Medicare Plan Ending for 2027? Next Steps, Lenexa

The short answer

If you got a letter saying your Medicare plan is ending for 2027, take a breath. Your Medicare itself does not end. Only that one plan is leaving.

You have extra time, from December 8 to the last day of February, to pick new coverage. If you don’t join another Medicare Advantage Plan before your plan ends, you’ll be enrolled in Original Medicare.

What does a Medicare plan ending for 2027 letter mean?

The letter is called a Plan Non-Renewal Notice. You get it if your plan is leaving the Medicare program in the coming year, and it comes in October. You must look for a new plan for coverage next year.

This is different from the September letter about yearly changes. That one is the Annual Notice of Change, and it tells you what is changing in next year’s plan.

You have two main paths:

Join another Medicare Advantage plan.
Go back to Original Medicare, then add a Medicare Supplement and a Part D drug plan.

Keep your letter and the envelope. Medicare says to keep copies of notices as proof your coverage was ending.

How much time do I have to choose?

More than the usual window. Here is how it works:

October 15 to December 7: Open Enrollment. Coverage you pick starts January 1.
December 8 to the last day of February: extra time for people whose plan is not renewed.
January 1 to March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment lets people already in an Advantage plan make one change.

The date you sign up sets your start date. Requests from December 8 through December 31 start January 1. Requests in January start February 1.

My advice is to choose before December 7 if you can. If you wait and end up in Original Medicare by default, you may have no drug plan yet.

What are my Medigap rights?

This part matters most if you want to leave Advantage for Original Medicare.

Medigap usually asks health questions. A plan ending can change that. You have the right to buy a Medigap policy that is sold by an insurance company in your state.

The timing is tight:

Apply as early as 60 days before your Advantage coverage ends, and no more than 63 days after it ends.
You only have this right if you switch to Original Medicare, not if you join another Advantage Plan.
Medigap coverage can’t start until your Advantage coverage ends. Ask that the new policy start when your Advantage enrollment ends, so you have continuous coverage.

State rules differ. Kansas does not have the same-letter switch rule that Missouri has. See Missouri vs Kansas rules if you live near the state line.

This window is easy to miss, so mark your calendar.

What should I check first?

Start with these five things:

The end date printed on your letter.
Your doctors and hospitals. Use our page on your doctors and hospitals to see how to check them.
Every medicine you take, and your pharmacy.
Whether you get Extra Help. If so, Medicare may send a blue notice saying you will be reassigned to a drug plan unless you join one yourself.
The 2027 options in your ZIP code, checked against your doctors and medicines.

You can also get free counseling from the state. Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas (SHICK) is a free program with trained community volunteers. Their counselors do not work for any insurance company. Call 800-860-5260.

In Johnson County, the SHICK coordinator is at the Johnson County Area Agency on Aging, 913-715-8856. On the Missouri side, call Missouri SHIP at 800-390-3330.

You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

What to do next

If you are not sure what your letter means, call us first at (816) 307-6165. We will read the letter with you. We will also check your doctors and medicines against the 2027 options for the plans we offer. We will explain your Medigap rights before the deadlines.

Book a free review

Our help is free and the price of a plan is the same as going direct.

Live near Lenexa? See our local Medicare help page for the hospitals, networks and sign-up rules that apply to you.