Two Medicare Advantage carriers are about to lose in-network status at one of Southwest Florida’s largest hospital systems. NCH Healthcare System in Naples now lists Wellcare Medicare Advantage and HealthSpring Medicare Advantage as out of network effective December 31, alongside a third plan, Cigna Connect, on the same date. For a retiree enrolled in one of those plans and living near Naples, the timing lines up directly with this fall’s window to pick a different plan for 2027.
What NCH’s Contract List Actually Says
NCH’s own list of contracted insurance plans marks Wellcare Medicare Advantage, HealthSpring Medicare Advantage and Cigna Connect as “Out of Network 12/31/26” for both the hospital and NCH Medical Group, its affiliated physician practices, according to the NCH Healthcare System contracted-plans page. The list was last updated August 27, 2026, per the same page, and NCH notes the roster “is subject to change at any time,” meaning any of these plans could still reach a new agreement before the December 31 date takes effect. As of this article, no update reversing the three exits had been posted.
A fourth plan, Florida Blue Medicare Advantage, is already listed out of network for primary care as of January 1, 2025, the same NCH page shows, so the Wellcare, HealthSpring and Cigna Connect changes would mark the second wave of Medicare Advantage network losses at NCH in roughly two years if none of the three contracts is renewed.
What the plan letter does not do: NCH’s contract list names December 31 as the date Wellcare and HealthSpring Medicare Advantage lose in-network status, but it does not compare either plan against the alternatives that would keep a Naples-area retiree’s current doctors and hospital in network for 2027. Run that comparison with The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit.
Why The December 31 Date Matters For Next Year’s Plan
A contract ending December 31 means the change takes hold on January 1, the start of the 2027 plan year, which is precisely the enrollment cycle now open. Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7 each year, and any plan switch requested by December 7 becomes effective January 1, according to Medicare.gov’s Open Enrollment page. That page also confirms beneficiaries can join, drop or switch a Medicare Advantage plan during that window, or move between Original Medicare and a Medicare Advantage plan. For someone in a Wellcare or HealthSpring Medicare Advantage plan who wants to keep receiving care at NCH facilities in Naples without an out-of-network bill, this fall’s enrollment period is the mechanism to act on before the network status actually changes.
Two Plans, One Local Hospital System
Wellcare and HealthSpring are sold by different parent insurers, but both plans lose the same network status at the same hospital system on the same date, per NCH’s list. That distinction matters for a Naples-area household comparing plans this fall: a member currently in either plan cannot assume staying enrolled preserves access to NCH doctors or the hospital itself, since the exit applies to both NCH Healthcare System and NCH Medical Group, the affiliated physician group, not just one or the other. A plan that still shows as in-network with NCH going into 2027 would need to be confirmed separately, since NCH’s contracted-plans page is the specific list that tracks these changes. Nothing on NCH’s page states why Wellcare, HealthSpring and Cigna Connect are all lapsing on the identical date, whether that reflects three separate contract renewal cycles converging by coincidence or a single negotiating position NCH has taken with multiple carriers at once; the hospital system’s public list records the outcome, not the negotiation behind it.
A Second Window If December 7 Is Missed
A member who does not act by December 7 is not necessarily locked into an out-of-network Wellcare or HealthSpring plan for all of 2027. Medicare’s separate Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31 for anyone already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, and it allows a member to switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or drop back to Original Medicare, according to Medicare’s official publication on enrollment periods. That second window comes with a hard limit: a member “can only make one change each year” during it, and it cannot be used to join a new Medicare Advantage plan from Original Medicare or to add a standalone drug plan, the same publication states. For someone in a Wellcare or HealthSpring plan who misses the fall deadline, that spring window is real but narrower, and it still leaves January, February and part of March exposed to NCH’s out-of-network billing before a switch can take effect.
The Money Consequence Of An Out-Of-Network Hospital
Going out of network does not necessarily mean a Medicare Advantage plan stops covering care at NCH altogether, but it typically means higher cost-sharing, and in some plan designs, no coverage at all outside emergencies, once a hospital or physician group is no longer contracted. For a retiree on a fixed income who has used NCH for years, an out-of-network bill for a procedure, an inpatient stay or a specialist visit can run to thousands of dollars beyond what an in-network visit would have cost, which is the practical stake behind a contract list that most plan members never check until a bill arrives. NCH’s page does not state what specific cost-sharing each plan would apply to an out-of-network claim, since that detail sits with each insurer’s own plan documents rather than the hospital’s contract list.
What The NCH Contract List Actually Tracks
NCH Healthcare System’s own contracted-plans page sets December 31 as the date Wellcare Medicare Advantage and HealthSpring Medicare Advantage lose in-network status at the hospital and NCH Medical Group, landing squarely inside this fall’s Medicare Open Enrollment window. What the hospital’s list does not do is lay out, plan by plan, which Medicare Advantage or Part D options would keep a member’s current doctors and prescriptions in network for 2027.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit works through that comparison with a cost calculator spreadsheet that checks plans against cost, drugs and doctors, plus a prescription-by-plan comparison and a provider call script for confirming network status directly.
See how the cost calculator compares plan options in The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit.
This article was produced with AI assistance and checked against the primary 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.
