Medicare Advantage plans leaving North Carolina in 2027

What is actually happening

The Medicare Advantage market is shrinking for 2027. Carriers are pulling back from less profitable plans and counties instead of chasing enrollment growth. The average beneficiary can choose from about 35 plans in 2027, down from 39 in 2026. About 181 counties nationwide will have no Medicare Advantage plans at all, up from 67 this year.

The two biggest national exits: Humana is ending plans that cover roughly 600,000 members, and UnitedHealthcare is discontinuing plans covering roughly 390,000 members. Neither company is leaving Medicare entirely. Both are still selling plans in thousands of counties. But for the people in the discontinued plans, a specific plan is ending in their county, and they have to choose something else.

What is happening in North Carolina specifically

Two North Carolina developments are worth knowing about. Sentara Health Plans discontinued its Medicare Advantage plans in North Carolina effective the end of 2025. Members had to find replacement coverage during the 2025 open enrollment.

Separately, CarolinaEast Medical Center in New Bern exited the Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Medicare Advantage network in July 2026, and it leaves the UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage network at the end of 2026. That is a hospital leaving carrier networks, not a plan ending, but the effect on members is similar: if CarolinaEast is your hospital, your current plan may no longer cover it in network.

I cannot tell you from here whether a specific plan in Guilford, Forsyth, or Randolph County is ending. Carriers make those decisions county by county, and the only reliable source for your situation is your own plan's letter. Anyone who tells you otherwise without seeing your letter is guessing.

Which letter did you get

This is the most important thing to sort out. There are two different letters, and they mean very different things:

• Annual Notice of Change. Sent by September 30. This means your plan continues into 2027, but costs, benefits, or networks may change. Read it carefully. A plan that continues can still get worse.
• Non-renewal notice. Sent by early October. This means your plan is ending on December 31. You must choose something else.

If you are not sure which one you received, call the member services number on your plan card and ask directly. Do not guess.

Your options if your plan is ending

You have three paths, and Annual Enrollment (October 15 through December 7) is the time to choose:

• Join another Medicare Advantage plan. Compare what is available in your county. Check that your doctors and hospital are in the new plan's network, and compare drug coverage if you take prescriptions.
• Return to Original Medicare. If you do nothing, this is where you land on January 1. You can still add a standalone Part D drug plan, and you have through the last day of February to join another Advantage plan if you change your mind.
• Original Medicare plus Medigap. A plan ending gives you a guaranteed right to buy certain Medigap plans without medical underwriting. You can apply as early as 60 days before your coverage ends and up to 63 days after. This is one of the rare times Medigap is guaranteed, so give it real consideration even if you lean toward another Advantage plan.

Your options if your plan continues but got worse

A continuing plan can still raise your premium, drop your doctors, cut supplemental benefits, or raise drug costs. Read the Annual Notice of Change line by line. If the 2027 version of your plan no longer fits, Annual Enrollment is the same window to switch. You do not need your plan to end to leave it.

What not to do

Do not wait until December to open the letter. Do not assume your plan is fine because it was fine last year. And do not pick a replacement based on a TV commercial or a $0 premium alone. Check the provider directory for your doctors, the drug formulary for your prescriptions, and the out-of-pocket maximum for a bad health year. Here is how Annual Enrollment works, and the turning 65 guide covers the basics if any of the terminology is new.