirming participation in a particular MA network.

Lower average premiums do not eliminate the need for a cost review

CMS projects that the enrollment-weighted average monthly MA premium will decline from $14.37 in 2026 to $12.00 in 2027. It also says approximately eight in ten MA beneficiaries can remain in their current plan with the same or a lower premium.

That does not establish unchanged costs when a client uses care. Nor can the remaining group simply be labeled as losing coverage; a higher premium and a nonrenewal are different outcomes.

In the general-enrollment MA-PD offerings analyzed for this article, two unweighted medians increased:

Source: Informed + Choice landscape analysis. The comparison covers 3,321 MA-PD offerings in 2026 and 3,166 in 2027, with no missing values for these measures. Each offering is equally weighted.

These are differences between annual distributions—not matched-plan increases. They do not establish that a client’s medical maximum rose $650 or drug deductible rose $210. They also do not contradict CMS’s enrollment-weighted premium projection: the measures and populations differ.

Local results differ, too. In Los Angeles, the analyzed MA-PD median medical maximum fell from $1,500 to $1,000, while the median drug deductible rose from $250 to $300. In Miami-Dade, the median drug deductible rose from $0 to $625. The respective MA-PD denominators are 68→65 and 37→34, with no missing observations for these measures.

Ask what changes for the care this client actually expects to use. Start with the Annual Notice of Change, which describes January changes to costs, coverage and other terms. Then use the Evidence of Coverage and related documents to resolve the details.

For a client expecting surgery, investigate the relevant hospital, outpatient and follow-up costs. For someone using expensive medications, work through the drug list and pharmacy. A lower premium or lower medical maximum alone does not settle the comparison.

What are the 2027 Part D deductible and out-of-pocket limits?

The maximum Part D deductible is $700 in 2027, up from $615 in 2026. The annual out-of-pocket threshold for covered Part D drugs is $2,400, up from $2,100. These are program parameters, not the median figures above.

A plan may have a lower deductible or none. Check which drugs and tiers are subject to it. The Part D threshold concerns covered Part D drug spending and qualifying payments; it is not a cap on all medical spending, premiums or noncovered purchases.

Do not leave your standalone PDP clients out of this review. In the landscape analysis, California’s listed PDPs declined from 12 to 10, while the lowest listed monthly total Part D premium changed from $0 to $5.30. Those are state-level listings—not county MA counts or a forecast of every client’s costs.

Update medications, dosage, quantity, pharmacy and subsidy information before comparing plans. Explain both expected annual spending and when costs may occur. Avoid replacing a premium-only comparison with a deductible-only comparison.

Does a missing plan mean the client needs replacement coverage?

A missing identifier is a research flag, not a confirmed nonrenewal.

A change may involve a successor plan, consolidation, service-area change or genuine nonrenewal. Reconcile the client’s current contract, plan and segment with carrier renewal information, available CMS crosswalks and the client’s actual notices.

Use four working statuses: continuing, documented successor, confirmed nonrenewal or withdrawal, and unresolved. Do not change “unresolved” to “ending” because a comparison file has no match.

When a nonrenewal is confirmed, explain what happens to the current coverage, verify the applicable election period and coordinate the replacement effective date. Medicare describes an additional nonrenewal election opportunity from December 8 through the last day of February—December 8, 2026–February 28, 2027 for this cycle. Other contract-termination situations have different timing.

That extension is not a reason to postpone planning for January. Use our Medicare Special Election Periods for nonrenewals and plan disruptions to organize the case, then verify the current rule and notice for the actual election.

Investigate Medigap rights separately

When a client considers Original Medicare, check whether the circumstances create a Medigap guaranteed-issue or other protected enrollment right. Some plan-departure situations do, but AEP itself does not create a universal right to buy any Medicare supplement without underwriting. The qualifying event, available policy, application window and state protections matter.

Keep the MA/PDP election decision separate from Medigap acceptance. Use our Medigap underwriting and guaranteed-issue guide before presenting a supplement as an available solution.

Turn the market findings into a book-of-business review list

The county with the largest percentage decline is not automatically your highest-priority market. Prioritize the clients with verified concerns, unresolved deadlines and meaningful potential coverage issues.

Group the book by county and current contract/plan/segment. Research shared plan facts once, then assess each client’s needs separately.

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This is a proposed work order, not a claim that the landscape file identifies these clients for you.

Missing information is not reassurance. A client with an unread notice, stale medication list or unresolved renewal mapping belongs in a follow-up queue—not automatically in the no-concern group.

For each case, retain a working record of the issue, source and date checked, current and proposed plan identifiers, client priorities, unresolved questions, next action and deadline. For a C-SNP case, track the verification status separately from the recommendation and application status.

The review is not complete merely because an application was submitted. Confirm the enrollment outcome and effective date, explain any remaining verification or plan outreach, and leave the client knowing what happens next.

Where the opportunity is for agents

The opportunity is not “fewer plans, therefore more sales.” It is being ready to solve an identifiable problem: a renewal notice the client does not understand, a provider concern, a cost change or a specialized option that deserves investigation.

Use local findings to choose the carrier training that matters to your book. Learn the relevant C-SNP verification process and care arrangements—not just its headline benefits. Before offering a newly available product, verify your licensing, appointment and training requirements.

