Medicare Advantage members in Maryland, Connecticut, North Dakota and New Mexico are watching insurers leave for 2027, and Dec. 7 is the last day of the annual window to pick a replacement. The departures differ sharply by state: Aetna is leaving Maryland altogether, and ConnectiCare is ending every Medicare plan in Connecticut. In North Dakota and New Mexico, Blue Cross-branded plans are the ones shrinking, along with Presbyterian and Christus in New Mexico.
None of this means every plan in every state is gone. Maryland still has seven insurers selling Medicare Advantage, according to the Maryland Insurance Administration, and New Mexico’s Presbyterian is keeping one plan. The question for each member is narrower: is my own plan one of the ones ending, and what happens to me on Jan. 1 if I do nothing?
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What does Maryland lose beyond Aetna?
The Maryland Insurance Administration says Aetna “will no longer offer any Medicare Advantage plans in the state,” so anyone with an Aetna plan has to choose a new one. Beyond Aetna, the state lists changes at nearly every insurer. Humana will offer six plans and discontinue five, stop offering dual-eligible special needs plans and leave Baltimore City, Carroll, Garrett and Worcester counties.
UnitedHealthcare will discontinue six Medicare Advantage plans and keep two dual-eligible plans. Johns Hopkins Health Plans will drop one PPO and add two plans, and CareFirst will add one new plan while some of its plans stop serving six counties, including Carroll, Frederick and Worcester. Cost-sharing changed at every insurer except UnitedHealthcare, mostly upward, the state says, although each insurer will keep at least one $0-premium option.
One new wrinkle is a cap on enrollment. For the first time, some plans can stop taking new members once they hit a federally approved limit, and Alterwood, CareFirst and Johns Hopkins Health Plans will use that on some plans, so choosing early can matter. Free counseling is available from Maryland’s SHIP at (410) 767-1100.
Does ConnectiCare’s exit leave Connecticut without a plan?
It leaves ConnectiCare members without that company’s plan. A notice on the insurer’s site says that as of Jan. 1, 2027, ConnectiCare will no longer offer Medicare plans, and all of its Medicare plans end Dec. 31, 2026. The notice points members to Medicare’s 1-800-633-4227 line or an insurance broker, and members can reach ConnectiCare itself at 1-800-224-2273.
MoneyGeek, which analyzed Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plan files, estimated that about 81,700 Connecticut members, or 36.8% of people in general-enrollment plans, are in plans with no listed successor in their county. The same analysis notes that Connecticut allows Medigap purchases year-round, though a waiting period of up to six months for pre-existing conditions can apply.
Why are 21 North Dakota counties on the list?
The same MoneyGeek analysis found 21 North Dakota counties with no general-enrollment Medicare Advantage plan left for 2027, the most of any state, after NextBlue of North Dakota’s plans disappeared from CMS’s county lists. In Stark County, all three 2026 general-enrollment plans were NextBlue’s, and about 200 members are affected. CMS lists Medica cost plans in all 21 counties.
The North Dakota Insurance Department says the Medicare open enrollment period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 and that plan changes take effect Jan. 1. Its State Health Insurance Counseling program answers questions at (888) 575-6611 at no cost. The department’s page does not itself list the county changes, so members should confirm their county’s options with a counselor.
How deep is the cut in New Mexico?
Three insurers are shrinking. Presbyterian is ending four of its five Medicare Advantage plans, which affects about 30,000 people, the Albuquerque Journal reported. Spokesperson Kourtney Muñoz said continuing in the market “would limit our ability to invest in the care, workforce and access” the company wants to provide.
Christus Health Plan is leaving Medicare Advantage in the state entirely on Dec. 31, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico is pulling most of its plans, Live Insurance News reported. One Blue Cross HMO drug plan remains in Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance and Valencia counties, so members elsewhere are likely losing theirs. The report puts January 2026 enrollment at 239,822 New Mexicans, and the state’s free counseling line is 1-800-432-2080.
What happens to someone who does nothing by Dec. 7?
A member whose plan ends and who takes no action reverts to Original Medicare, which has no prescription drug coverage, according to the New Mexico report. That is the practical stake for Dec. 7: a drug plan and a supplement have to be chosen separately if the member wants them.
People whose plans end also get a Medigap safety net in some states. In New Mexico the guaranteed-issue window runs from 60 days before a plan ends until 63 days after, so it opens around Nov. 1 for plans ending Dec. 31. Connecticut and Maryland have their own rules, which the state insurance departments and their counselors can spell out.
Is your Medicare Advantage plan on the 2027 exit list?
A member in Maryland, Connecticut, North Dakota or New Mexico whose plan ends and who does nothing by Dec. 7 reverts to Original Medicare with no drug coverage. In New Mexico the Medigap guaranteed-issue window runs only until 63 days after a plan ends.
The Medicare Money Bundle holds all 8 Medicare guides, including Open Enrollment in an Afternoon, which runs Plan Finder in one sitting to a keep-or-switch answer, and Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage, which covers your Medigap rights and state rules with both paths priced.
Get the keep-or-switch guide and Medigap rights guide for a plan that is ending →
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.
