Nov. 19 is the date that decides which Medicare plan Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association retirees carry in 2027. Retirees now in a UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan through PERACare, the association’s health program, will be moved to Humana on Jan. 1 unless they pick another plan by then. UnitedHealthcare’s PERACare Medicare Advantage coverage ends on Dec. 31, 2026.
The switch and its deadline
PERACare’s 2027 open enrollment page says it directly: “UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage will terminate December 31, 2026.” The Medicare Advantage PPO plans move to Humana in 2027, and those who were enrolled with UnitedHealthcare in 2026 “will be enrolled into Humana” unless they choose otherwise during open enrollment. Open enrollment for plan year 2027 begins Oct. 19 and ends Nov. 19, 2026, and any coverage elected in it takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
PERA describes open enrollment as the one time each year when people can sign up for a PERACare plan, with changes available for the retiree, a spouse or unmarried children under 26. The affected group is specific: PERACare retirees enrolled in the UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan. Retirees in other PERACare Medicare plans are not the ones being moved to Humana.
The decision in front of those retirees is simple to state and harder to make: take the Humana plan PERACare has chosen as the default, or select one of the other PERACare Medicare options before the window closes. Both paths start Jan. 1, so the question is which one fits a retiree’s doctors, prescriptions and monthly budget.
The Humana default takes effect Jan. 1 for every UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage retiree who makes no choice by Nov. 19. The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, built for exactly this kind of side-by-side choice.
Compare Humana and the other PERACare options in the Open Enrollment Decision Kit →
What Humana and the alternatives cost in 2027
The PERACare 2027 Medicare booklet prices the options. It lists Humana MA #1 at $370.00 a month and Humana MA #2 at $184.00 a month for a benefit recipient only, before any subsidy. The $186 monthly gap between the two Humana plans adds up to $2,232 over a year, which is what a retiree would pay extra over a year to hold the higher-priced of the two.
The booklet’s other Medicare choices put those numbers in context. Kaiser Permanente’s Med HMO is listed at $182.00 a month. Moda Medicare Companion, a new option for 2027, is listed at $443.00 a month. According to PERACare, Moda “will offer a Medicare Companion plan which operates like a Medicare Supplement plan,” a different structure from the Medicare Advantage plans being compared with it.
The booklet prices are not what every retiree pays. PERA’s health benefits page lists a subsidy of up to $115 for most Medicare retirees with 20 or more years of service. The booklet figures are the full premiums before that subsidy is applied.
Other Medicare changes PERACare lists for 2027
Humana is not the only change. PERACare says Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare premiums rise for 2027, but its medical out-of-pocket maximum drops from $3,500 to $3,000. Kaiser’s Part D out-of-pocket maximum rises from $1,500 to $1,900, and its mail-order supply extends from 90 to 100 days. The two limits cover different parts of the bill, so a retiree comparing Kaiser has to weigh the lower medical cap against the higher drug cap.
On the pre-Medicare side, UMR is discontinued and its enrollees are moved automatically to the matching Anthem plan, and Kaiser’s Everyday Care Plan ends Dec. 31, 2026. Those changes do not touch Medicare-eligible retirees, but they show how many PERACare plans are shifting at the same time.
Webinars and phone help before the window closes
PERA is holding virtual meetings only, according to its page. Medicare webinars for retirees 65 and older run on Oct. 20 at 11 a.m., Oct. 26 at 10 a.m., Nov. 5 at 9 a.m., Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. and Nov. 16 at 11 a.m. Mountain time. Humana holds its own PERACare sessions on Oct. 21 at 10 a.m., Oct. 29 at 3 p.m., Nov. 6 at 11 a.m. and Nov. 12 at noon, and Moda has four of its own, starting Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. PERA can be reached at 800-759-7372, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Choosing among PERACare options before Nov. 19
PERA’s open enrollment page hosts the enrollment and change forms, including an online route through the PERACare member site and downloadable 2027 Medicare forms. Retirees who want a plan other than Humana have to file that change by Nov. 19. The page describes open enrollment as the one time each year to sign up for a PERACare plan.
The comparison itself needs three lists: every doctor and specialist currently seen, every prescription with its dose, and the monthly premium after the subsidy. Each carrier’s webinar is the place to ask whether a specific doctor is in network. The Humana sessions on Oct. 21, Oct. 29, Nov. 6 and Nov. 12 are the natural venue for retirees heading to the default, and the Moda sessions for those weighing the Companion plan.
The numbers to hold the plans against are the ones PERACare printed: $370.00 and $184.00 a month for the Humana pair, $182.00 for Kaiser and $443.00 for Moda, each before the subsidy of up to $115.
Humana by default, or another plan by Nov. 19
Nov. 19 is the one date that separates a chosen PERACare plan from the default, and any coverage elected in the window is effective Jan. 1, 2027. The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit supplies the Open Enrollment calendar and a prescription-by-plan comparison, so a retiree can check Humana MA #1 at $370.00, MA #2 at $184.00 and the other options against the same drug list. The kit runs 55 pages, and its Excel calculator puts each plan’s yearly cost side by side.
Check the $370 and $184 Humana plans against your drug list with the Decision Kit →
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by The Financial Wire’s editorial team.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
