More than 87,000 Iowans on Medicare have been told their current plan is being canceled or discontinued in their county for 2027. The Iowa Insurance Division announced the count on October 15, the day Medicare open enrollment began. The division also said Iowans will no longer be able to buy a Medicare Advantage plan that keeps the Mayo Clinic in network.
The notices reach people in Medicare Advantage, cost plans and stand-alone drug plans. Open enrollment runs through December 7, and the choice a household makes this fall decides which doctors, hospitals and drugs are covered starting January 1.
Which Iowa plans are ending for 2027
The Iowa Insurance Division’s announcement says the full list of affected plans and counties sits on the website of SHIIP-SMP, the state’s free Medicare counseling program. More than 700,000 Medicare beneficiaries live in Iowa, so a count above 87,000 reaches a large share of them.
The counselors’ 2027 changes page names eight Medicare Advantage plans that are canceled statewide. They are AARP Medicare Advantage from UnitedHealthcare (IA-1), Humana Full Access PPO, four Medica Advantage PPOs (Preferred, Select, Solution and Value), and two Wellmark Blue Medicare Advantage PPOs, the standard plan and the Valor plan.
Other plans stay on the market but pull out of some counties. Aetna is leaving 18 Iowa counties for its Medicare Signature and Elite plans, among them Adams, Audubon, Story, Taylor and Van Buren. Wellcare is leaving six: Bremer, Cherokee, Fayette, Ida, Scott and Woodbury. SHIIP also lists cuts by AARP, Humana and two cost plans.
The smaller cuts still matter to the people in them. Humana Gold Plus HMO is leaving Lyon, Story and Woodbury counties, and HumanaChoice PPO is leaving Page County. Medical Associates’ North Iowa Senior Plan, a cost plan, is dropping Franklin, Mitchell and Winnebago counties, and its Quad Cities plan is dropping Cedar and Muscatine. Members there need new coverage by December 31, the same as people in a plan that ends outright.
People who got a letter from a Medicare plan this fall should open it before anything else. The letter names the plan, and the plan name and contract number can be matched to the SHIIP list. Wellmark’s Blue Medicare Advantage PPO, for example, is H5900-001. Anyone whose plan is on the list must pick new coverage by December 31 to avoid a gap that starts January 1.
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Why Mayo Clinic is out of network
The Mayo Clinic loss traces to two cancellations. The Insurance Division says Wellmark’s and Medica’s Medicare Advantage PPOs are both ending, and in-network coverage at Mayo goes with them. In the division’s words, “Iowans will no longer be able to purchase Medicare Advantage plans that provide in-network coverage with the Mayo Clinic.”
The 87,000 figure counts notices from every insurer, not only Wellmark and Medica. Wellmark is leaving the individual Medicare Advantage market altogether. Becker’s Payer Issues, citing federal Medicare data, lists it among 12 insurers exiting for 2027, with plans in 98 Iowa counties this year.
The division has not said how many of the notices came from each company. Its announcement carries no statement from Mayo Clinic.
Original Medicare is the other way out
Kristin Griffith, director of SHIIP-SMP, called the chance to switch from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare with guaranteed issue “a rare opportunity.” Guaranteed issue means a Medicare Supplement insurer, known as Medigap, cannot deny coverage or charge more because of a health condition.
SHIIP lists two paths for anyone in a canceled or shrinking plan: a different Medicare Advantage plan, or Original Medicare with a Medigap policy. Griffith urged Iowans to “open and read mail from their Medicare plan.” She also said it is “vital for Iowans to weigh all their options given these significant changes.”
Deadlines and phone numbers
Open enrollment ends December 7. People whose plans were canceled have until December 31 to choose new coverage and avoid a gap, and a special enrollment period for canceled plans runs through February 28, 2027, according to the division.
Free help comes from SHIIP-SMP’s 430 trained volunteer counselors at 1-800-351-4664. The program assists more than 55,000 Iowans a year, and the division warns that appointments fill quickly. The national line, 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), is open around the clock. The Insurance Division’s own number is 515-654-6600.
Drug plans, Medicaid plans and flex cards also change
SHIIP’s list reaches beyond Medicare Advantage. Aetna’s SilverScript Choice drug plan ends December 31. Members of HealthSpring Extra Rx are moved automatically to HealthSpring Assurance Rx at a $117.10 premium. People with Medicaid can join only the dual-eligible special needs plan that matches their Medicaid plan: Iowa Total Care, Molina or Wellpoint. Flex cards are limited to over-the-counter products unless the member has a qualifying chronic condition.
SHIIP also flags two changes that lower costs. Medicare’s expanded drug price negotiation applies lower prices automatically in 2027, and the added drugs include Ozempic, Wegovy, Trelegy Ellipta, Xtandi and Ibrance. A GLP-1 bridge program that began in July 2026 and runs through the end of 2027 lets eligible members pay $50 a month for Foundayo, Wegovy or Zepbound, with prior authorization based on body mass index and a talk with the doctor first.
For each household the open question comes down to which letter is in the mailbox. A canceled plan, a county cut and a plan that stays but changes its benefits lead to different choices. Griffith’s advice is to weigh every option before the deadline, and a SHIIP counselor can compare them if the caller has the plan’s name and county of residence in hand.
Is your Iowa Medicare plan on the cancellation list?
A plan that is canceled leaves a household choosing again before December 31, and no Medicare Advantage plan sold in Iowa will keep Mayo Clinic in network. Someone who picks fast and wrong can learn at the first appointment which doctors are out.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, plus a prescription-by-plan comparison. Part 6 adds phone scripts and a call log for checking a doctor’s network, and Part 4 covers the Medigap checkpoints that come up when a Medicare Advantage plan leaves.
Compare a canceled Iowa plan with its replacements in the 2027 cost calculator →
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This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by the 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.