For an existing client, an appropriate review invitation might be:

“I’m reviewing the 2027 changes in your area and checking whether your coverage still fits your doctors, prescriptions and budget. I’m also checking whether newly available options are relevant to your needs. Please use our secure intake process to share your change notice and updated information. We’ll compare alternatives where useful; keeping your current coverage may still be the right decision.”

Adapt that language to your actual services and use an appropriate, permitted contact channel. Market changes do not create an exception to beneficiary-contact rules, and a referral does not automatically authorize an unsolicited sales call.

For a prospective client who requests help, begin with the problem they want solved. Explain what you know, what remains unverified and what the comparison can establish. Do not imply that every person in a county with fewer listings needs a new plan.

For the operational next step, use Medicare AEP annual-review workflow for agents to organize intake, preparation and follow-through.

Frequently asked questions

Are Medicare Advantage plans going away in 2027?

No. The landscape analysis shows nearly stable overall listed MA/SNP offerings but fewer general-enrollment offerings. Local availability and eligibility determine which options are relevant. A net decline does not establish that a particular client’s plan is ending.

Does C-SNP growth mean more clients qualify?

Not necessarily. The increase measures listed offerings, not newly eligible people or relaxed eligibility standards. It does mean agents should check whether clients with existing qualifying conditions have relevant local options that deserve comparison.

Can someone join a C-SNP outside AEP?

A qualifying beneficiary may have a special enrollment opportunity to join a C-SNP serving their condition. Medicare explains that this opportunity ends once the person joins using that SEP. It is not a general monthly switching right. Verify the current enrollment rules, the beneficiary’s circumstances and the plan’s available effective dates.

Should I review a client whose premium is unchanged?

Yes. An unchanged premium does not establish unchanged coverage or costs. Review the renewal information and the client’s needs before deciding that no action is necessary.

Start with the market. Finish with the client.

The county comparison helps you ask better questions. The updated appointment rules help you organize the conversation. The client review determines whether a change actually helps.

For some clients, the result will be replacement coverage. For others, it will be an overlooked C-SNP worth considering, a resolved cost concern or a documented decision to keep suitable coverage.

The goal is not a predetermined switch list. It is a prepared book of clients whose important questions have been answered.

Sources, definitions and limitations

The landscape statistics come from Informed + Choice’s analysis of CMS’s CY2026 Landscape (202609) and CY2027 Landscape (202609) files. This compares a September 2026 current-year snapshot with an initial 2027 snapshot—not two original AEP launch snapshots. The figures describe September data available for this article, not data claimed to have been released on September 30.

National counts cover the 50 states and Washington, DC, exclude territories and count each contract/plan/segment identifier once. County counts count each offering within the relevant state/county unit. “General-enrollment MA” excludes SNPs and includes MA-only and MA-PD; cost medians cover general-enrollment MA-PD only. “Offering” is used because a contract/plan/segment count is not simply a count of carriers or unique contracts.

The county percentage uses 3,029 observed state/county units with a general-enrollment listing in either snapshot. It is neither a complete Census county analysis nor beneficiary-weighted. Sanctioned entries remain included, so a listing is not a guarantee of current enrollment availability.

The reported cost measures have no missing observations in the specified national and illustrated county-year groups. Each offering is equally weighted. Medians describe annual distributions, not matched-plan changes or predicted client spending. Different geography, definitions or weighting can produce different totals from other CMS summaries.

The landscape does not establish renewal outcomes, provider networks, complete benefits, prescription coverage, commissions or individual suitability. Verify current plan documents, carrier instructions and applicable CMS and state requirements before acting.

Expanded 2027 benefit summaries use the CMS PBP release checked October 2, 2026. All 5,814 distinct 2027 plans in the lookup’s 50-state/DC scope match an exact contract/plan/segment PBP record. The summaries preserve copay and coinsurance distinctions, hospital day intervals, deductible conditions and optional supplemental benefit status. They are selected plan details, not a complete Evidence of Coverage or a matched year-over-year benefit comparison.

For agent education. This article is not an individual coverage recommendation or a substitute for current CMS guidance, carrier instructions, state insurance requirements or qualified compliance advice.

Sources

• CMS 2027 PBP benefits and data dictionary: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Accessed 2026-10-02.
• CMS CY2027 Landscape, September 2026: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Accessed 2026-09-30.
• CMS CY2026 Landscape, September 2026: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Accessed 2026-09-30.
• CMS 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D outlook: CMS Accessed 2026-09-30.
• CY2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D final rule: Federal Register Accessed 2026-09-30.
• 2027 Rate Announcement: Part D parameters, Table V-2: CMS Accessed 2026-09-30.
• 42 CFR 422.2264: beneficiary contact and events: eCFR Accessed 2026-09-30.
• 42 CFR 422.2274: agent, broker and TPMO requirements: eCFR Accessed 2026-09-30.
• 42 CFR 422.2267: required materials and content: eCFR Accessed 2026-09-30.
• Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans: CMS Accessed 2026-09-30.
• 42 CFR 422.52: special needs plan eligibility: eCFR Accessed 2026-09-30.
• 42 CFR 422.102: supplemental benefits and SSBCI: eCFR Accessed 2026-09-30.
• Medicare special enrollment periods: Medicare.gov Accessed 2026-09-30.
• Buying a Medigap policy: Medicare.gov Accessed 2026-09-30.