Devoted Health is adding Medicare Advantage drug plans in 342 counties for 2027 and leaving none, the largest expansion of any insurer. Two others are going the other way. Clear Spring Health and Molina Healthcare are leaving the Medicare Advantage drug-plan market altogether, according to KFF’s county-by-county analysis of federal plan files, published Oct. 9, 2026.
Members of a Clear Spring Health plan or a Molina Medicare Advantage drug plan are holding coverage that will not exist on Jan. 1. They have until Dec. 7 to pick a replacement in open enrollment, and the Medicare Advantage plan they choose, or a switch to Original Medicare, needs to be in place by then.
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Clear Spring Health plans end in Colorado, Georgia and Illinois
KFF lists the parent company as Group 1001, which markets its plans as Clear Spring Health. In 2026 it offered Medicare Advantage drug plans in Colorado, Georgia and Illinois. For 2027 it offers none, which makes it one of two insurers to leave the drug-plan market completely.
The exit is one of many insurer decisions this year. KFF counts 4.3 million people whose Advantage or stand-alone drug plan is terminated at the end of 2026, and 3.1 million of them are in Advantage drug plans.
Molina drops the drug plans and keeps its special needs plans
Molina is leaving the Medicare Advantage drug-plan market, but KFF notes that it still offers special needs plans in many counties in 2027. Those plans are limited to people who meet set criteria, such as having both Medicare and Medicaid. Chief Executive Joseph Zubretsky told investors when the company reported fourth-quarter results that “we will exit the traditional MAPD product for 2027,” according to Fierce Healthcare.
He said the product “does not align with our strategic shift to focus exclusively on dual-eligible members in Medicare.” A Molina member in a special needs plan is in a different position from one in a general-enrollment drug plan, because only the second kind is covered by this exit.
Devoted enters 342 counties while others pull back
KFF finds Devoted Health entering 342 counties and exiting none, the largest expansion on its list. Other insurers moved the opposite direction. Health Care Service Corporation is exiting 498 counties and entering none, Centene is exiting 359 and entering 15, and UnitedHealth Group is exiting 228 and entering 9. KFF says UnitedHealth now offers drug plans in about 70% of counties, down from nearly 80% in 2026, while Humana is in about 80%, about where it was.
Plan counts alone do not show whether a new entrant’s plan is better. KFF says its analysis does not look at costs, benefits or other plan features, so a county that gains a Devoted plan has not been shown to gain a cheaper one. The next step for a member is to compare it against the others, plan by plan, on drugs, doctors and premium.
Members of a departing plan have until Dec. 7 and a Medigap right
Medicare’s Plan Finder compares the plans sold at a ZIP code on premium and benefits, and Medicare says to enter every regular prescription for the best estimate. Under Medicare’s enrollment rules, the request has to reach the new plan by Dec. 7 for coverage to begin Jan. 1. Help is available at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) around the clock.
People whose Advantage plan is terminated also get a special enrollment period and guaranteed-issue rights to buy a Medigap policy, according to KFF. Medicare’s Medigap guide says the application window runs from 60 days before coverage ends, or the date in the termination notice, to no more than 63 days after it ends. CMS reports in its Sept. 28 release that more than 99% of beneficiaries can reach at least one Advantage plan, so many will find another in the same county.
Which plan will the member of a departing insurer land on by Dec. 7?
For a member of a departing plan, the Dec. 7 deadline is fixed whether or not a replacement was ever on the radar. The steps that matter are the plan comparison, the drug list and the Medigap window, and they have to happen in order.
“The Medicare Money Bundle” includes Open Enrollment in an Afternoon, which runs Plan Finder in one sitting and ends with a keep-or-switch answer. The same download holds Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage, with Medigap rights, state rules and both paths priced.
Get Open Enrollment in an Afternoon in the Medicare Money Bundle, with the keep-or-switch answer →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
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.
