CMS Caps Medicare Advantage Enrollment at 65 Plans in 11 States for 2027
For the first time, CMS accepted hard enrollment limits submitted in Medicare Advantage bids. Here is how a capped plan behaves during the October 15 to December 7 window, and what to do if your county is one of the 181 with no plan at all.
The short answer
For 2027, CMS accepted enrollment capacity limits on 65 Medicare Advantage plans from 15 parent organizations across 11 states, with limits ranging from 410 to 56,345 members. A capped plan takes applications in the order received, then closes to new enrollees until members leave. Separately, 181 counties will have no Medicare Advantage plan, up from 67 in 2026.
- Caps: 65 Medicare Advantage plans, 15 parent organizations, 11 states, limits from 410 to 56,345 members
- Empty counties: 181 counties have no Medicare Advantage plan for 2027, up from 67 in 2026
- Plan totals: about 5,532 Medicare Advantage plans nationally in 2027, down from 5,553 in 2026
- Deadline: the Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 to December 7 for coverage starting January 1, 2027
Applies to people with Medicare shopping for 2027 coverage, especially in the 11 states with capped plans or in counties losing their only Medicare Advantage option; our agency is licensed in more than 40 states but not California.
What did CMS actually approve for 2027?
Under 42 CFR 422.254(c)(4) and (e)(1), a Medicare Advantage organization may submit an enrollment capacity limit for a specific plan as part of its annual bid, and CMS reviews that limit during bid review. Requesting a limit is optional, and CMS said it would only accept limits at or above the plan’s enrollment as of June 1, 2026.
For the 2027 plan year, 15 parent organizations set caps on 65 Medicare Advantage plans, including plans with drug coverage and special needs plans. Those plans sit in 11 states, and the limits run from 410 members to 56,345 members. Maryland has three organizations with capped plans, and one Wisconsin insurer accounts for 10 of the 65.
The caps are a separate story from the exits. At least 11 companies that sold individual Medicare Advantage this year are leaving the program for 2027, compared with seven that quit for 2026, and roughly 3.8 million enrollees will need to shop for new coverage. If your carrier is one of them, our explainer on why carriers are dropping Medicare Advantage plans for 2027 walks through the notice you should have received.
How does an enrollment cap work when you apply?
A capped plan must accept valid enrollment requests in the order it receives them until the limit is reached. Requests received before the limit was hit continue to be processed, even if the plan identifies later that day that it is full. Requests received after the limit was reached must be denied.
Once a plan closes, it stays closed to new enrollees until space opens through natural attrition. CMS guidance also requires plans to offer a waitlist to people who apply after the cap is reached, and bars carriers from using caps to screen applicants by health, demographic or socioeconomic characteristics.
Two limits on the carriers matter here. A plan cannot use a capacity limit to remove current members, and an organization that did not request a limit in its bid may not impose one later unless CMS approves an out-of-cycle request, which CMS said it will consider only when beneficiary health and safety are at risk. Stand-alone Part D sponsors do not have this bid option at all, which is one more reason to read our breakdown of the four factors that decide your 2027 Part D plan separately from your medical plan decision.
Which counties and states lose the most in 2027?
CMS released the 2027 landscape data on September 28, 2026, and the national picture looks close to flat. The total number of Medicare Advantage plans falls from 5,553 in 2026 to about 5,532 in 2027, and CMS projects more than 99 percent of eligible enrollees will have access to at least one Medicare Advantage plan, with 97 percent able to choose from at least 10.
The county-level picture is where the movement is. Plan options decrease in 29 of the 51 jurisdictions where individual Medicare Advantage is sold, and 181 counties will have no Medicare Advantage plan at all.
| Measure | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Counties with no Medicare Advantage plan | 67 | 181 |
| Medicare Advantage plans nationally | 5,553 | about 5,532 |
| Plans in Florida | 611 | 560 |
| Plans in Ohio | 212 | 180 |
| Plans in Illinois | 157 | 136 |
| Plans in Maryland | 63 | 47 |
| Plans in Minnesota | 68 | 53 |
Wyoming sees the steepest percentage drop, from 14 plans to 8. Alaska remains the only state with no individual Medicare Advantage plans for sale. Plan counts rise in 21 states, with Tennessee adding the most, from 132 to 155.
What if your plan is not offered in your county next year?
You should have received a non-renewal notice from the plan, which is a different letter from the Annual Notice of Change. The non-renewal letter says the plan itself ends December 31. Keep it, because it is your proof of eligibility for the rights that follow. Our guide to reading your 2027 Annual Notice of Change in ten minutes explains which letter is which.
