If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, your hospital matters as much as your premium. Each plan has its own network, and in Springfield most people want to know one thing: will my plan work at CoxHealth, at Mercy, or both? This page pulls together what the two big systems have published themselves, so you can check before December 7.
This only matters for Medicare Advantage plans. Original Medicare and standard Medicare Supplement plans do not use networks. With those, you can go to any hospital or doctor that takes Medicare, in Springfield or anywhere else in the country.
Springfield hospitals at a glance
| Hospital system | What the hospital lists | Recent change | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CoxHealth (Springfield, Branson and Monett hospitals and clinics) | Cox HealthPlans, Humana, Aetna, Anthem, UnitedHealthcare (AARP), Wellcare by Allwell, Provider Partners Health Plans, Devoted Health and Healthy Blue Dual Medicare Advantage plans | No longer contracted with Essence (CoxHealth MedicarePlus) Medicare Advantage plans | CoxHealth’s own insurance arm, Cox HealthPlans, offers a Medicare Advantage plan |
| Mercy Springfield (Mercy Hospital Springfield and Mercy clinics) | For Missouri: Aetna, American Health Advantage of MO, Anthem, Cigna, Devoted Health, Essence, Humana, Medica, NHC Advantage, Provider Partners Health Plans, UnitedHealthcare and Wellcare-Allwell | No change announced that we could find | Mercy’s list is statewide, not by hospital. Ask your plan to confirm Springfield |
| Citizens Memorial (Bolivar) | We did not find a public Medicare Advantage list | None announced that we could find | Ask your plan |
Networks can change during the year, and a plan being “accepted” at the hospital does not mean every doctor or service is covered the same way. Always confirm with your plan before you enroll.
CoxHealth
CoxHealth runs hospitals in Springfield, Branson, Monett and other towns, plus a large group of clinics. Its Medicare Advantage page lists nine plan groups that are contracted with CoxHealth providers:
- Cox HealthPlans Medicare Advantage
- Humana
- Aetna
- Anthem
- UnitedHealthcare, including AARP plans
- Wellcare by Allwell
- Provider Partners Health Plans
- Devoted Health
- Healthy Blue Dual
One change to know about: CoxHealth says its providers and facilities are no longer contracted with Essence (CoxHealth MedicarePlus) Medicare Advantage plans. CoxHealth now takes part in the Medicare Advantage plan offered through Cox HealthPlans instead. If you still have a card with the old CoxHealth MedicarePlus name on it, check your 2027 Annual Notice of Change closely, or call us and we will look it up with you.
Cox HealthPlans is CoxHealth’s own insurance arm. That is worth knowing, because a plan run by a hospital system is built around that system’s doctors. It can be a good fit if you already see Cox doctors, and a poor fit if your doctors are at Mercy.
Some insurance news about CoxHealth in 2026 was about marketplace plans, not Medicare. Cox HealthPlans stopped offering marketplace plans in Greene and Webster counties for 2026 and plans to stop selling marketplace plans directly in 2027. If you are on Medicare, that change does not affect your Medicare plan.
Mercy Springfield
Mercy’s Medicare page lists the Medicare Advantage plans it works with by state. For Missouri, the list is:
- Aetna
- American Health Advantage of MO
- Anthem
- Cigna
- Devoted Health
- Essence
- Humana
- Medica
- NHC Advantage
- Provider Partners Health Plans
- UnitedHealthcare
- Wellcare-Allwell
Mercy’s list covers the whole state, not each hospital. Some plans only work in certain counties, so a plan on this list may not include Mercy Springfield in your area. Look up Mercy Hospital Springfield and your Mercy doctors in your plan’s 2027 provider directory to be sure. Mercy does not offer its own Medicare Advantage plan that we could find.
Cox or Mercy: why it matters
In many cities, most plans include most hospitals. Springfield is different because so much care runs through two large systems. Compare the two lists above:
- Essence is on Mercy’s Missouri list, but CoxHealth says it is no longer contracted with Essence.
- Cox HealthPlans is built around CoxHealth and is not on Mercy’s list.
- Cigna is on Mercy’s Missouri list but is not on CoxHealth’s Medicare Advantage list.
- Humana, Aetna, Anthem, UnitedHealthcare, Wellcare, Devoted and Provider Partners appear on both lists.
If your heart doctor is at Cox and your primary care doctor is at Mercy, you want a plan that has both. That is the kind of thing we check for you.
Citizens Memorial and smaller hospitals
Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar and other smaller hospitals around the Ozarks serve a lot of people who also use Springfield specialists. We did not find a public Medicare Advantage list from Citizens Memorial. No news is not a promise. Check your plan’s 2027 provider directory, or let us look it up for you.
How to check your own hospital
- Find your plan card and your Annual Notice of Change for 2027.
- Look up your hospital and each doctor in your plan’s 2027 provider directory, not the 2026 one.
- If something is out of network, compare plans that keep your doctors before December 7.
If you are thinking about leaving Medicare Advantage for a Medicare Supplement instead, read about the Missouri Medigap anniversary rule first. It explains when you can switch Supplement companies without health questions in Missouri.
Free help in the Springfield area
Cole Insure is based in Kansas City and helps people across Missouri, including Springfield and the Ozarks, by phone and video. Our help is free. We check your doctors, your hospital and your medicines against the 2027 plans we offer, including Humana and Devoted Health. Learn more about keeping your doctors and hospitals, see our Missouri Medicare guide, or read how Kansas City hospital networks are changing for 2027.
Call (816) 307-6165 or book a free review. The deadline for January 1 coverage is December 7, 2026.
Live near Springfield? See our local Medicare help page for the hospitals, networks and sign-up rules that apply to you.
Sources
- CoxHealth: Medicare Advantage plans
- CoxHealth: Insurance providers partnering with CoxHealth
- Becker's Payer Issues: Missouri health system to stop offering ACA plans, partners with Oscar
- News Tribune: Insurance changes leave thousands in southwest Missouri without access to CoxHealth providers (March 29, 2026)
- Mercy: Medicare coverage options
- Medicare.gov: Joining a plan (enrollment periods)