A non-renewal opens a Special Enrollment Period that runs from December 8 through the last day of February, which is February 28 in the 2027 cycle. That is in addition to the Annual Enrollment Period of October 15 to December 7, not instead of it. If you want January 1 coverage with no gap, the December 7 date is still the one to plan around; see our summary of what the 2027 Annual Enrollment Period does and does not cover.
Losing a plan because the carrier left your area also commonly triggers a Medigap guaranteed-issue right, generally requiring you to apply no later than 63 calendar days from the date coverage ends, with the available plan letters depending on when you became eligible for Medicare. Guaranteed-issue rules and medical underwriting rules vary by state, so confirm your own state’s version before you assume anything. Our post on switching from Medicare Advantage to Medigap and the 63-day rule covers the sequence.
Does a cap change anything if you already have the plan?
No. A capacity limit cannot be used to disenroll current members, and CMS would not accept a limit set below the plan’s June 1, 2026 enrollment. If you stay put, the cap is not aimed at you.
The risk is for people who move. If you leave a capped plan during the Annual Enrollment Period and then change your mind, the plan may already be closed when you try to come back. Treat a capped plan as a one-way door for the season and make the comparison before you file anything.
What should you do between October 15 and December 7?
Most 2027 Medicare Advantage plans are not capped, and CMS still projects broad access nationally. The reasonable response is an earlier comparison, not a rushed decision based on fear that everything will fill up. Start at the Medicare hub if you want the full set of 2027 changes in one place.
Your 2027 checklist
- Find your non-renewal notice or Annual Notice of Change and write down whether your plan still exists in your county for 2027.
- Check the 2027 plan list for your specific county, not your state, using Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov.
- Confirm your doctors, hospital and drugs against each plan you are considering, for the 2027 plan year.
- Ask whether any plan on your short list carries an enrollment capacity limit, and confirm it is open on the day you apply.
- If your plan is ending, note both dates: December 7 for January 1 coverage, and the December 8 to February 28 window as the backstop.
- If you are weighing Original Medicare plus a Medigap policy, check your state’s guaranteed-issue and underwriting rules before the 63-day clock runs.
We work by phone and video in more than 40 states, and we do not sell in California. If your county is on the short list this year, earlier is better than December 6.
Questions people ask
Can a Medicare Advantage plan really close before December 7?
Yes. If CMS accepted a capacity limit for that plan and the limit is reached, the plan must stop accepting new enrollment requests. Requests that arrived before the limit was reached still get processed. Requests that arrive after it must be denied, even if the Annual Enrollment Period is still open.
Does Medicare Plan Finder show which plans have caps?
CMS published the 2027 landscape files and state fact sheets, and trade press identified the capped plans from that data. [VERIFY: whether Medicare Plan Finder flags a plan that has reached its capacity limit] The practical step is to ask the plan or your agent to confirm the plan is still open on the day you apply.
Do stand-alone Part D drug plans have enrollment caps?
No. CMS guidance for 2027 states that Part D sponsors cannot establish an enrollment capacity limit through the bid process. The caps apply to Medicare Advantage plans, including Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage and special needs plans.
What happens if a capped plan fills up before my application is processed?
The plan must deny the request and must offer a waitlist. You would then pick another plan available in your county. If your current plan was not renewed, you may also have a separate enrollment window that opens December 8.
Can a carrier add a cap in the middle of the year?
Generally no. A carrier that did not request a capacity limit in its bid may not restrict enrollment for capacity reasons without separate CMS approval, and CMS has said it will consider an out-of-cycle request only when beneficiary health and safety are at risk.
If my county has no Medicare Advantage plan in 2027, do I lose Medicare?
No. Original Medicare Part A and Part B still apply everywhere. You would add a stand-alone Part D drug plan if you want drug coverage, and you can look at a Medigap policy, subject to your state's rules on guaranteed issue and underwriting.
Sources
- Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Programs Expected to Remain Stable in 2027, September 28, 2026
- 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape State-by-State Fact Sheets, September 28, 2026
- HPMS Memo, CY 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance, August 25, 2026
- Final Contract Year 2027 Standards for Part C Benefits, Bid Review and Evaluation, April 22, 2026
- 15 payers with Medicare Advantage enrollment caps for 2027, Becker's Payer Issues, September 2026
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Medigap Frequently Asked Questions, 2024
Find out if your county or your plan is affected
We will pull the 2027 plan list for your county, tell you whether the plan you are considering carries an enrollment capacity limit, and walk through your options by phone or video. No office visit, no cost to you for the review.
Request a county plan reviewCall or text (773) 657-9140Smart Insurance Agents LLC is an independent, licensed insurance agency and is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program for information on all of your options. Content is for general information and is not a guarantee of coverage or rates; figures are subject to change by CMS and carriers.